Students at
Saginaw Valley State University have the chance to learn from inventor and entrepreneur Joseph Affholter, as the school recently announced he is the new Dow entrepreneur-in-residence at the College of Business and Management.
Affholter will teach courses and work with students who are interested in starting or developing a business, as well as helping the college and community in regards to developing regional businesses.
"He is an inventor and entrepreneur with a deep understanding of innovation-based business development," says Jill Wetmore, dean of the
College of Business and Management.
Affholter offers the school technical and entrepreneurial expertise, through his experience consulting with chemical, biotechnology and education businesses, and through serving as CEO and chief scientist for
GANTEC, a natural products technology company in Midland. Affholter also has worked in research and biotechnology for
Dow Chemical and Maxygen, a California biotech company. He has 10 patents to his name, and has another 12 pending applications for patents.
He's no stranger to the higher education world, either, having taught at the University of the Nations in Hawaii and at the California Institute of Technology. His own degrees come from Michigan Technological University and Stanford University.
"His ability to bridge academic content and research with 'real world' entrepreneurship will complement existing faculty to create an entrepreneurship program that addresses the interests of SVSU students, and helps the university address the economic needs of the region," says Wetmore.
Affholter began his work at SVSU in August. The position is supported, along with the school's Entrepreneurship Institute, by an endowment from the
Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Jill Wetmore, Saginaw Valley State University
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