MARY SUE COLEMAN ACCEPTS RENAISSANCE AWARD

Remarks by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, Dec. 2, 2008

left to right: Detroit News Editor and Publisher Jonathan Wolman, U-M President Mary Sue Coleman and Detroit Renaissance President Doug Rothwell.

Thank you.

On behalf of my colleagues, I am pleased to accept this award for the three institutions that make up the University Research Corridor.

President Jay Noren of Wayne State and President Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State could not be here today to share this honor. We deeply appreciate this recognition for what the URC represents, and for what we hope to achieve.

What brought our institutions together two years ago was our belief in the extraordinary potential of this region as a world-class center of innovation, and our commitment to working together to realize that potential.

As a critical source of the ideas and people that can serve as catalysts for change, our state’s universities are an essential driving force toward a better future.

But moving forward, it will take even greater commitments to cooperation among all sectors—academia, industry, and government—to foster innovation, to educate and inspire new generations of entrepreneurs, to nurture start-up companies, to strengthen our existing industries, and to attract businesses to our region.

We have learned many valuable lessons through our URC collaboration over the last two years. Perhaps the clearest is that there is much to be done as we all work capitalize on our state’s inherent strengths.

But the potential is also clearer than ever, and together we can—and we will—succeed.

Thank you again for this honor.