Coleman: Down economy means new opportunities for ‘U’
By Kyle Swanson
Daily Staff Reporter On April 1st, 2009</p>
<p>Many businesses are feeling the pinch in the current recession, but University President Mary Sue Coleman said the sour economy has actually presented opportunities to the University that may not have otherwise existed.</p>
<p>Speaking in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Coleman said although the University has been negatively affected by the economic downturn, the dark economic situation has also contributed to a higher rate of research partnerships.</p>
<p>I think this is an opportunity for us, Coleman said of the recession. As a consequence of this, were finding entities that want to partner with us that if we were in flush economic times wouldnt.</p>
<p>These programs like the GM/UM Advanced Battery Coalition for Drivetrains, a partnership between General Motors and the University to develop advanced batteries, bring more money and more opportunities for faculty and students to campus, she said.</p>
<p>According to an annual report given to the Board of Regents by Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest earlier this year, the University’s research funding has jumped to $876 million, an increase of 6.4 percent from last year.</p>
<p>Business contributions toward research have also seen an increase of 11 percent to a total of $43 million.</p>
<p>Coleman added that despite the recession, she plans to make the University better than it was before the recession.</p>
<p>I think its changed for the positive because I intend to come out of this recession stronger than when we went in, she said enthusiastically.</p>
<p>Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest said although research at the University is up, hes not entirely certain that the down economy is the sole reason.</p>
<p>I think theres been a long-term shift of companies toward working with universities, he said. Im not so sure that its economically driven.</p>
<p>Forrest said while there used to be a large number of industrial labs, most have disappeared, leaving the University as an obvious choice for corporations that need research done.</p>
<p>The University of Michigan has really played a leading role in working with industry, certainly in recent years, he said.</p>
<p>Forrest said while he didnt disagree with Colemans analysis, he thought it was too early to make any conclusions about the level of research activity.</p>
<p>President Coleman may well be right, and I certainly dont want to contradict her, because in a sense theres no way of knowing right now how all that stands, he said of the boost in research activity. This is a big university, so you cant keep track of what every professor is doing, what deals are getting made to do new research, but well see those numbers and trends evolve over the next year.</p>
<p>Forrest said the current economy could lead to increased or decreased research, depending on how companies respond.