CPO Visits U-M Alum in Cleveland

November 24, 2015

On November 4, I had the opportunity to accompany Chris White to Cleveland to speak to the University of Michigan’s Cleveland Council about the Center for Positive Organizations. The Council is comprised of a group of alumni who are not only significant contributors to the University’s capital fundraising campaign, but who are also enthusiastic supporters of various departments, programs, research initiatives, faculty members, and students across campus. They were eager to learn more about what’s going on at the Center and understand how they can incorporate elements of Positive Organizational Scholarship into their own organizations and communities.

Throughout the course of the evening, Chris and I worked together to explain the importance of POS and illustrate the various opportunities provided by the Center for those who are interested in this area of study to become involved and engaged. I shared some of my experiences and offered examples of specific ways in which I incorporated elements of POS into my MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Projects) team at the Ross School of Business, my study groups at the School of Public Health and my summer internship at a “health-tech” startup firm in Ann Arbor. I talked about how I’ve drawn upon the experiences I’ve had in the +LAB to help me through the recruiting/interviewing process and I suggested ways in which I see myself using the knowledge and skills I’ve gained at the center as I embark on the next step along my career path.

I grew up in Cleveland, so attending the Cleveland Council event with Chris afforded me the opportunity to visit my family and spend a few hours in a place I used to call “home.” The best part of the day, however, was having the opportunity to stand in front of a room full of Michigan supporters and explain to them the many reasons for which the Center for Positive Organizations has become my new “home” on campus in Ann Arbor.