Erb On the Road: A moveable classroom

Three-day immersion course helps Erb Institute students discover how sustainability takes shape in Michigan’s communities

April 10, 2026

By Melina Glusac | Photos by Marc-Gregor Campredon

Erb student Gol-Dann Slater petting goats at the Phillips Orchards & Cider Mill.

A partnership between the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute leverages educational programs, faculty and research, and business engagement to give future leaders the tools they need to create a more sustainable tomorrow.

That’s where Erb On the Road comes in: This immersive, three-day course takes a cohort of “Erbers” across the state of Michigan to discover how local businesses are helping the environment. Graduate students get the opportunity to complement classroom learning and meet with a variety of stakeholders, from community activists and organic farmers to energy executives, all while experiencing the beauty of their natural surroundings.

“I really appreciate this experience, and I feel like it's something that should be encouraged even for students outside of Erb to kind of have this perspective to life, to business. It was very interesting to see how various companies or various startups actually are focused on sustainability and then social impact.”
—Abiola Olatoye (MBA/MS Candidate Class of 2026)

Follow the 2025 cohort below

Erb students listening to Dr. Sarah Mills in Flushing, Michigan.

The cohort’s journey began Friday morning under an open shed in Flushing County Park. Dr. Sarah Mills, associate professor of practice at Taubman College and director of the Center for EmPowering Communities at U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute, guided students through the complexities of renewable energy development. Her presentation showed how economic and social change is taking root across Michigan.

Ranger Power representatives Brady Fiss and Drew Vielberg presenting the Assembly Solar Project.

Over lunch in Lennon, the group toured the Assembly Solar Project, a solar power facility in Shiawassee County developed by Ranger Power and D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI). Erbers saw how large-scale clean energy efforts intersect with local concerns and land use.

Erb students in front of Dow Chemical headquarters in Midland, Michigan.

By the afternoon, the group reached Midland to hear from Dow Chemical about corporate sustainability and the balance between innovation, impact, and scale. Then, they got to explore the Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens.

Erbers walking the path in the Whiting Forest of Dow Gardens.

“I was surprised by how much economic activity there is in the rural communities that we visited in Michigan,” said Kyra Svoboda (MBA/MS Candidate Class of 2028). “As business students, we spend a lot of time learning about the biggest companies in this country ... but I think this trip was very eye-opening and exposed us to the opportunities in economic development and growth, even in the spaces we want in sustainability and impact and investment, that occur in places you wouldn't think, like rural Michigan.”

Jody Hayden, owner of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate, discussing sustainability in the cacao market.

Saturday’s sessions included conversations with small businesses, like Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate from Empire. Larger organizations, like the Great Lakes Business Network, revealed how rural communities build networks of cooperation and resilience.

“I learned a lot about how Michigan is thriving, honestly,” said Vamika Jain (MBA/MS Candidate Class of 2027). “There are so many wonderful programs supporting local businesses to be sustainable and to find ways of thriving while being sustainable. I also learned that a perspective on a problem can change dramatically based on the stakeholder you're speaking to.”

Erb students Vamika Jain, Reilly Geritz, and Logan Ragsdale on the shores of Lake Michigan.

At the Freshwater Research & Innovation Center in Traverse City, students examined the practical challenges of putting sustainability into action. “We can't go into these communities without getting a real partnership with them,” said Saron Mechale (MBA/MS Candidate Class of 2026). “I was really impressed by just the level of collaboration within Michigan. With universities, with government, with local government, with other stakeholders and organizations, non-profits, all moving towards this goal.”

Erb students Daniel Tinajero, Mariana Lopes, and Joan Leong checking out an apple tree.

By Sunday’s visit to Phillips Orchards & Cider Mill in St. Johns, conversations shifted to investment and community: who shapes markets and how accountability is on suppliers as much as it is buyers.

The Erb On the Road 2025 cohort at the end of the weekend.

“I realized on this trip the importance of investing in communities,” said Gol-Dann Slater (MBA/MS Candidate Class of 2028). “And especially in the energy space, using increased property values or property taxes and investing those funds into things that benefit the community, like parks or football stadiums, is a great way to have a just energy transition.”

Erb students Mariana Lopes and Abiola Olatoye repping the Block M in Lake Michigan.

Made possible through an initial endowment from Fred (BBA ’47) and Barbara Erb in 1996 and supported by subsequent gifts from the Erbs totaling $20 million, the Erb Institute exemplifies the real-life impact of philanthropy at the University of Michigan. Gifts help create programs like Erb On the Road—which, in turn, helps students step outside the classroom, connect with communities, and experience the kind of hands-on learning that changes lives.

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