Office of the Vice President for
Government Relations

President Coleman meets with Majority Leader Eric Cantor

04/18/12 - President Mary Sue Coleman (right) meets with U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and former U-M provost and current University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan. Their discussion Tuesday included such topics as immigration, Pell grants, college costs and research funding issues. It followed two days of meetings by presidents and chancellors belonging to the Association of American Universities, for which Coleman chairs the executive committee. Cantor has a son attending UVA and a daughter attending U-M. (Photo by Mike Waring, Washington Office)

U-M Working Hard to Keep College Affordable,
Coleman tells D.C. Audience at 61st annual Congressional Breakfast

03/28/2012 By Mike Waring, U-M Washington Office
U-M President Mary Sue Coleman told members of Congress and others attending the 61st annual U-M Congressional Breakfast in Washington Wednesday that the university is working hard to keep college affordable.

Also addressing the topic was keynote speaker Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak), ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee. Levin said state support is "essential to keeping college affordable for all students, especially low-income students," and said the federal government has an important role to play.

"That's why we in Congress need to ensure that federal student aid programs are adequately funded," Levin said. "Without robust funding for Pell grants and loans, students in Michigan and across the country will be shut out from college." Read complete article here

Photo: Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, was the keynote speaker at the U-M Congressional Breakfast, which also featured an address by President Mary Sue Coleman. (Photo by Jayrol San Jose, Freed Photography)

Patent Issues and U-M Tech Transfer

Teresa Stanek Rea (left), deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, speaks with U-M Tech Transfer Executive Director Ken Nisbet and Director of Licensing Robin Rasor during a visit to discuss patent issues and to learn about U-M's technology transfer operation. Rea, a U-M alumna, discussed issues relating to implementation of the new patent reform law, as well as the opening of the USPTO's first-ever satellite office in Detroit this summer. She also toured the Venture Accelerator at the North Campus Research Complex and met with U-M law students. (Photo by Mike Waring, Washington Office)

Michigan Space Grant Consortium

Kristina Lemmer, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Central Michigan University who received her undergraduate and doctoral degrees from U-M, talks with Doug Messana, legislative aide for U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., as part of an effort to promote the Michigan Space Grant Consortium in Washington, D.C., last week. Lemmer has received funding through the Michigan Space Grant, a national NASA education program administered for the state of Michigan by U-M. It involves 12 Michigan colleges and universities that conduct outreach to K-12 students to encourage their early interest in science, engineering and math (STEM). The program also provides funding for enrichment opportunities for college students and helps young faculty start their careers in STEM. (Photo by Mike Waring, Washington Office)

U-M growing its 'culture of entrepreneurship,' Coleman says

President Mary Sue Coleman addresses a Washington, D.C., conference on how university entrepreneurship helps the Michigan economy and prepares students for the business world. With her is Holden Thorp, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Photo by Mike Waring, Washington Office)

President Mary Sue Coleman told a Washington, D.C., conference Wednesday that the university is constantly expanding its "campus culture of entrepreneurship." At the sixth annual Presidents-Investors Summit, Coleman pointed to numerous examples of activities designed to help start new companies and encourage students and faculty to engage in business creation. One such new program is the Michigan Investment in New Technology Startups. That program has funding of $25 million over the next 10 years dedicated to accelerating businesses that could contribute to the Michigan economy. The program invests in select venture-funded U-M startups — new companies built around inventions born in faculty members' labs.
Read more in the U-M Record Update

Council on Competitiveness

President Mary Sue Coleman and U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke, D-Detroit, were among more than 400 guests at the 25th anniversary dinner of the Council on Competitiveness in Washington, D.C., this week.
The council is a non-profit organization that brings together corporate CEOs, university presidents and labor leaders to develop recommendations for policymakers about how best to spur innovation and create greater American economic activity.
(Photo by Mike Waring, Washington Office)

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