The words Ann Arbor, University of Michigan and the White House continue to be said in the same sentence as President Obama gets ready to give the commencement speech at U-M. One of Ann Arbor's famed entrepreneurs, Menlo Innovations Rich Sheridan, talks to the White House about creating workplace flexibility.
Excerpt:
Though it was only announced last month that President Barack Obama would be the speaker at this spring's commencement, University officials have been communicating with the White House since last April to try to get the president to speak at the Big House.
According to documents obtained by The Michigan Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request, University President Mary Sue Coleman first contacted Alyssa Mastromonaco, White House director of scheduling and advance, on April 30, 2009.
Following the initial letter, Coleman sent a formal invitation directly to Obama last September. In her letter to Obama, Coleman highlighted the University’s history as one of the premier public universities in the country.
Coleman also encouraged the president to come to Ann Arbor by referencing the University’s commitment to topics important to his administration like economic expansion, developing alternative energy sources, sustainability and health care.
"The University of Michigan vigorously pursues the many issues our nation faces and that you are tackling as president," Coleman wrote to Obama in her September letter. "Your visit would inspire and motivate continued progress in these areas."
Read the rest of the story here and how Menlo Innovations' Rich Sheridan is consulting with the White House here.
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