From the outset, one of the pillars of WDI’s mission has been to provide University of Michigan graduate students from all across campus with unique educational experiences around the world. Through a variety of programs, students are able to work in public and private firms, indigenous small- and medium-sized enterprises, NGOs and nonprofit organizations. They advise, plan and execute project tasks, offering guidance and impetus to enable these organizations in emerging economies to grow and thrive. The “on-the- ground” experience is an opportunity to encounter new ideas and new ways of working that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. The Institute offers two different types of internships: WDI-initiated and student-initiated. For the former, the internships are with firms or organizations identified by WDI and are usually related to one of its focus areas. For the latter, the internship opportunity is identified by a student and must be with an organization that is doing innovative work in emerging-market economies. Multidisciplinary Action Projects, or MAPs, are action-based learning courses for first-year MBA students who receive guidance from faculty advisors. Teams of four to six students spend seven weeks exclusively working on their MAP projects, including three to four weeks in the field. Partnering companies and nonprofits receive top-notch deliverables and data-driven recommendations from the teams. WDI began sponsoring international MAP projects in 1992, and has funded and provided faculty advisors for about 225 projects over the years. Often, firms or organizations will sponsor WDI projects year after year, because they are pleased by the good work being done by the students. And it’s not uncommon for a WDI intern to hand off his or her work to an Institute-sponsored team that continues it during the regular semester. WDI Senior Research Fellow Ted London, who has advised about 50 MAP teams over the years, said the Institute is able to structure projects that challenge students and aid the organizations. “Our teams provide real value to the partners,” he explained. “They come back every year for assistance. They’re very keen to solve a pressing issue, and they get great outputs from the students.” Other partners report similar successes. Megan Stalheim, operations specialist at Land O’Lakes International Development, said the WDI internship program was a “fantastic opportunity to get an injection of the latest business concepts from a top-tier MBA program directly into our program working with budding women entrepreneurs in Tanzania. “Thanks to the contributions of two WDI fellows, our program now has a world- class business incubation training curriculum, which directly benefits the innovators we work with,” Stalheim said. Sameer Hajee, co-founder and CEO of Nuru Energy, confirms the high opinions of WDI students, noting that they “consistently outperform interns from other institutions.” Perry Samson, U-M’s Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Atmospheric Science, developed a learning platform for WDI and enjoyed working with MAP students to see how his product performed in an international setting. “Invigorating” was the word he used to describe Student Programs 25th Anniversary 53