By Jo Mathis
Seth Samuels would like to stay in the state when he graduates from the University of Michigan in 2013.
But he knows the economy must improve for that to happen.
So the West Bloomfield resident has entered a new online competition for students with ideas to improve the Michigan economy.
“Motivate Michigan” will award scholarships and internships to the winning teams and individual students enrolled in Michigan’s colleges and universities, and high school seniors who are at least 18. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. March 12.
The idea began a year ago when Armen Kabodian, a vice president of CIBER Inc. in Southfield, was brainstorming with colleagues about how to stop the exodus of Michigan college graduates.
“We wanted to figure out what we could do to leverage these great minds to help us come up with a breakthrough big idea for the Michigan economy,” said Kabodian, a co-leader of Motivate Michigan’s organizing team.
Judges will evaluate ideas on creativity, originality, practicality, and the potential economic impact to Michigan. The winning idea will be developed into a project plan and presented to the most logical business leader for funding and support with the hope that the idea will become a reality.
Motivate Michigan has raised half of its $100,000 scholarship goal, and is looking for more sponsoring companies and organizations.. The winner will receive 40 percent of the total amount raised. Second place will receive 25 percent. All top 10 winners will receive scholarship dollars on a graduated scale.
So far, about 70 entries have been received.
“There is quite a variety of ideas that run the gamut from marketing concepts, alternative energy ideas, ideas for tax modifications, innovative land use, agriculture, health care infrastructure ideas,” Kabodian said. “It’s really interesting. There are 70 different ideas, and I don’t think there’s an overlap at all.”
Samuels’ idea is a new statewide brand – I Am Michigan – with the slogan: Raise your hand.
“It’s all with the goal of showing what’s great about Michigan right now, and what the state has to offer to create greater flows of commerce with incentives for businesses, and get stuff flowing again in the state,” he said. “It’s not going to be one thing that will help Michigan, but it’s going to be an amalgamation of different efforts. The brand has the potential to encompass a lot of different efforts and really make a difference.”
And what of the Pure Michigan brand?
“If we look at society now, it’s a lot more empowered, and people have a greater voice, so I think that makes the ‘I am Michigan’ brand a lot different,” he said.
Phill Bavers, a senior accounting major at Lake Superior State University, submitted an idea on improving the employment environment for Michigan graduates by giving tax credits to companies doing research and development in Michigan, and including a tax credit for hiring Michigan graduates.
“Michigan invests a lot of money in our college students,” said Bavers, 22, “and it seems like a big waste of money if the first thing they do is move out of the state after they graduate because they can’t find a job here.”
Bavers said he and virtually every one of his fellow students are planning to leave the state – possibly for Chicago – to find work. But he said he’d rather stay here.
Samuels, who hopes to be an entrepreneur one day, said he has faith that the state can turn its economy around.
“We have so much potential,” he said, reflecting on the state’s former prominence. “Now the question is what its new role will be as we enter this new century. I’d like to play a part in figuring out what that role is, and trying to bring Michigan back to what it once was.”
CIBER Inc. is the contest’s initiator, project manager, and facilitator. The four sponsors are Comerica Bank, Meijer, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan.
For more information on Motivate Michigan, go to http://www.motivatemichigan.org/.
