Coronavirus

For small business, how does the show go on?

rudmehta — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 14:44:11 +0000

For small business, how does the show go on? rudmehta Wed, 08/10/2022 - 10:44

This article was originally published on March 23, 2020.

There’s a sign on the door of Paula and Tim Guthat’s independent movie theater in Detroit. The first words you read are “Open 7 Days.” But as your eyes continue down the Cinema Detroit sign, there’s a date: March 16. And then, “Closed temporarily.”

After operating daily for nearly a decade and growing a loyal customer base, the small business owned by the couple — who met during Professor Emeritus Sidney Bolkosky’s film class at ��-Dearborn in the early 1990s — still has the faint smell of popcorn, but no one’s in the cushy red seats.

Last Monday, March 16, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order that closed theaters and other "places of public accommodation" like gyms, restaurants and performance venues to enforce social distancing in an effort to slow the spread of the potentially deadly coronavirus. And at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, March 24, the State of Michigan issued a Shelter-in-Place order, which restricts nonessential travel.

Paula Guthat says she understands the governor’s decisions — and the Guthats planned to close even before the first order was given based on the rapid increase in COVID-19 numbers in the U.S.

“Over the (March 13-15) weekend, things were starting to sound like they were evolving into 28 Days Later. It made us wonder if this virus was more serious than we were first led to believe,” says Guthat says referencing the 2002 British post-apocalyptic film. “We made the decision to close following our Sunday showings. Our theater was full and people wanted to be there. We were second-guessing if we made the right choice until the governor's March 16 announcement. So we were right in closing, but it doesn’t make this time less tough.”

College of Business faculty member and entrepreneur Tim Davis says thousands of people are in the same position as the Guthats and “there’s no easy answer.” But there is a silver lining in this: “Entrepreneurs are creative people who often come up with customer solutions. It’s who they are and what they do. When it comes to solving problems, entrepreneurial thinking is a good place to start.”

In the past, Davis owned a construction business. He recalls being at a building site on Sept. 11, 2001 when a customer told him about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. The COB assistant dean for Student Engagement and Success says he understands how a crisis may impact a small business, but also understands that what people are experiencing today is unprecedented. “I’d like to sound cheery, but this is a huge blow to our economy. We get why, but it still hurts.” But his experience reminds him that small business owners are “nimble problem solvers, the jacks and jills of all trades.”

With Davis as a guide, here’s some advice that may benefit your small business.

Offer your product in a new way.

Look for ways to collaborate with another business to help each other. For example, maybe you own a cooking studio that’s closed and you know someone who owns a video production studio that may be slow on business. Work together with the support of a local grocer to make a video on how to cook up comfort food. Davis says working together — at a socially safe distance — and pooling together resources, expertise and customer bases can be a win-win.

Davis says it’s also important to reach out to your customers and check in with them on what services they’d like during this time. “Listen to the people around you and empathize. See what they need. You started your business because you saw there was a need and you filled it. Use your natural creativity and business savvy, your entrepreneurial thinking, to find ways to provide a value-added service. It’s a trying time, but small business owners often excel in this way of thinking.”

Know there is help out there and apply if needed.

Davis shared a few financial aid links, including this one from Michigan Economic Development Corporation, that Michigan’s government is sending out to help mitigate the strain that the shutdown has on businesses. The Michigan Small Business Relief Program will provide more than $20 million in grants and loans to support businesses and the Michigan Small Business Development Center can provide resources. Many of the funds are expected to be available by April 1.

There’s also help for Detroit businesses through TechTown Detroit’s Detroit Small Business Stabilization Fund. Capital grants for qualifying business go up to $5,000.

In addition, Whitmer announced Thursday that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has a statewide Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration through FEMA’s disaster assistance.

Stay on the minds of your customers.

Davis says there are many ways an entrepreneur can add and capture value. It may not be a monetary transaction, but there are still ways to add value and stay top of mind with your customers.

If you have the capital, you can invest in ideas that you’ve had in the past, which you now may have more time to implement. If the money isn’t there — and many people are in this category — you can demonstrate what makes your enterprise unique and important by showcasing it through avenues that you already use. “If you don’t have a virtual presence on social media because you haven’t had the time to manage one before, now may be an opportunity to strategize content and set one up.”

Zoos are closed, but many are showing off what makes them great — their animals and highly-trained staff — through online educational videos that are aimed at children who are currently home. Concert venues are silent now too — so entertainers are creating recorded content to share through their social media channels. “Many businesses already have virtual audiences. Continue to use that as a way to interact with people, but refine your strategy. It’s a way to build trust and confidence with your customers.”

The Guthats are using videos and social media, but they are using other approaches too. They are using online mailing lists to write customer-focused emails and finding new ways to offer their services (for example, adding to membership perks, offering “tickets” to virtual cinema screenings for arthouse films and opening the concession counter for carryout). She also says people have reached out to ask how they can support the theater, so Cinema Detroit began offering gift cards online.

“We know that shutting down is the right thing, but small businesses are more than a place of work for many of us, it’s our lives. So this is a scary time, but people want to help. They understand that small businesses are in a really tough spot, so it’s important for business owners to stay connected with customers and let them know how they can help if they’d like to. We are all in this together.”

Cinema Detroit lobby/ Model D Media

On Friday, Paula and Tim Guthat went into their theater to create social media content and do some cleaning. But before they left, they changed their sign.

It now reads, “Friday, March 20...Intermission.”

“I’m still processing this, I’m trying to stay positive — so I changed the sign,” Paula Guthat says. “We want our customers to know that we’ll be back. There are ways we, as business owners, can survive this and come out stronger on the other side. After all, the show must go on.”

Coronavirus

Entrepreneurship

College of Business

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Mon, 03/23/2020 - 05:00

A College of Business entrepreneurship educator and Detroit small business owners talk about keeping businesses visible and viable when COVID-19 closes the doors.

A successful lab experiment

clmeeks — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 18:13:46 +0000

A successful lab experiment clmeeks Wed, 08/03/2022 - 14:13

A lesson about fermentation and respiration leads to fresh baked muffins. Cell phones can transform into light-measuring spectrophotometers. Oil, water and a few kitchen items help explain polar and nonpolar surfaces.

This is science led by innovative educators who know lab work is an essential ingredient to academic success in science fields.

Biochemistry Lecturer Rachel Pricer

“Hands-on learning is so much more engaging for students and fosters active learning. Students are conducting experiments and gathering their own data as opposed to having data given to them,” says Biology Lecturer Judy Nesmith. “The hands-on element models the scientific method where students must make hypotheses, gather data and then analyze their data and draw conclusions.”

Biochemistry and Biology Professor Marliee Benore says the social distance challenges brought on by the pandemic led several College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters faculty to find ways to adapt their coursework to meet the academic needs of students.

Benore says hundreds of biology-focused kits were created in the fall and winter semesters. Geology professors distributed take-home rock, gem and mineral kits. Behavioral ecology courses are using live-streamed webcams from zoos to observe and test hypotheses for animal behavior studies. She says many CASL instructors have adapted — and continue to adapt — their courses to give students an engaging learning experience.

“We’ve spent a significant amount of time rewriting, creating and testing labs,” she says. “We want to get students back into the classrooms and labs at soon as it’s possible, but until then we will continue to find ways to meet learning objectives and teach critical skills.”

Junior Tejas Athavale, who is on the pre-med track, says he appreciates the customized kits to help him understand the body’s complex chemical processes in his BIO 210: Biochemistry course. When he opened the kit for the first time, he realized the effort that went into it.

“The kits are brilliant. My professor recreated a lesson typically carried out in a scientific laboratory so I could do it safely in my kitchen. These are not pre-packaged labs bought online; it’s customized to our lessons. You can tell the professors spent a lot of time putting these together,” Athavale says. “That pandemic has created challenges, but our professors are doing whatever they can to make sure that we get these lab concepts.”

Biochemistry Lecturer Rachel Pricer, who teaches Athavale’s course, constructed kits to help further understanding about topics like bacterial growth and resistance, and separating DNA fragments according to size.

But her kits served another purpose too. They were constructed to familiarize students with common lab materials so they would be prepared for upper-level science courses. Her kits contained pipettes, various biochemical measuring devices and storage containers like Agar plates.

Nothing can fully replace an in-lab experience, but Natural Sciences Building Lab Manager Tasha Smith says the faculty creating these learning solutions have replicated it as closely as they could.

“Science is a tactile field. To get a deep understanding of the material, you need to get into the trenches and do it yourself,” she says. “Our faculty know this. And they went through an intensive process — like getting U-M Environmental, Health, and Safety approval for kits and sometimes going out last minute to find items when there were shipping delays — to make it work for our students.” CASL’s science faculty say Smith and her lab team are instrumental in assembling the biology kits.

Athavale says his ��-Dearborn professors are great at instruction. But through the pandemic, he’s seen that they bring more than academic expertise into their courses.

“It’s not just about a course; it’s about us. They want to make sure we have the level of understanding we need so we can succeed in research or medical school or whatever our goals may be,” he says. “Going to school in a pandemic is hard, but professors who genuinely care about you and your success definitely make it easier.”

Coronavirus

Experiential Learning

Student Success

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Natural Sciences

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Wed, 02/17/2021 - 05:00

Knowing the importance of hands-on learning to understand scientific processes, professors adjusted their lab lessons so students could continue to benefit from experiential learning wherever their locations. And students say it’s working.

Graphic by Violet Dashi

Teaching kindergarten from home

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 18:04:35 +0000

Teaching kindergarten from home rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 14:04

This article was originally published on April 6, 2020.

Few moments in Katelyn Ewing’s academic career compare to the start of 2020. After 15 years, two associate degrees, taking time to start a family, and doing several long-term substitute teaching stints, the education senior was finally ready to tackle the last hurdle standing between her and a permanent place at the head of a classroom. Her student teaching appointment, a kindergarten class at a small private school where she’d been a long-term sub for years, left her with few rookie jitters. The semester was going to be pure excitement and joy.

Not long after she started, however, there were signs that things might not play out so smoothly. In late January, news started circulating about an outbreak of a new respiratory virus in China. It was similar to SARS but had greater potential to spread around the globe. At Ewing’s close-knit school, where many parents are doctors or work in healthcare, everyone seemed to be taking it very seriously. By February, the school was already talking about how to move the rest of the school year online. Ewing and the other teachers were asked to start preparing a remote curriculum, just in case. By March, it was no longer a contingency plan.

"Things changed very suddenly,” Ewing says. “The Thursday before the governor announced she was closing schools, our school already made the call that we were shutting down. They weren’t even going to wait until the end of the week.”

That left Ewing facing a challenge many teachers have been dealing with since: How to maintain contact with their students — and keep both them and parents, who are now suddenly playing teacher themselves, feeling like things could still be okay. At first, Ewing says the thought of teaching kindergarten online seemed pretty discouraging. “Because our school sort of saw this coming, I had 300 pages of worksheets and activities prepped and ready to go,” Ewing says. “But at the same time, my kids have never sat and done a worksheet in my class. Ever. Our classroom basically doesn’t have desks; the kids are always moving around. So I was just not okay with that being the only approach. I thought we could do way better.”

Over the past several weeks, that “better” version of remote kindergarten has evolved on a daily basis. Some of the things Ewing has tried have been attempts to preserve what was already underway in the classroom. When the shutdown arrived, they were right in the middle of reading “Charlotte’s Web.” As a substitute, Ewing started recording YouTube videos of her reading the day’s chapter. By the third day, realizing it could get boring for her students to simply watch their teacher read a book, she broke out her pig costume from a previous year and led storytime as Wilbur himself.

A few of the photos Ewing's students submitted for their STEM challenge to build a "nest" at home.

Other ideas have been born of the unique challenges presented by the school closure. One of the last things Ewing experienced just before the official shutdown was her first Zoom meeting. Teachers and school leaders were using the online meeting tool to go over last-minute preparations. “But I thought, this is amazing, why can’t I do this with my kindergartners?” She ran the idea by her classroom parents, who liked the structure of a daily check-in. Now, every school day at 10 a.m., her 12 kindergartners get to greet each other, before diving into the day’s work.

What that work consists of is also always evolving, Ewing says, and it’s different for different students. Every day at 9 a.m., she sends out an email to parents, laying out the lessons for the day. The worksheets haven’t totally disappeared, but she’s relying less and less on them. With spring upon us and outdoor time being one of the things that’s still considered safe to do, she’s incorporating more active nature-based activities. Last week, for example, the class’s STEM challenge was to construct your own nest, like birds are doing now, and share a picture via the class’s WhatsApp group.

But even as she challenges herself to come up with more creative ideas, Ewing is encouraging parents to see the daily guidance as a list of possibilities rather than something they have to complete in full.

“Every family’s situation is different, so I keep trying to emphasize that they’re not expected to suddenly be homeschooling their children,” Ewing says. “But it’s hard for parents not to stress about what their kids might be missing out on or think about whether they’re going to be ready for first grade next year. My message is, I promise you, they’re all intelligent and they’ll all catch up. Children naturally learn and develop without us sitting them down to do normal schoolwork. So right now is the time to be mindful of how they’re feeling and make them feel safe and loved. It’s not the time to struggle to recreate everything we were doing at school, especially if that’s simply going to add extra stress at home.”

In fact, Ewing is hopeful this unprecedented situation could give our education system a needed jolt. For starters, it’s put a magnifying glass on the digital divide. She’s plenty aware that not all teachers have the resources her school does, and she’s hearing many of those struggles directly from student teachers in her own cohort. In fact, one of the more fundamental challenges for many teachers was discerning whether all their effort would even count. Ewing says her school made an early decision that online teaching would, in fact, count toward the completion of a student's current grade. Governor Whitmer’s recent announcement appears to give a pathway for public schools to do the same, though each district’s education plan will have to be approved and ensure accessibility to every student.

Ewing is also hopeful that the current focus on flexible teaching methods and the well being of the children — rather than standardized tests — can outlast the pandemic.

“Teachers have been pushing for a long time for a more balanced approach that prioritizes academics, for sure, but also social-emotional learning,” Ewing says. “Right now, that ethos seems to be radiating outward. Who’s stepping up right now for these kids? It’s us teachers. It’s parents. And I think this situation will help us find a stronger voice when this is all over.”

Coronavirus

Student Success

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

Education

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Mon, 04/06/2020 - 05:00

A ��-Dearborn student teacher explains why letting go of expectations is what the kids need most right now.

Morning check-ins via Zoom have become a daily routine for Katelyn Ewing's kindergartners.

The stock market may be volatile, but a ��-Dearborn finance expert says don't panic. Here's why.

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 18:01:55 +0000

The stock market may be volatile, but a ��-Dearborn finance expert says don't panic. Here's why. rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 14:01

This article was originally published on April 6, 2020.

The College of Business Investment Fund Management course is designed to teach investment approaches and analytical techniques. Tasked with managing the assets in the COB investment fund, upper-level ��-Dearborn students work with a faculty adviser to make money by choosing the best stock options.

When the fund saw double-digit percentage gains only months after starting it, Reporter joined the class in mid-February to see how the money magic happens. Advised by Finance Lecturer Nick Vlisides — who spent 30-plus years in corporate finance — the highly engaged finance students debated whether to buy, sell or hold stocks based on three-to-five-year projection analysis. Vlisides, who’s gathering investment materials to create a class library, had students review books from authors like Warren Buffett and Benjamin Graham. Guest speakers in past classes include professors from U-M’s Ross Business School and staff from Bloomberg Professional Services.

It was clear that the portfolio’s strength is tied to Vlisides’ teaching style — he’s affable, encouraging and offers opportunities for different perspectives. He then shows students how to make investment decisions based on prediction models, research and analytical thinking.

But what happens when even the most prepared are faced with uncertainty? Shortly after visiting the class, a then seemingly faroff Coronavirus pandemic found its way here, a bull market turned into a bear market — meaning there was a 20-percent value decline in stocks — and all college courses went virtual to comply with government-imposed social distance orders. We checked in with Vlisides and the class in early April to see how it was going.

“This is not how I pictured the last semester of college,” says senior Vivian Dinh, a finance major. “There’s a global pandemic. We’re stuck in the house. Commencement was canceled. The stock market felt like it was in a free fall. But I’m so glad to be in this class at this time.

“Professor Vlisides keeps providing advice to us about how to view the stock market and how to move forward ourselves. When I look back, that’s what I’ll remember.”

Here are a few lessons Vlisides has shared with the class.

Information needs to come before action.

In a February session, students did their weekly stock updates. Each student had five minutes to talk about what to sell, what to buy and what projection models showed. Everything was doing well (the Dow Jones’ all-time highest closing record happened Feb. 12) and students documented the gains they had. It was all good news, but Vlisides — looking at news reports from the finance lab’s Bloomberg Terminals — told his class, “Let’s keep an eye on what’s happening in Wuhan.”

Students then talked about stocks that would perform well if COVID-19 was as concerning as news outlets were reporting. The class figured their single Amazon share would do well if delivery to homes became essential. When Vlisides noticed that Amazon shares had a price dip in February, the class voted to buy another share of the stock. “If you are working with investments — yours or someone else’s — it’s important to do your research before you act.”

A month later, the stock market is volatile. But Vlisides’ message is consistent.

“Let information be your guide, not fear. If you don’t have a clear picture of what you are looking at, wait until you get the information needed to make a good decision.”

In early April, Dinh said Vlisides is advising the class to continue to monitor their stocks closely, but hold on making changes to the Student-Managed-Investment-Fund. She says it’s been a smart move — since their losses the week of March 16, the fund has already begun to rebound.

We’re all in this together.

Even before the stock market hit historic lows in March, Vlisides cautioned the class that the market was predicted to take a downturn.

“When it does, you need to remember that you aren’t alone,” he said. “When the market is down, everyone feels it — your family, neighbors, even Warren Buffett.”

In March, Vlisides said no one could have predicted the reason for the current financial crisis and how it is unfolding, but he’s confident that all sectors will work together to help correct the market.

“The coronavirus and the impact it’s had is international. Nations are shutting down. It’s affecting every industry. Remember that everyone wants to minimize the impact of this,” he said. “It’s definitely a crisis, but in crisis comes opportunity. If we remember that we are all in this together, maybe this is a point in history we’ll look back and say, ‘that was a time when we did things right.’”

Don’t get stuck in the daily setbacks, instead, look long-term.

During their first online class, Vlisides spent the session charting depressions, recessions and how long the economic recovery took.

Recovery from the Black Monday in 1987 took two years. The 2001 recession was nine months. The late 2000s Great Recession totalled six years.

“Fundamentally, what we are experiencing now isn’t caused by an economic issue, so I’m hopeful that there will be a quicker recovery. This isn’t happening because we are overfinanced or credit-stressed or in a dot-com bubble,” he said. “However, the longer this goes on, the uglier it could look from an economic perspective with business closures (due to social distance orders); I don’t want to diminish that and the impact that has on people’s lives. But it’s important to remember that we’ve come out of every recession we’ve been in. I’m not saying we are in a recession right now. But, when we do find ourselves in one, know that we’ll come out of it.”

When looking at the stock market, Vlisides tells the class to go beyond today’s numbers because portfolios are a long-term investment. “Today’s numbers matter if you are selling today. Otherwise, look to the future — history tells us the market will rebound.”

Coronavirus

Experiential Learning

College of Business

Accounting and Finance

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Mon, 04/06/2020 - 05:00

"Professor Nick Vlisides keeps providing advice to us about how to view the stock market and how to move forward ourselves. When I look back, that’s what I’ll remember,” says Finance major Vivian Dihn.

'I've had four amazing years. Coronavirus can't take that from me.'

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:55:08 +0000

'I've had four amazing years. Coronavirus can't take that from me.' rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 13:55

This article was originally published on April 13, 2020.

Rosa Gonzalez has been thinking about her college graduation day since she was a child. Her parents moved to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 7 — they wanted a better life for their family, including access to a quality education.

“My parents came to the U.S. for us to succeed. They left everything behind and had to start over for us,” Gonzalez said. “When I have a hard day, that’s what I remember.”

The College of Business senior looked forward to wearing her cap and gown in family pictures outside of U-M’s Crisler Arena on April 26. She planned to wear her maize (M)Talent stole she earned through presenting at the (M)Talent Showcase. At the graduation party afterward, Gonzalez wanted her mom to make a favorite dish — tacos, with a variety of homemade salsas — for a large crowd of family and friends to enjoy.

But due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Gonzalez— and millions of college students around the world — had those best-laid plans changed. “I know this is not anyone’s fault and people are doing the best they can, but I wanted my parents to see me graduate this month. I worked so hard for this. And so did they.”

Rosa Gonzalez, back row, second from left, and her family

Office of Student Life Interim Associate Director Tyler Guenette, who has known Gonzalez since her freshman year, said a milestone like graduation is important to commemorate. He said it is an especially big deal for ��-Dearborn, a campus where 40-percent of students are first-generation graduates.

“Sometimes families, like mine — I was the first in my family to go to college — think of college as this abstract concept,” Guenette said. “But a graduation ceremony is something tangible that people understand. Some experience it in middle school and most do in high school — it’s universal. Everyone is well aware of its importance. But when that is missing, there can be feelings that there’s been a loss of significance of those accomplishments or a loss of closure. When you walk across the stage, it symbolizes the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. That’s why it’s important to find ways to honor our students.”

To make sure the Spring Class of 2020 gets their deserved recognition, ��-Dearborn leadership shared alternative graduation plans with students last week. These range from posting experiences virtually this month to a commencement ceremony in December.

Gonzalez said she’s glad campus is giving graduates the option to participate in the winter ceremony. And she’s recently worked through her disappointment over April’s canceled commencement by looking for a silver lining in the abrupt end of her senior year — Gonzalez said she found it by reflecting on her college journey.

Gonzalez said her college success started when she took part in campus’ first group of ��-Dearborn’s Opportunity Scholars, now called Engaged Scholar Community, which is a cohort for high-achieving students from economically disadvantaged high schools. It helped connect her to employment opportunities, scholarships, student organizations and more. “To be honest, college was so confusing at first. It seemed so big and I didn’t know where to go. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me from going to Michigan. Once I got to campus, I learned that I picked a university where people are ready to connect you to whatever you need to graduate. If you have the drive, they will get you there.”

Gonzalez attended the Forbes Under 30 Summit, an international business conference that took place in Detroit last fall with the assistance of a scholarship from Forbes and the College of Business.

She got to travel — one of her most memorable experiences was going to Memphis, Tenn. for the campus’ Alternative Breaks volunteer program, which she helped organize. One of her service projects was teaching young Hispanic children how to read in an after-school program. “When I was growing up, I went to one just like it. It brought me back to when I was in elementary school. I only spoke Spanish and I didn’t know what people were saying. It was so hard. But you never forget the people who help you get to where you are. Because of the people who have helped me, I want to live a life of service.”

And when Gonzalez was concerned that she didn’t have the financial means to continue college full time, she learned of available scholarships — like the College of Business Get to Graduation Fund — that pushed her toward the finish line. Knowing the impact scholarships have made, Gonzalez said a goal of hers is to establish a scholarship.

“I’ve had four great years of really awesome professors and I’ve met so many amazing people. Coronavirus can’t take that from me. And my education and experiences helped me get a job that I’m excited about.” Gonzalez starts as a financial analyst at Johnson & Johnson in their Pharmaceutical Sector, located in Pennsylvania, in June.

Dean of Students Amy Finley said Gonzalez shows a perseverance that many students on ��-Dearborn’s campus have. “Our students have gone through tough situations before — like balancing work, family responsibilities, job challenges and coursework — and made it to the other side stronger. I wish college didn’t end this way for them, but I know our students are well equipped to handle an extra burden and come out with lessons that will prepare them for success in the future.”

For Gonzalez, who credits Finley and Guenette for guiding her through college, this time has definitely presented obstacles — for example, she can’t prepare for her move to Pennsylvania for her job. And so much feels uncertain and unfinished.

But she’s not going to focus on the negative — instead, Gonzalez realizes spending time with the family she credits for inspiring her is a gift. With the sheltering-in-place order, Gonzalez said she’s reconnecting with her parents. “I’m not just eating, showering and sleeping here. We are actually spending time together now.”

She plans to return to campus in December for graduation. But Gonzalez said she realizes that regardless of when she returns, her ��-Dearborn experience goes wherever she does. And other graduates take theirs with them too.

“The Class of 2020 has earned a Michigan education, made connections and created a lot of memories. That’s something we’ll always have no matter where we are.”

Off

Mon, 04/13/2020 - 05:00

Senior Rosa Gonzalez is a first-generation student whose parents moved to the U.S. from Mexico when she was seven to give her access to a quality education. Even with several life challenges, her diploma determination never wavered.

The ��-Dearborn ‘Maker Lab’ staff are making 3D-printed PPE from home

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:35:20 +0000

The ��-Dearborn ‘Maker Lab’ staff are making 3D-printed PPE from home rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 13:35

This article was originally published on April 29, 2020.

ECE Senior Electronics Technician Jesse Cross and MSEL Assistant Director Shawn Simone both have their assigned 50-pound MakerBot Replicator 3D printers running on their kitchen tables. Facilities Coordinator and Engineering Technician Faith Olson found a spot for hers in her living room. In his cozy 900-square-foot house, Senior Engineering Technician Matt Brown figured out the basement was the best place to muffle the printer’s regular “beeps and boops.” And Engineering Technician Josh Postell tucked his in a spare bedroom to keep it safe from his cat, which isn’t thrilled to be socially isolating with the microwave-sized robot.

Normally all of these 3D printers — and the staff running them — would be in CECS’s Manufacturing Systems Engineering Lab (MSEL). But when the pandemic hit, the team decided to relocate and repurpose the printers to remotely crank out hard-to-find personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers.

CECS Director of Facilities and Laboratory Safety Eric Kirk says it was actually an idea that originated with students. “We kept getting requests from students to try to do something with the 3D printers,” Kirk says. “And so we discussed what we might be able to make, and Shawn and Faith came up with the idea of moving all the printers remotely and assigning one to each technician.”

So far, the techs have been using them to make plastic head straps that reduce the strain from constantly wearing N95 masks. “They’re relatively easy to print, but this little headband has the most demand out of anything because nobody’s making these,” Kirk says. “We’ve gotten requests from U-M hospitals and even some external hospitals. They do a lot of good because when you hook them to a mask, the elastic straps on the N95s don’t cut into your ears.”

CECS Director of Facilities and Laboratory Safety Eric Kirk demonstrates how the head straps work.

Each 3D printer can make a set of five head straps in about three hours, and the staff have them running pretty much around the clock. Kirk says he delivered the first several hundred head straps to Michigan Medicine last week, and the team is now looking into making other kinds of PPE, including protective face shields. Thirty of the first 100 of those will be donated to ��-Dearborn’s Department of Police & Public Safety.

“We basically have to see what there’s the most demand for and then figure out if we can manufacture it,” Kirk says. “Every time we turn around with this COVID-19 pandemic, some other need comes up. And that’s what’s special about our Maker Space on campus — and the talent of our technicians: They can adapt to whatever those needs are. Our impact is on a small scale, but it’s something we can do to help our community.”

Coronavirus

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Off

Wed, 04/29/2020 - 05:00

When the pandemic forced all but essential personnel off campus, the MSEL staff joined the DIY effort to help frontline health care workers.

The Manufacturing Systems Engineering Lab staff have been 3D printing these plastic head straps, which reduce the strain of constantly wearing N95 masks.

What to expect from the fiscal year ‘21 budget

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:25:28 +0000

What to expect from the fiscal year ‘21 budget rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 13:25

There’s still plenty we don’t know about the financial picture for the coming academic year, but campus leaders want to make sure everyone is in the loop about the approach they're taking for balancing the budget. To that end, Chancellor Domenico Grasso recently led a virtual town hall to break down the financial challenges ahead and share how the university plans to address them. Below, we’ve summarized some of the major themes from the event, in case you missed it.

A quick primer on revenues and expenses

All budgets boil down to revenues, which is the money coming in, and expenses, which is the money going out. Revenues at ��-Dearborn are pretty straightforward and come almost exclusively from two major sources. Tuition accounts for about 82 percent of the General Fund budget, while state appropriations account for another 16 percent. The upside of this is we are free from many of the pandemic-related challenges faced by universities with more diverse revenue streams. Because we are a lean, efficient commuter campus without things like big athletics programs, large research operations and residence halls, we simply don’t have to find ways to cope with the financial hit those areas took this spring/summer and are likely to take in the fall.

Importantly, revenues from tuition and the state fall under what’s unknown as the General Fund. This means the university can spend that money on strategic initiatives that directly impact student success. We also have Non-General Fund revenue, which includes federal financial aid, research grants, investments and endowment and gifts. This money has to be spent on the purpose for which it was designated. Notably, the General Fund is much larger than the Non-General Fund. In fiscal year ‘20 (FY20), the former was about $159 million and the latter was $25 million.

So how does ��-Dearborn spend its General Fund revenues? Check out these two pie charts. The first one breaks down expenses by category; the second, by unit.

The three big uncertainties impacting the FY21 budget

Most of the uncertainties around the fall budget relate directly to the nature of our revenues. We simply won’t know what our final fall tuition revenues will be until students are actually enrolled in classes, and the pandemic could still impact enrollment forecasts. Similarly, the state has not yet announced what its appropriations will be for Michigan’s 15 public universities, but the state is facing an estimated $3 billion shortfall for both this and next fiscal year.

Expenses related directly to our COVID-19 response add another layer of uncertainty. Modifications to building HVAC systems to improve ventilation, supplying faculty, staff and students with PPE, and costs associated with switching to remote learning all represent expenses we could incur to keep everyone safe.

Though there isn’t yet clarity on these issues, decreased revenues for FY21 are almost a certainty. Right now, the university is planning for revenues to be down $4 to $20 million compared to FY20. Some of the biggest factors include a projected 20 percent decline in enrollment among international graduate students, who may face challenges with travel restrictions directly related to the pandemic; and a potentially sharp decline in state funding. One piece of good news: Enrollment for incoming first-year students is forecasted to be up slightly.

How will budget decisions get made?

The university has, in fact, already taken several steps to prepare for a tighter financial situation next academic year. These include increased strategic admissions efforts and financial aid leveraging, leadership salary reductions, staff redeployment, postponing and reducing construction projects, a hiring freeze, and reductions in travel, supplies and event hosting. Going forward, administration is empowering individual units to make their own cost savings plans. While leaders will be taking a broad look at every aspect of our spending, reductions in staffing and salaries are not being seen as a preferred way of cutting expenses at this time.

Importantly, all cuts made will be considered permanent, and the university does not plan to tap into reserves to make up for any shortfalls in the FY21 budget. Whatever our revenues end up being for the coming year, we’ll have to find a way to make them match our expenses.

The timeline for a final budget

So what happens next? Right now, leaders are putting the finishing touches on a proposed FY21 budget, which will then go to the U-M Board of Regents for approval. The Regents are expected to vote on the budget in June, and the university will begin implementing the budget in July. In September, we’ll have our final numbers on net tuition revenue. The final piece of the puzzle is the amount of the coming year’s state appropriation. The legislature has not yet announced when they will make that decision.

Relatedly, university leaders are also finalizing a plan for fall instruction. Chancellor Grasso is reviewing that now; after that, it will be reviewed by the University of Michigan’s COVID-19 leadership team, then President Schlissel, and finally the Board of Regents. We expect approval on a plan by late June.

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Want to explore the FY21 budget in more detail? Check out Chancellor Grasso’s slideshow from the virtual town hall. Faculty and staff may also send anonymous cost-savings ideas directly to the chancellor.

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Mon, 06/01/2020 - 05:00

Here’s a quick breakdown of the knowns and unknowns that will shape ��-Dearborn’s fall finances.

Takeaways from the June 25 virtual town hall

rudmehta — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 17:16:13 +0000

Takeaways from the June 25 virtual town hall rudmehta Mon, 07/25/2022 - 13:16

Because the coronavirus situation is still very fluid, many details surrounding the fall semester are still coming into focus. But as always, we want to keep you informed about what university leaders do know, as they’re able to share it. In case you missed it, here’s a quick summary of the main takeaways from this past Thursday's town hall. You can also watch the entire town hall online.

Here's where the budget stands right now.

The big development last week was that the university's proposed budget did not pass at the June 25 U-M Board of Regents meeting. However, the $158.3-million FY21 operating budget was subsequently approved at a special meeting of the regents on June 29. It includes a 1.9 percent increase in tuition, a new block tuition system and increased financial aid for students. Thus far, the university has taken big steps to maintain typical levels of staffing. But Chancellor Domenico Grasso said if the university faces steeper-than-expected financial challenges in the fall, reductions in staff are possible, especially in areas where the pandemic has temporarily made work unnecessary. One big piece of good financial news from the meeting: U-M President Mark Schlissel announced the creation of a new $20-million fund to support student success initiatives on the Dearborn and Flint campuses. Grasso says this will help the university invest in things like academic advisors, tutors, career counselors and new technology that helps students graduate in less time. Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Jeff Evans also reported that the university has so far saved about $1.9 million through reductions in temporary overtime, utilities, travel, supplies and event hosting. Anyone who wants to submit cost savings ideas directly to Chancellor Grasso can do so via this online form.

Athletic seasons are canceled for fall. Here’s why.

Last week, the university announced that it would not be participating in fall athletic seasons, and the reason has everything to do with helping control the spread of coronavirus. Multiple universities across the country have already seen outbreaks among their athletic teams. Leadership simply didn’t want to take a chance that could happen here — especially given that many of our students, faculty and staff commute in and out of some of the hardest hit areas in Michigan. “Because we’re going to be primarily remote, and many of the student activities are going to be remote, it did not make sense to ask our athletes to come to campus and incur a higher risk level than what we were expecting of the other students, faculty and staff,” Grasso said.

Be prepared to work remotely for the rest of the summer.

While certain activities, like research, are starting to reopen on campus, Chancellor Grasso said faculty and staff should now plan on working remotely for the rest of the summer. He also encouraged folks to come to campus to pick up things like office furniture or technology that might be necessary to continue working remotely. If you’d like to do that, you’ll first need to get approval from your supervisor. Then, you’ll need to complete an online training and, on the day you plan to come to campus, a health screening. You can find more details about that process in this campus email.

Plans for a hybrid fall semester are moving along.

Details are coming together quickly for the “remote-first” plan for fall classes. Earlier this month, leadership announced that most courses would be taught remotely, with some classes having scheduled times for students to gather, either virtually or in-person. Other classes, like labs, senior design and other courses requiring a high level of student interaction or special equipment, will be taught in person using additional health and safety protocols. Provost Sue Alcock reported that departments have already sorted through which classes will be taught in each format, and students will know by mid-July if their classes will require meeting up for any synchronous sessions. Alcock said faculty can also expect increased support for building their online courses. By July 15, all faculty will be able to access facilities for recording lectures and course materials. Additional details will be shared by the Provost’s Office soon.

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Tue, 06/30/2020 - 05:00

University leaders shared an update on the FY21 budget, the cancellation of fall athletics, working from home, and the hybrid model for fall classes.

Three great lecture recording options for remote education rookies

rudmehta — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:26:28 +0000

Three great lecture recording options for remote education rookies rudmehta Tue, 07/19/2022 - 13:26

This article was originally published on July 27, 2020.

As ��-Dearborn prepares for a fall semester that’s heavy on remote learning, many faculty will soon be recording lectures for their first fully online courses. If you find yourself in this boat, don’t panic. Even with tight timelines imposed by the pandemic, ��-Dearborn’s digital learning experts say the challenge is totally manageable if you don’t try to do too much, too fast. Here are three straightforward approaches they say will deliver solid results, even if you’re a rookie.

Option A: Simple at-home recording

Tech you’ll need: Can be as simple as a laptop or phone; add an external camera and mic for better quality. Annotation devices can give your students a whiteboard-style experience.

For many faculty, recording a lecture at home will be the most straightforward choice and Instructional Designer Alfonso Sintjago says producing high-quality videos at home is totally doable. The built-in camera and mic on your smartphone or laptop can be adequate, but if you want to go the extra mile, the university is supplying faculty with external cameras and mics that will deliver better video and audio. Once on camera, experiment with the lighting. Sintjago says first make sure you have enough of it; if your image looks grainy, you probably need more light. Your light source should also be in front or slightly to one side of your face, rather than behind you. Using natural light from a window is great if you can record during the day. You’ll also want to make sure the camera position is at eye level or a little above, because shooting from below is typically unflattering. For faculty who write on the board a lot during their lectures, Sintjago says consider adding an annotation device, which is basically a tablet that you can write on with a stylus. Whatever you’re scribbling down can either be displayed as its own screen, or superimposed overtop an existing screen, like a PowerPoint slide.

For software, Sintjago says both Kaltura Capture, which is integrated right into Canvas, or PowerPoint 365 work great for beginners. PowerPoint has an added advantage of recording a single video file for each slide, which makes it easier to correct something if you discover a mistake or decide to do a small retake. Importantly, both platforms automatically generate on-screen captions for accessibility. They’re typically 80 percent accurate, and correcting transcription mistakes is as easy as editing a text file.

One last tip: The casual, personal vibe of an at-home lecture can totally be an asset. “I saw a great example from someone in Minnesota where you could see her dog and fireplace in the background. The whole scene was very cozy and you felt invited into her home,” Sintjago says. Another way to make the whole experience more personal for students: Record casual, short beginning- or end-of-week videos where you go over important reminders or respond to interesting discussion points from students.

Option B: At-home recording with style points

Tech you’ll need: Laptop, external camera, wireless lavalier mic and green screen.

If you’re aiming for something with a little more polish, adopting Mercedes Miranda as your online learning guru can dramatically shorten the learning curve. The Business Economics and Finance lecturer has been teaching online since 2009, and her colleagues rave about her video lectures. Miranda says she does everything at home, and her setup is pretty simple: An external camera, wireless lavalier mic, and the Kaltura Capture software that’s integrated into Canvas. But she does have one secret ingredient: a $20 green screen she got at Walmart. This allows her to lecture onscreen with a slide in the background, kind of like a TV meteorologist showing off a weather map. She says studies have revealed that showing your face makes a lecture appear more personal to students, though too much of you can be distracting. She finds being onscreen to introduce the topic and then letting the PowerPoint slides and voiceover carry the load to be the right balance.

More than technology, Miranda’s secret to successful lectures lies in how she organizes them. “If you simply try to reproduce your classroom lecture on screen, you’ll end up with a one- or two-hour monologue, and that’s not very engaging,” Miranda says. Instead, she says dissect your lecture and break it down into no more than five main points. Then record a no longer than 10-minute lecture on each point. She even further segments those individual mini lectures with short quizzes, which appear periodically during the video. That helps add some interactivity and also checks for comprehension. The Video Quiz function is integrated right into Kaltura Capture and you can insert quizzes easily at any point after you record your lecture.

Two of Miranda’s next-level tips: First, have your mini lectures focus on core concepts, but avoid referring to specific examples, pages of a particular textbook, or things that could get out of date quickly. If you end up teaching online for multiple semesters, you can reuse your core concept videos and simply update your examples as needed. Second, leave yourself enough time to produce your lectures. Miranda says it typically takes her two eight-hour days to finish one. And you never want to start a course with fewer than two weeks worth of lectures in the bank.

Option C: On-campus lecture capture

Tech you’ll need: None, but you can bring your own devices.

If your home situation makes recording challenging, or you just find using all this technology a little daunting, recording on-campus might be a better bet. The Professional Education Center (PEC) recently opened up its lecture capture classrooms to all faculty, and they’re equipped with high-quality cameras, microphones, document readers, annotation tools, the Canvas-integrated Mediasite Desktop Recorder software (which you can also use at home, by the way), and staff to guide you through the recording session. To make things even easier, much of the process is automated. Video Production Coordinator Joe Goraj told us the recording automatically begins at the start of your booked time and your videos get uploaded immediately after you finish. If you need some light editing at the beginning or end of a session, they can help with that too. Typically, the finished videos will be ready for your students the following day. In addition, they have portable equipment to shoot short supplemental videos if faculty want to do some show-and-tell from their labs. Check out this clip to see an example of what your finished video lecture will look like.

Two tips for beginners if you go this route: As much as possible, try to look directly into the camera. It may feel awkward at first, but from the student’s perspective, that amounts to looking them in the eye. In addition, if you’re used to pointing a lot during a lecture, say, at a whiteboard or projection screen, be aware that may not be in view of the camera. As an alternative, you can annotate your screen with a digital stylus or use your mouse pointer.

Bonus tip: Make a plan before you record and get help if you need it.

Whichever route faculty end up choosing for lecture recording, Sintjago says don’t get too hung up on the technology. What makes a lecture video “good” isn’t so much its production values but what you’re doing with your time on screen and how it fits into the rest of your course. If you need help figuring out an approach that works for you, Sintjago says to reach out to the instructional designers at The Hub. They can help you talk through what you want to do in the course and figure out what tools and techniques will get you there. The Hub is also hosting weekly course design tutorials in August to help faculty get ready for fall.

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Need help getting started? Reach out to The Hub. Or if you want to learn more about CECS’s on-campus lecture capture, send an email to ��D-CECSOnline@umich.edu. Ready to record? Complete this form to schedule a recording appointment on campus in the PEC.

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Digital Education

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Mon, 07/27/2020 - 05:00

Recording lectures can be a daunting challenge for faculty who are new to online learning. Here are three solid approaches, vetted by our ��-Dearborn experts.

remotelearning_recording_final

The MSEL team is pitching in to literally build a safer campus

rudmehta — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 17:10:25 +0000

The MSEL team is pitching in to literally build a safer campus rudmehta Tue, 07/19/2022 - 13:10

This article was originally published on September 7, 2020.

When we first brought you news that folks in the ��-Dearborn Maker Lab were pitching in to fight the coronavirus pandemic, CECS Director of Facilities and Laboratory Safety Eric Kirk teased that 3D printing PPE for healthcare workers probably wouldn't be the end of their efforts. Kirk was right about that. Initially, they switched gears to plastic face shields — manufacturing about 700 of those. And for the past several months, the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Lab (MSEL) has basically turned into a small factory to support campus reopening plans.

In particular, the team has been cranking out made-to-order, clear plastic barriers that are now being used everywhere from campus labs to health screening stations to administrative offices. Kirk says the in-house manufacturing of these critical pieces of safety equipment became a necessity due to the quick deadlines and fierce competition for materials caused by the pandemic.

“At one point, the company we were ordering from basically told us we wouldn’t be able to get any acrylic until December,” says MSEL Assistant Director Shawn Simone. “Just like at the start of the pandemic with PPE, you basically had this situation where everybody all across the country was trying to do the same things at the same time, and that was leading to major shortages of materials.”

To overcome that, the Maker Lab staff put their heads together and found an alternative to acrylic that wasn’t in such short supply. But it was also a little less rigid. So Senior Engineering Technician Matt Brown fired up the table saw, building wooden frames that gave the non-acrylic plastic guards the necessary stiffness; while Facilities Coordinator and Engineering Technician Faith Olson laser-cut support stands and handled logistics for new orders from various campus units. In all, the team has made more than 230 plastic guards so far — including 63 extra durable “kid safe” ones with rounded edges for the Early Childhood Education Center. The team also built the 21 temperature check stations you’ll find at building entry points throughout campus.

Plastic dividers built by the MSEL Maker Lab staff.

Their effort has helped keep campus reopening plans on deadline and on budget. Kirk says high demand for plastic barriers ruled out hiring outside contractors, who already had a backlog of orders. And by doing it all in-house, they saved the university thousands of dollars. Kirk says even a standard plastic barrier runs around $300, with custom-sized barriers similar to the ones they’re producing fetching even higher prices. Meanwhile, in the Maker Lab, they’re able to build one with just $30 worth of materials.

“Our team has done awesome work, and I can’t say enough about it,” Kirk says. “But I think the campus community needs to realize what all the staff have done — from grounds and custodial crews, to maintenance and trades and facilities operations, to the CASL and Natural Sciences teams. It’s basically been a Herculean effort to get ready for fall, and the time people have put in shows they’re dedicated to this campus. It’s not just another job to them. They really do care about students — and want to make sure those students get the experience they’re paying for.”

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Mon, 09/07/2020 - 05:00

The Maker Lab staff are at it again.

MSEL staff helped build all kinds of custom health and safety equipment for the campus reopening, including the temperature check station pictured here.

Coronavirus

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The ������-Dearborn ‘Maker Lab’ staff are making 3D-printed PPE from home

What to expect from the fiscal year ‘21 budget

A quick primer on revenues and expenses

The three big uncertainties impacting the FY21 budget

How will budget decisions get made?

The timeline for a final budget

Takeaways from the June 25 virtual town hall

Here's where the budget stands right now.

Athletic seasons are canceled for fall. Here’s why.

Be prepared to work remotely for the rest of the summer.

Plans for a hybrid fall semester are moving along.

Three great lecture recording options for remote education rookies

Option A: Simple at-home recording

Option B: At-home recording with style points

Option C: On-campus lecture capture

Bonus tip: Make a plan before you record and get help if you need it.

The MSEL team is pitching in to literally build a safer campus

The stock market may be volatile, but a ��-Dearborn finance expert says don't panic. Here's why.

The ��-Dearborn ‘Maker Lab’ staff are making 3D-printed PPE from home