The Research Universities for Michigan (an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University) is competing for the opportunity to present at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Conference, happening March 11-16, 2016. Some panels are chosen by the public, and we need your vote! Help us tell the world about the amazing work of the RU4M universities! About the panel we have proposed: Detroit Talent City: Partners Rock Retention Research universities are contributing to the global pool of top high-tech talent. Some large tech companies are adept at securing this talent from across the country, often long before a student graduates. States outside the tech talent hot spots like Silicon Valley and Boston worry regional talent pools fail to support local companies and start-ups. Public discourse is littered with concern for “brain drain” and calls for universities to “retain” more talent. Universities can’t retain talent, but they can develop pathways between university high-tech and entrepreneur talent with regional industry. Leaders from the Research Universities for Michigan share their strategies in Detroit and Michigan. Panelists:

Britany Affolter-Caine, Project Manager, Michigan’s Research Universities for Michigan (RU4M)

Paul Jaques, Director of Student and Community Engagement, Michigan State University

Aubrey Agee, Program Administrator, Blackstone Launchpad at Wayne State University

Amy Klinke, Deputy Director, Business Engagement Center at the University of Michigan

Voting Instructions:

1. Create an account here (if you already have a SXSW account, skip to step 3).
2. Watch for the confirmation email, and click on the link you receive to confirm your account.
3. Go to the page for the RU4M panel: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/51900
4. Sign in and cast your vote!
5. [Optional] Use the social media sharing links on the lower left-hand side of the page to tell your friends and colleagues!