CEO Podcasts: Mary Sue Coleman and Ken Fischer

U-M President Mary Sue Coleman
Any discussion of the Ann Arbor region's economic future begins with the University of Michigan.  Many commentators, like Richard Florida and Tom Friedman, have highlighted that America's economic success in the 21st century is going to depend on the success of dynamic regional economies built around major universities.  Ann Arbor is a leading example.

So there is no better way to kick off SPARK's Conversations on Economic Opportunity than to have our inaugural CEO podcast with the visionary leader of the University of Michigan, President Mary Sue Coleman.  President Coleman is the architect of an aggressive strategy to not only integrate the "gown" into the "town's" future economic success but to provide leadership in support of Ann Arbor's, the State of Michigan's and the nation's economic success in the face of intense global competition.  President Coleman helped found SPARK, sensing that it was was absolutely necessary to "pull" innovative technologies and the entrepreneurs interested in commercializing them out of the University's rich academic research ecosystem, one of the most well funded in the United States.

Our conversation was wide ranging, with President Coleman sharing her views on the importance of the University's involvement in the economic development and growth of our region....on creating a curriculum of entrepreneurship to unleash the power of students and facility...and the University's new program of venture investment.......to her involvement in National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the President's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership.

So sit back and enjoy the thoughts and insights of one of America's most influential leaders, Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan!

Click here to listen to President Coleman.


University Musical Society President Ken Fischer
Ann Arbor is a town with a very robust arts community. It is an international cultural center, with a population that embraces the arts and also uses the arts to enhance its standing as a business community. The establishment of Ann Arbor as a cultural center is vital to its establishment as a business center and a worldwide hub of education.

Ken Fischer has been the president of the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan for over 24 years. During his conversation with Ann Arbor SPARK's CEO Paul Krutko, he emphasizes the positive impact that arts can have on a community, and how they've touched and enhanced the Ann Arbor area. He also describes the strong collaboration with the arts through, among other highly successful initiatives, the Cultural Leaders Forum.

In Part 1 of this podcast, Mr. Fischer speaks about the keys to success for UMS: leadership and embracing diversity in the arts. He discusses his experience in music and the arts and emphasizes its economic impact on the Ann Arbor community.

In Part 2, he discusses how collaboration in the arts has brought new businesses to the Ann Arbor region and UMS' 2012 national programming.

Click here to listen to Part 1 and here for Part 2 of this exciting conversation with Ken Fischer!