The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, January 27, 2014 - 8A
New leaders to reshape
town-gown relations
ALISON FARRAND/Daily
Students take part in in a protest organized by the Black Student Union in front of Hill Auditorium on January 20.
'U' to allocate $300K
to Trotter, Collier says
Coleman, Hieftje
departures to affect
University and city
WILL GREENBERG
DailyStaffReporter
After over a decade of unwav-
ering leadership, the city of
Ann Arbor starts the process of
replacing the two most impor-
tant figures in the city.
Ann Arbor City Council mem-
bers and mayoral candidates are
reluctant to pass judgment too
quickly on University President-
Elect Mark Schlissel, but sev-
eral said they are ready for some
changes to the University.
Schlissel is currently the pro-
vost of Brown University, a posi-
tion he has held since 2011, and
will replace University President
Mary Sue Coleman who has been
in office since 2002.
The new appointment comes
during the final in office year for
Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje -
who opted not to run for another
term after 13 years in office -
creating an opportunity for sig-
nificant leadership and policy
changes at the University and in
Ann Arbor simultaneously.
While the University pro-
vides Ann Arbor with much of
its unique qualities - and serves
as ones of its biggest economic
engines - cooperation between
the school and city has, at times,
been strained. The University
and city have gone head-to-head
manytimes in the past, primarily
over issues of land acquisitions,
development and voluntary pay-
ments in lieu of taxes. The Uni-
versity is currently a tax-free
entity, and has grown, the land
available for property taxes in
Ann Arbor has shrunk - squeez-
ing the city's budget.
Although most of the mayoral
candidates arermostly unfamiliar
with Schlissel, the candidates
agreed on the importance of a
strong relationship between the
mayor and any University presi-
dent.
"Our community is a sym-
biotic relationship of trust and
respect," said Councilmember
Stephen Kunselman (D-Ward
3), one of the four mayoral candi-
dates. "I'm hopeful that we will
see that relationship continue. I
do believe we've always had that
but I think it did get strained, it
gets strained when the commu-
nity feels that the University is
buying up the city."
This pastweek, the City Coun-
cil approved a $25,550 contract
with Atwell, LLC to conduct
Environmental Site Assessment
services for the Edwards Broth-
ers Malloy facility on State Street
to determine if the city will pur-
chase the property or not. The
University has also expressed a
keen interest in purchasing the
property. Though the Univer-
sity has not laid out any specific
plans for the location, the prop-
erty is close to athletic facilities
and could be used for additional
athletic buildings or office space.
The Edwards Brothers prop-
erty case serves as an example of
many land disputes between the
city and the University, wherein
city officials are concerned with
tax revenue lost from a potential
private owner - taxes the Uni-
versity is not required to pay.
Councilmember Sabra Bri-
ere (D-Ward 1), another candi-
date for mayor, said she hopes
communication between the
two institutions will continue
to move forward and give Uni-
versity administration a better
understanding of Ann Arbor's
needs. She added that she and
other city officials do appreciate
the human capital and resources
the University provides, but that
the administration often over-
looks the extra financial burdens
imposed on Ann Arbor citizens
and taxpayers.
"I don't see the money they
give the city to pay their debts as
discussion points when it comes
to the cost the University brings
along with it," Briere said. "I
would love to see that instead
of playing semantic games with
each other we acknowledge that
the University of Michigan ben-
efits the city in intangible ways."
There has been discussion
among council members regard-
ing the possibility of working
with the University to implement
payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT),
a program where already public
entities, like universities, provide
money to the their host towns
despite not having any legal obli-
gation to do so.
Under Coleman's leadership,
the University has not shown any
interest in engaging in PILOT or
other such programs. That may
change under Schlissel.
During Schlissel's time at
Brown, the private school has
donated additional money to
Providence, Rhode Island on
top of tax payments. As provost,
Schlissel agreed to contribute
roughly $3.9 million to the strug-
gling town as part of an agree-
ment with other organizations in
the area, the Brown Daily Herald
reported.
Still, there is no way to know
exactly how this new president
will work with the city and the
new mayor, whoever it may be.
Briere said the councilmem-
bers won't have a real reaction
until Schlissel is in office, saying
she's being careful not to make
assumptions too early.
"The president and the regents
set the tone for the relationship
with the city," Briere said. "I'm
willing to wait and see how the
tone changes."
Top administrators
met with BSU reps.
Friday afternoon
By SHOHAM GEVA
Daily StaffReporter
The University will allocate
$300,000 for renovations to the
Trotter Multicultural Center,
according to the University's Black
Student Union representatives.
Members of the University's
administration and the BSU met on
Friday for the first time.
In an interview with The Michi-
gan Daily, LSA senior Tyrell Col-
lier, BSU speaker, said there is no
time frame on the building's reno-
vations yet. The University is cur-
rently evaluating costs and designs,
but will identify a committee of
students to contribute to the reno-
vation process.
"I can say that was a satisfying
conclusion for the Multicultural
Center demand because I know
a building cannot be built within
the span of a year or something, I
know it needs to be planned out,
designed, all of that stuff," Collier
said. "I was at least very pleased
with the allocation of that money
for the renovations while they fig-
ure out the new building."
University spokesman Rick
Fitzgerald said the meeting was
prompted by the seven demands
and Monday deadline announced
publicly last week by the BSU at a
protest held Jan.20.
Elizabeth Barry, special coun-
sel to the president; E. Royster
Harper, vice president for student
life; Dean of Students Laura Blake
Jones and Provost Martha Pollack
represented the administration
at the meeting. Three members of
the University's Board of Regents,
Shauna Ryder Diggs (D), Denise
Ilitch (D) and AndreaFischer New-
man (R), also attended the meeting
in an observatory capacity.
Since the BSU's viral Twit-
ter campaign using #BBUM - or
Being Black at Michigan - Pollack
issued an e-mail promising change
in the campus' diversity climate
with a list of several priorities to be
implemented by the University.
However, the BSU subsequently
protested in a Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day demonstration, where they
released a list of seven demands
and a deadline of one week for the
University to address them.
The demands included renova-
tions and a more central location
for the Trotter Center, increased
minority enrollment and lower-
cost housing on Central Campus,
among other initiatives.
All seven demands issued Mon-
day were discussed during the
meeting, according to BSU execu-
tives. BSU members said they will
continue to meet with the same
administrators once a week for sta-
tus updates on each initiative.
Pollack's Jan. 16 e-mail
addressed to students restated the
campus need to advance the cam-
pus climate of diversity and inclu-
sion. In the letter, she pledged to
improve the Trotter Center in the
short-term and, in the long run,
investigate how to relocate it. A
renovation plan will be completed
by the end of the term.
"We will start abroad conversa-
tionwith students, staff and faculty
to capture their best thinking as
we collectively reimagine a future
multicultural center," Pollack
wrote.
Fitzgerald, who was not at the
meeting but spoke afterward with
several administrators who were,
said administrators felt the discus-
sion was a positive experience.
"(E.) Royster Harper certainly
characterized it as a very good
meeting, with a much deeper
understanding of the concerns
raised by the Black Student Union,"
Fitzgerald said. "Her characteriza-
tion of it was that everyone was
very prepared; it was a very posi-
tive meeting."
The BSU reacted similarly in a
short statement released via Twit-
ter on Friday evening.
"The Black Student Union
looks forward to negotiating with
University Officials in the com-
ing weeks, and is optimistic about
working with the University to
create sustainable and positive
change," the statement said.
With more meetings planned
for the future, the two groups aim
to establish a standing meeting
arrangement, the BSU representa-
tives and Fitzgerald both said.
Business prof. studies
reverse innovation
CSG collaborates for
entrepeneurship launch
Academic minor to
pull from diverse
University units
By AMRUTHA SIVAKUMAR
Deputy Magazine Editor
More than 60 student leaders
and members of the University's
entrepreneurial community
gathered in the Anderson Room
of the Michigan Union to kick-
start the creation of a new
academic program in entrepre-
neurship. Representing a diverse
selection of schools and colleges,
the attendees discussed ways a
new program could best benefit
the campus community.
In early December, Central
Student Government President
Michael Proppe and Vice Presi-
dent Bobby Dishell, a Public Pol-
icy junior, announced their plans
to create a minor in entrepreneur-
ship. While the announcement
did not outline the structure of
the program, it suggested that
the new program would be more
expansive than the nine-credit
Program in Entrepreneurship
currently offered.
"This is something that CSG
is really excited about," Proppe
said at the meeting. "The entre-
preneurship community really
flourishing on campus and what's
really cool about all this is that
it's all being done by students."
Since the beginning of the
academic year, CSG has been
pushing increased student input
in University administrative
decisions through initiatives
that include working with the
Athletic Department to reframe
the football ticketing policy and
assembling a student presiden-
tial search advisory commit-
tee to help ease the transition of
University President-elect Mark
Schlissel. The new entrepreneur-
ship program would similarly
employ a "by-students, for-stu-
dents" framework, Proppe said.
The new program will be orga-
nized under the leadership of
Thomas Zurbuchen, senior coun-
selor to the provost for entrepre-
neurial education, who has been
heavily involved with advising
former CSG administrations on
their entrepreneurial ventures.
Zurbuchen said he saw the pro-
gram as prospectively being the
"most important program at the
University."
In his introduction, Zurbu-
chen tackled the stigma that
entrepreneurship was "two guys
in a garage" building a tech com-
pany. Instead, he said the new
program would help the Univer-
sity create an "Entrepreneurship
2.0," where students would be
able to not only create compa-
nies, but also tackle some of the
most important challenges in
life.
Throughout the program's
development, Zurbuchen encour-
aged students to continually ask
"Why not me?" - the slogan cur-
rently employedby social innova-
tion-based student organization
optiMize.
After a 20-minute introduc-
tion by CSG and Zurbuchen, the
floor was opened up for discus-
sion and the student attendants
discussed the challenges plagu-
ing campus, such as health and
wellness on campus, transporta-
tion, appreciation for the arts and
access to University faculty, as
well as the right way to approach
campus-wide entrepreneurship.
"I think a lot of people get
intimidated because they think
of building the next Facebook or
the next Snapchat," Kinesiology
senior Ricky Fleming said. "But
findingthe next biggest thing can
even be a small improvement."
LSA senior Aditi Shetty said
she believes that a lot of people
have ideas, but are unaware of
how entrepreneurship can help
them.
"I think the language that we
use is really important - how do
we define entrepreneurship and
how do we make it more inclu-
sive?" she said.
over the course of the next few
weeks, Zurbuchen will appoint a
group of student advisers from
those who were present at the
event to serve as a "think tank"
to help create the new program.
"I want to build a programthat
is the most needed and is one that
can really have the most impact
on the world," he said. "For me,
building this program is an entre-
preneurship problem in itself."
Zurbuchen added that he has a
clear goal, regardless of the shape
that the program ends up taking.
"Entrepreneurship is very
much linked to what you need
to take home today and what I
hope will be the key word that
will define Michigan entrepre-
neurship - action. We want to
empower you to act."
Technology from pens through a trickle-down
process. Expensive and imper-
developing world feet technologies are developed
and then made cheaper as they
reimagined for are adopted by the mass market.
Western nations This process involves scaling
technology and bringing down
production costs.
By WILLIAM LANE In emergingmarkets, the pro-
Daily StaffReporter duction system is tackled from
the other side. Products that are
While first world countries easy, cheap and simple to use
traditionally set the pace for are designed for the mass mar-
technological development, ket. Reverse innovation makes
they're not the only ones with these products more complex
good ideas. and implements them in devel-
As the need for clean and green oping economies.
transportation systems grows, The first documented occur-
Business Prof. Peter Adriaens rence of reverse innovation was
said many solutions will come in health care, Adriaens said.
from emerging markets as part General Electric took an elec-
of a new phenomenon known as trocardiogram developed for
"reverse innovation," the process Asian markets, then redesigned
in which a piece of equipment, and sold it in the United States.
technology or a service from a The equipment was previously
developing country is taken and only available in hospitals due to
redesigned for Western markets. its size, but a portable version is
Car-sharing services like now available to first responders.
Zipcar are modeled after trans- Adriaens is now analyzing the
port-sharing systems from the effect of reverse innovation on
developing world, Adriaens said. transportation in cooperation
Zipcar co-founder Robin Chase with Susan Zielinski, director
is a frequent traveler and was of the sustainable mobility pro-
inspired by car-sharing pro- gram at the University's Trans-
grams in developing countries. portation Research Institute
New mobility companies such and Deborah de Lange, assistant
as this are increasingly designed professor of global management
through reverse innovation. studies at Ryerson University in
"It happens because emerging Toronto. The initiative is funded
markets have an entirely differ- by grants from Ford Motor Com-
ent marketplace to ours," Adri- pany and The National Colle-
aens said. giate Inventors and Innovators
In developed Western econo- Alliance.
mies, innovation typically hap- For American companies
Despite SACUAs criticisme
SACUA the search process, Dentistr
From Page 2A Prof. Rex Holland, SACUA vic
chair, expressed excitemen
about Schlissel's appointment.
In the beginning of his address "I'm very impressed wit
Friday, Schlissel stressed the value President-elect Schlissel's cre
of the University's faculty. dentials," Holland said. "I per
"I look forward to working with sonally like his background i
more than the 3,000 outstanding biological sciences. His speec
faculty at the university and will was short but contained sever
be honored to be counted amongst very positive references to fa
their ranks," Schlissel said. "Fac- ulty governance. I have gree
ulty define the strength of the uni- confidence that President-elec
versity and share responsibility for Schlissel will be a splendid lead
its governance." er for a splendid institution."
such as Ford, reverse innova-
tion represents a new phenom-
enon. Most companies have yet
to develop a strategy that incor-
porates it into their business
model.
"Companies don't have a
reverse innovation strategy
because it takes a different way
of looking at the business that
traditionally companies don't
do," Adriaens said.
Companies are now actively
seeking the factors that will
result in reverse innovation, but
there are no clear answers.
"The big problem with reverse
innovation is thatit'sveryunpre-
dictable," Adriaens said.
In many ways, American com-
panies are playing catch-up with
emerging economies like China.
"China has used reverse inno-
vation very effectively; they've
almost institutionalized it,"
Adriaens said.
Zielinski said the future of
transportation might be based
on interconnectivity between
different forms of new mobility.
She added that China is develop-
ing a new capacity for innova-
tion in response to its booming
economy.
"Information technology
makes it more possible for more
people to innovate on a range
of levels," Zielinski said. "Now,
around the world, you have
a portfolio of transportation
forms that are much more equal
than simple car ownership and
you have the option to choose
between them."
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