phone call with MAL

Decide to move to new office Nov
Meeting Monday morning to discuss registration for the sustainable hospitality symposium.
Marci will help with marketing

Business plan draft and meeting March 30

• Business plan first draft was too university-centric.
• The business plan should include a major piece on "university center" idea, typically funded by EDA for 3-year.
• Regular meeting between Eric and MCBC, every two weeks.
• Constructing the web page should be done in the summer when the final draft business plan is done.
• Next year when we apply for EDA grant. We should use different name, e.g. "Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship". It should have a campus wide, community focused mission.
• Consider not use "institute for innovation" any more in future grant.
• Next grant should separate design from construction and design proposal should be send spring 2011 - using university center in title
• 
  

discussion with Business Council

Met with M.C. and M.A.L. to finalized the schedule of the planning. It is refreshing to work with people in the business world. Ideas flow as fast as those in the universitis, but decisions are speedy and concrete. Moving forward is the norm, status quo is a problem. In a university, especially a public one, taking risks is not encouraged for individuals. Can the institute structured as an independent non-profit to have the flexibility to achieve its goals faster?

One issue is the timing of the construction grant, should we move as fast as possilbe and get the grant ready by Oct 1 but the business plan might be rather drafty? Should we finish the planning in a timely fashion, not rushed, and produce the plan in Decemeber? Should we follow the typical process and complete the entire business plan before the construction proposal?