Business and Economy

  1. Athletes as entrepreneurs

    With recent changes to NCAA rules, student-athletes now have the opportunity to earn income from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) through third-party deals. At U-M, members of the Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic are at the forefront of NIL work, helping student-athletes understand the laws and start their own businesses.

  2. Courage, competence, character, and … cookies!

    Managing the financial well-being of some 2,000 Girl Scout troops in 34 Georgia counties is a challenging gig, but the job has a tasty fringe benefit, says Alantria Dixon, MBA ’09. ‘I do get free cookies.’

  3. Fermenta: Boosting equality in Michigan’s craft brewing industry

    Soon after joining the brewing and spirits industry, Pauline Knighton-Prueter realized how few women were represented in the field. So she launched Fermenta, an advocacy group focused on education, scholarships, and more.

  4. U-M startup joins White House partnership to remove lead pipes

    The water analytics company BlueConduit originated the approach of using machine learning to predict the location of lead pipes. By joining the Biden-Harris Get the Lead Out Partnership, the firm will multiply combined efforts to exponentially reduce risk to American families.

  5. Michigan Announces LEARFIELD Allied NIL Initiative for Brands

    The University of Michigan and Michigan Sports Properties have announced they will incorporate LEARFIELD Allied, a first-of-its-kind initiative enabling brands to partner with universities and student-athletes to create co-branding opportunities around name, image, and likeness (NIL).

  6. Risky business in Ukraine: From ambulance driver to investor

    For one unforgettable month this summer, Michigan Ross student Samuel Ashley helped raise $100K to buy and deliver ambulances to residents in war-torn Ukraine. Inspired by the citizens’ resilience, Ashley has since created a venture fund to support Ukrainian startups.

  7. Embracing a new ethos in business

    Michigan Ross professor Andy Hoffman took a cohort of business students on a lakeside retreat this summer to shed distractions, embrace a moral compass, and reflect on careers that promote commerce and serve society.

  8. Turning an economic eye on education

    As the first chief economist in the U.S. Dept. of Education, Ford School alumnus Jordan Matsudaira, PhD ’05, seeks to best promote academic and financial success for students in higher education. Ford professor Kevin Stange has a one-year appointment alongside Matsudaira.

  9. Recipe for a global crisis

    The war in Ukraine, coupled with COVID-19 and climate change, is the latest in a string of dramatic shocks to global food production. At the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Amy Senter, BS ’08/MS ’11, mobilizes efforts to address these formidable challenges.