The Business+Tech Team Collaborates to Elevate Tech Literacy Across U-M

In 2021, the Business+Tech initiative was established to prepare students across the University of Michigan for careers in technology. From learning the language of technology to understanding technology-related concepts to launching a tech career, Business+Tech ensures that students are ready to make an impact with tech.

A collaborative and entrepreneurial team approach

The Business+Tech team is composed of two full-time staff members, Managing Director Philip Brabbs and Program Manager Emilee Studley, as well as M.S. Krishnan, faculty director, Accenture Professor of Computer Information Systems, and professor of technology and operations. 

“There isn’t a ton of hierarchy on our team, and we’re a small team,” said Brabbs. “We’ve taken a very entrepreneurial approach to starting and growing Business+Tech. It creates a lot of space for everyone to play whatever role they’re interested in.”

Because they serve and support all students across the university, Brabbs, Studley, and Krishnan need to be very collaborative in the way they work. Their team partners with other centers and institutes, student organizations, and schools and colleges at U-M to consolidate all of the tech resources from across the school and promote their programs.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of people across campus who resonate with our message, the programs we offer, and want to support us,” said Studley. “The unique thing about Phil and I is that we love to collaborate. We love to ideate, try new things, and help and support others, and I think that’s why we have a lot of partners because that’s core to who we are.”

However, Brabbs, Studley, and Krishnan don’t manage Business+Tech’s day-to-day operations, partnerships, and programs alone — they are helped by Andrea Hook, an administrative coordinator from the Administrative Core Team, and student +Tech Scholars who come from all over the university and help with event planning and marketing to other students.

“When we hire our +Tech Scholars, we set them up to be a co-lead of one of our programs,” said Studley. “It’s really like an internship opportunity, but they have a lot of say in how we do things. It’s really fun and rewarding to have them work with us for two years, have them go off to do amazing things, and then come back as alumni mentors.”

A resource for everyone

Business+Tech is best known at Ross for their +Tech Innovation Jam — a six-week program that guides teams of five to six multidisciplinary students to develop an innovative, technology-based solution to a business problem. However, Business+Tech offers many other programs and resources that are designed to guide students through each phase of their tech journey. These include the Datathon competition, which helps students build data analytics skills with a tech lens, the +Tech Forum, which brings in invited experts each term to discuss real-world issues in tech, and the +Tech Download, a digital newsletter that keeps U-M community members informed about anything happening in tech on campus.

While much of their programming is student-centric, faculty and staff are welcome to participate in some Business+Tech events — especially the +Tech Forum.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find professional development opportunities that don’t involve going somewhere else for a conference,” said Studley. “We’re going to have a +Tech Forum in December, and something I want all staff and faculty to know is that they should come. This is a fantastic opportunity. Just come downstairs and learn all about tech.”

Business+Tech is also in the process of launching a +Tech Assessment that is available for all faculty, staff, and students on campus. The assessment tests an individual’s knowledge of tech and shows them where they stand on the spectrum of tech literacy to tech mastery. Additionally, the assessment gives personalized recommendations and identifies resources available on campus for people who want to build their tech skills.

“You can take the assessment as many times as you want,” said Brabbs. “It’s going to give you different recommendations each time based on your growth.”

As Brabbs, Studley, and their team roll out the +Tech Assessment across campus this term, they encourage staff, faculty, and students to take it and explore the many tech resources available at U-M.