by Amy Klinke, University of Michigan, Center for Entrepreneurship

The State of Michigan invests a significant amount of money in its public institutions of higher learning and this investment is recognized, in part, by the world-wide esteem with which these colleges and universities are held. However, there is a problem: many of the students leave the State after graduation. The flip side of this problem is that Michigan-based small high growth companies want to hire these students (thereby keeping them here), but often find it difficult to recruit them. In fact, I regularly hear, from business owners, "We are right next to the University of Michigan, yet I don’t know how to connect with it." Let me answer to this question.

I work at the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Business Engagement Center at the University of Michigan. My role is to engage small high growth companies with the University. In order to do this, I have several tools that help me engage small companies, see this web-page.

Of these tools, the one I would like to focus on is the MPowered Small Company Career Fair. This is a unique event at the University as it is the only event specifically designed for small companies to hire Michigan students. This is in direct contrast to traditional career fairs, which attract larger companies, such as Microsoft, Google, Lockheed Martin, making it quite challenging for a small company to be noticed.

This is the 3rd year of this event which focuses almost exclusively on small entrepreneurial companies. We like to say it is more than a career fair – it is an opportunity for Companies to network with students and with each other, and to connect with University of Michigan. Here is a link with more information and a registration form. This truly is an amazing opportunity to begin to engage with the University of Michigan and its students – who are among the best in the world.

Other tools we offer to assist the regional entrepreneurial community include participation in class projects, cost sharing research opportunities through the Small Company Innovation Program, a Small Company Scholarship Internship program, and mentoring opportunities. Here is a link with more information.