Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, knows that when he talks to his students about qualitative assessment at least some find the subject a bit dry — that is, until he explains its practical application within WDI’s Performance Measurement Initiative. His collaborations with the Institute have helped nonprofits and social enterprises assess how well they are impacting the lives of the poor, and inspire those organizations to do things better. “Research and questionnaire design by themselves can be deadly dull,” Grogan-Kaylor said. “But using those same processes in the interest of alleviating human suffering? That’s pretty important.” Grogan-Kaylor is one of dozens of U-M faculty members who have benefited from the support of WDI. Providing such support has been a priority for the Institute since its founding. Some of the Institute’s earliest work was done by business school faculty who traveled to former Soviet bloc countries to conduct research and advise local companies on how to engage with Western markets. Over the years, WDI has extended its scope to help faculty engage in teaching and research projects around the globe. In one example, the Institute funded an engagement for a U-M medical school professor and two students to review clinical practices and recommend changes at a hospital in Uganda. In a second collaboration with the medical school, WDI sponsored a pediatric medicine program in Ghana that included staff training, a physician exchange and a project aimed at retaining local providers. At times, the Institute has been asked to assist in exceedingly difficult situations — like the one faced by U-M School of Nursing Professor Janis Miller in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2011, she led a cross-disciplinary team from the university to establish a research center in the country. At first, Miller had her doubts that a center, designed to address sexual violence and clinical health issues stemming from a long civil war, could endure. “I didn’t think it would make it through the first year,” due to continuing violence and an ineffectual government, she explained. With world-renowned gynecological surgeon Denis Mukwege as its champion and a grant from U-M’s Third Century Initiative to cover startup costs, the International Center for Advanced Research and Training not only survived — it thrived. There were still some administrative challenges facing the director and his team when a group of U-M students, taking a Ross course titled “International Business Immersion,” joined the effort in 2014. With funding from WDI, the students traveled to other research centers around the world to explore business practices that the DRC facility could emulate. Then, under the direction of Paul Clyde, the Institute’s president, they researched funding sources, explored innovative governance strategies and made suggestions for building a strong organizational culture. Miller said the experience of working with WDI opened her eyes to alternative ways to support research in low-income places. “The Institute helped strip away my Andrew Grogan-Kaylor Faculty Collaboration 25th Anniversary 49