On this week's program, host Phil Tower welcomes Ava “Attari,” Higher Education Partnerships Director with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The State of Michigan has launched a new incentive program to retain and attract more college students to live here in the Great Lakes State after graduation. The new program promotes semiconductor, electric vehicle, and mobility careers. It’s called The Michigander Scholars Program.
Online: The Michigander Scholarship
In the program's second half, Phil welcomes International best-selling author Don Winslow. Winslow will be a featured guest on the National Writers Series stage on Sunday, April 7, in Traverse City. Winslow will be interviewed by guest host, co-founder of the National Writers Series, and New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton as Winslow tells the story of his newest book, City in Ruins–the explosive conclusion of his epic Danny Ryan trilogy. Although it follows City on Fire and City of Dreams, you can read the three novels in any order, according to Winslow. Beyond being a bestselling author, Winslow is a former investigator, anti-terrorist trainer, and trial consultant. Winslow recently announced that City in Ruins will be the final novel of his extraordinary career.
Online: National Writers Series
Online: The Michigander Scholarship
In the program's second half, Phil welcomes International best-selling author Don Winslow. Winslow will be a featured guest on the National Writers Series stage on Sunday, April 7, in Traverse City. Winslow will be interviewed by guest host, co-founder of the National Writers Series, and New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton as Winslow tells the story of his newest book, City in Ruins–the explosive conclusion of his epic Danny Ryan trilogy. Although it follows City on Fire and City of Dreams, you can read the three novels in any order, according to Winslow. Beyond being a bestselling author, Winslow is a former investigator, anti-terrorist trainer, and trial consultant. Winslow recently announced that City in Ruins will be the final novel of his extraordinary career.
Online: National Writers Series
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
iHeartMedia West Michigan Weekend a public affairsprogram. Hi, and welcome in.
It's West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio.I am so glad you have tuned in
on whatever I Heart Radio station youhave to be tuned into this Sunday.
And don't forget we're a podcast aswell. You can find us after you
hear this program on the radio.All of our episodes at woodradio dot com
(00:27):
on the left side of the pageon the podcast section. I am very
pleased to welcome to this program.Aba atari Ava is the MEDC Higher Education
Partnerships Director, And now we're notgoing to have a high level conversation about
education and the state of Michigan.We're actually going to talk about something that
is very important, it's very relatable, and I think it's a great idea.
(00:52):
It's called the Michigan Michigan or ScholarsProgram. This is a program designed
to retain and attacked more of ourstage college students. You've heard about the
talent Suck. A lot of greattalented college graduates leaving the state of Michigan.
I always wonder why in the worldwould they leave the state of Michigan
(01:15):
here to talk more about the MichiganderScholars Program is Ava Atari Ava. Thank
you for joining us. First ofall, thank you so much for having
me well. I appreciate it,and I wanted to rewind a little bit
to talk about you know, youhave a unique position as director and someone
who's very involved with the Michigander ScholarsProgram. Can you talk a little bit
(01:37):
about the talent issue? I meanthis we've been hearing about this, I've
been doing radio interviews about this.It seems like five or ten years.
Do you know when we really realizedwe had to do something about this.
You know, that's a great question. And I think regardless of where you
live in Michigan, there are thousandsand thousands of jobs that are unfilled.
Governor Whimer has been talking about theskills staff in Michigan since her first State
(02:01):
of the State address in twenty nineteen. And you know, while Michiganders don't
always agree on everything, you know, no matter which side of the aisle
you're on, I think we canall agree that Michigan has the population growth
issue. I mean, I don'tknow if you know this. I heard
this fact recently and it took mybreath away. But Michigan is forty ninth
at assistiates for population growth. Yeah, and again I think for anybody you
(02:25):
know who's lived here most of theiradult life, they kind of look at
it and go why how? Butbut there are the simple answer, Ava,
and correct me if I'm wrong.Is there a lot of states that
have had a head start, youknow, beyond Michigan, And we're playing
a bit of ketch up here.I know this program Michigan or Scholars is
(02:46):
focusing on some tech jobs, promotingcareers in the semiconductor, electric vehicle,
and mobility industries. But you knowthat is a depressing statistic, but you've
got to start from somewhere and moveup right. Absolutely, absolutely, And
the Michigan or Scholars program is ultimately, like you said, an attraction and
talent retention program. So I'm soexcited that we pilot this program last year,
(03:09):
and it is aimed at trying tokeep tech and engineering students here in
Michigan once they graduate, ensuring theyhave the skill sets they need to thrive
in the advanced manufacturing industry, andthat key employers in our state have the
workforce they need to thrive. Yeah, and this is as you said,
it's an important program to make surethe college students know there's a reason to
(03:30):
stay here and go to school inMichigan and get jobs in Michigan. Let's
talk about how this program came together. It's called Michigan or Scholars Program.
How did it come together? Andjust give us a basic overview if you
will, Aba, Yeah, absolutelyso. The program was pilighted last year
in March with Michigan State University,Michigan Tech University, and then the three
(03:54):
University of Michigan institutions in in Arbor, Dearborn, Flint. And the program
provides qualifying students with an opportunity togain a deeper exclusive insight into the advanced
manufacturing industry, particularly in the semiconductoror electric vehicle sectors, by bringing these
students and employers closer together, whetherthat's through a networking event, a conference,
(04:18):
facility tours, or even mentorships.But employers can use this opportunity to
really help shape their soon to beworkforce and kind of help dispel some of
that thoughts of around. You know, the manufacturing space is a dark and
dirty, kind of mysterious place,but you know it's no longer what your
(04:40):
parents or grandparents used to do.It's very advanced, it's very high tech.
And then the students can also bebetter set up for their careers.
And then on top of that,if a student completes an internship or accepts
the full time hire with one ofthose participating employers and commits to staying in
Michigan for up to a year,they can get a five thousand to ten
dollars scholarship. Wow. That's verythat's very attractive. You know, it's
(05:04):
interesting when we talk about some ofthe employers that you're working with for the
Michigan or scholars program. I mean, they've been dealing with this on the
frontline for a long time. Whatare they telling you at the MEDC Yeah,
I mean, so we work closelywith over twenty employers right now,
(05:24):
and their core employers across the stateof Michigan, both in the electric vehicle
in semiconductor space, and honestly,this program is born from what they've asked
for. It's really about trying toaddress some of their their untrained and un
you know, unfilled position. Yeah, and so that's really where we kind
(05:46):
of came up with this idea totry to address this issue. Yeah,
and so far the program has hasreally made an impact. It's awarded sixty
three scholarships, five hundred and thirtyfour students currently participating in the program with
with employers. As we look atthat, what are some of the goals
in the next maybe two or threeyears for the Michigander scholars Program as you
(06:09):
hope to grow at AVA. Yeah, so our goal is actually to award
three hundred and fifty students with internshipor full time high scholarships at the end
of September this year. That's impressive. Okay, you've got to find the
students. Now we're talking about thislive on the radio. I know there
are a lot of perked up parentsierslisting, especially you know with kids in
(06:31):
college. Maybe some grandparents listing,going uha, you know, because kids,
Let's face it, people get excited. Kids get excited about what they
see in other states or have friendswho have moved there. I had this
happen in my family, and youknow, it's very difficult to get kids
to understand that there are great jobshere in Michigan. Making that connection.
(06:53):
How are you connecting these college studentswith the Michigander scholars Program. Yeah,
we have a main website where wepromote the program, but then we also
work really closely with each of theinstitutions that are participating. So we actually
recently extended the program to include WayneState University in Kettering University. So actually
(07:15):
those five hundred and thirty four scholarstudents are only at our original pilot schools.
Right now, Wayne State and KetteringUniversity are promoting the program on the
ground and trying to recruit students intothe Scholars program. So folks attending those
schools keep your eyes out and earsopen. But they do a lot of
(07:35):
the active on the ground recruitment ofstudents and outreach, and so we partner
closely with them to help pride themwith the support they need to do that.
We are speaking with Ava Atari,she is the MEDC Higher Education Partnerships
Director, as we talk about therelatively new and very dynamic Michigan Michigan or
(07:56):
Scholars program. Ava, one ofthe things you mentioned very early on in
our conversation with that statistic Michigan beingforty nine out of fifty in population growth.
Why is population important for the bigpicture here for you know, this
program and retaining students. Yeah,population growth is so important because ultimately we
(08:18):
need to be able to fill thejobs that are available here at Michigan,
and part of that is trying tomake sure that the folks that we're graduating
right now have the skill sets thatthey need to be able to fill those
roles, but that also attract themto stay here. And you know,
the Michigan or Scholars program is justone part of this greater effort, and
there are other incentives and efforts thatneed to be made in order to ensure
(08:41):
that we're meeting the needs of ourpopulation but also to attract folks here.
And honestly, Michigan is such anunderrated state. I'm actually from Florida originally,
and when I first moved here,I was like, this state is
incredible. I can't believe no oneis talking about Michigan. And then I
really think we need to do abetter job of selling our states. To
(09:01):
be honest, yeah, I wouldagree one hundred percent. It's interesting of
internships are a part of this challengewith students leaving, and I have experienced
this as someone who is a managerin broadcasting has had a hard time finding
students who had done internships getting thatactual workforce experience is critical. How does
(09:26):
the Michigan or Scholar help address thatissue because internships are very important. Absolutely,
yeah, So there are two scholarshipswith the program. One is an
internship scholarship and one is a fulltime hire. And I'm using that term
internship quite broadly, so that couldinclude catstones, it can include co op
model. Kettering University has a greatco op model that they've used for years.
(09:50):
And if you're a student participating inone of these aspects, you'll get
a five thousand dollars scholarship. Andthen we work closely with the employers as
well to make sure that But thereare those opportunities available to them to students,
Let's talk about who is actually eligiblefor this. This is a very
exciting opportunity the Michigan or scholars program. But how did someone listening right now,
(10:13):
it could even be a college studentor their parents, how do they
know if they're eligible? So thereare three key components to the program.
First is being interested in a careeras a computer, electrical or process engineer
or software developer. So those arein demand careers that were identified by our
participating employers. Those are careers thatthey have a need for now and we'll
(10:35):
have a need for in the future. And then having a declared major or
intend to declare in a relevant undergraduateor graduate program of study. It could
be engineering, it could be computerscience. And then meeting any additional university
specific criteria. So I mentioned beforeour participating universities administer of the programs on
the ground, they might have additionalrequirements. It could be a GPA,
(10:56):
it could be a prep course.So I think talking to the program your
university to identify who the program leadsare on the ground and talking to them
and learning more from them, isthat's how you'll get engaged. Yeah.
Absolutely. We're speaking by the way, with Ava Atari. Ava. Ava
is the MEDC Higher Education Partnership Director. We've been talking about this great Michigander
(11:20):
scholars program. What's the best websitefor people to go to check out to
find out that it sounds like,hey, it sounds like maybe my college
student or I am eligible. Whereshould they go? Ava? Yeah,
So we have a website that alldirect folks to. It's www dot Michigan
Business dot org, forward slash theMichigander Okay, Michigan Business dot org forward
(11:48):
slash the Michigander and you can checkthat out or just google Michigander Scholars.
Yeah, exactly, Yeah, MichiganderScholars. Simple as that. Ava Atari
is with us, the director PartnershipsDirector for MEDC Higher Education. Any final
thoughts, our listeners should know parentsof college of students who are in that
(12:11):
you know, high tech software development, electric vehicle mobility industry or semiconductor.
What would you share with them?I would just say that this is an
opportunity that we're so excited about beingable to offer Michiganders. And we've also
expanded the eligibili the programs, sosophomores are now eligible for scholarships an internship
(12:31):
scholarship. Graduate students are eligible topreticipate in the program as well, and
we hope folks will take advantage ofit. Absolutely, you should not turn
that down at all, Michigander scholarsprogram. It's a new and very dynamic
program and we have been speaking withof Atari, MEDC Higher Education Partnerships Director.
(12:54):
Hopefully the power of this program airingon the radio will send a lot
of people your way of a thankyou so much for your time this morning,
thank you so much for having me. She has been our guest on
this segment of West Michigan Weekend fromiHeartRadio. Stick Around. We have another
segment coming up in just a momenthere at iHeartRadio. Substance whose disorder and
(13:16):
addiction is so isolating and so asa black woman in recovery, hope must
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It is the thread that lets youknow that no matter what happens, you
will be okay. When we learnthe power of hope, recovery is possible,
(13:39):
find out how at Start with Hopedot Com. Brought to you by
the National Council for Mental Well Being, Shatterproof and the AD Council. Welcome
back to West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio. Thank you so much for listening across
whatever iHeartRadio station you have tuned in. And boy, this is this is
going to be a real treat.We've been fortunate to connect with our friends
and and Doug Stanton at National WritersSeries, World Class Writer Series and of
(14:03):
course in Trevor's City, Michigan atthe Opera House, and you've got a
real treat. One of the greatauthors in this series will be there on
Sunday, April seventh, just afew days away. It is my great
pleasure to welcome this section of theprogram. Don Winslow, author of twenty
five international best sellers, including theNew York Times bestsellers, Savages, The
(14:28):
Kings of Cool, The Cartel,The Force, The Border, City and
Fire, City of Dreams, andthe brand new book is City in Ruins
out April second. You're going tobe hearing a lot about this everybody,
but the Pope has said this islike the book of the year, and
Don Winslow, is that what's wrongwith the Pope? I don't know.
(14:52):
You know, you got to puta call into the Vatican, Don Don
Winslow, It is a real honorand pleasure to welcome you to the program.
Thanks for joining us, Thanks forhaving me. I appreciate your time.
You know. I'm going to beginwith something that surprised me a little
bit. You've been writing these greatcrime novels. You've got just an incredible
background. You've done everything you toldme earlier we were talking about reading.
(15:16):
You're actually a fan of history andyou love nonfiction. So how did this
whole thing start? Take our listenersand me back to when you were like,
Okay, I think I want todecide to write these incredible novels.
What happens in your head when thishappens, Don Winslow oh Man, good
question. Well, you know,as a kid, I read nothing but
(15:37):
history that was just cooked on them. There was a series when I was
a kid called you Were There,and it was always like a little boy
and a little girl. I surethey were there. Whatever it was,
right Getsburg, Johnstown, Slub,the Normandy Invasion, whatever it was,
they were there and I was therewith them. You know, I was
really thrilled. Later in life,you know, I worked as a pis
(15:58):
private investigator city and I started readingsome of this literature. People turned me
on to Raymond Chandler, John D. McDonald, the Irreplaceable Elmore, Leonard,
Lawrence Block, people like that.You know. One of the great
thrills of my life. By theway, I was spending an hour on
the phone with mister Leonard shortly beforehe passed away, and so I fell
(16:22):
in love with that kind of literature. I had always wanted to be a
writer, and I thought, allright, let me try and miss sen
Yeah, and it kind of workedout. Several best selling books later.
You know, a lot of yourworks also haven't been adapted to the big
screen. Most recently, I shouldsay, Savages was a feature film by
(16:47):
Oliver Stone. I guess, howdo you feel as an author about that
process? You do have some control, but ultimately, in the end,
Oliver Stone decides what is on thekind of room floor and what is on
the big screen. Sure, talkabout that process and how you feel about
it. Yeah, you know,film is famously a directors medium, and
(17:07):
you're being foolish or disingenuously if youdon't think that right. I'm pretty aware
that these are two different breeds ofcat novels and film, and that there
has to be changes for film forfilm to work. I get that.
I always tell filmmakers, you know, two thousand years before you guys were
editing, we guys were editing.Right. I know about cutting, but
(17:33):
I want them I want to knowthe reasons for the changes. You know,
if they're going to make a drasticchange and a character or the story,
I want to know why. Andif they have a good reason,
great, and if they don't havea good reason, let's not do it.
Yeah, that's a great way ofputting that you've written all kinds of
(17:56):
stories, obviously the crime novels,the big ones. But you know,
I was reading you have written someaudio for Audible, which I was really
impressed by because I love short storiesin an audible, you know, in
an audio narrative if you will,wherever you're listening, podcast, Audible,
et cetera. I think there's kindof been a resurgence in short stories,
(18:22):
at least in what I'm seeing andall the reading I'm doing. Are you
getting that feeling? Oh, verymuch so. And it's because of it's
because of recordings, It's because ofthings like Audible and other carriers. Yeah,
there definitely is. I think peoplelike that format. It's very doable.
It's kind of user friendly. Youknow, you don't have to make
(18:45):
the investment of time that you wouldin a full length novel. And I
got to tell you, they're reallyfun to write. You know, they
are about ten thousand words, andit's a challenge shaping a story so that
it comes in that efficiently but stillon its own, you know, every
word counts, and so I hada great time writing this. You are
(19:08):
about to embark on, well,you have said this is your last book.
This is the conclusion of the epicDanny Ryan trilogy. The latest book
is called City in Ruins, outApril. Second. You've said this is
your last book. I mean,that's kind of like the people. It's
(19:29):
like Michael Jordan's saying I'm going toretire and then they come out of retirement
at least for our listening audience andpeople who love your books. What do
you mean by that? I mean, is this are you going to go
in a different direction or is ittoo soon to say? It's too soon
to say. And I'm not beingcoy. Look, I don't think I'll
ever stop writing. I think I'mgoing to stop publishing, you know.
(19:51):
And there's a real difference. Look, I'm so grateful for the career that
I've had, you know. It'sbeen far bigger and better than I ever
dreamed, and that I probably deservean alcandor, you know. And I
don't want to push that gratitude bybeing greedy about it or pushing it past
its natural bounds. This trilogy youalluded to, took me thirty years.
(20:15):
I mean, I was doing otherthings, writing other books, but it
was the work of a lifetime,work of a career and so when I
wrapped it up, it kind offelt like an ending. Yeah, we're
speaking, by the way, withDon Winslow, international bestselling author, former
investigator, anti terrorist, trainer,and a lot of things. He's been
all around the world. His latestbook, the final of the Danny Ryan
(20:38):
trilogy, is City in Ruins.We need to tell you that Don Winslow
will be appearing in Traverse City.This is a real treat on Sunday,
April seventh, at seven pm.Interviewed by The One and Oley Doug Stanton.
You know when two authors get togetherand talk, I mean, you
(21:00):
know, it's not like you're speakingwith a reporter or a member of the
media, or you know, somebodywho's not in that exclusive club of New
York best selling New York Times bestsellingauthors. Is that a little daunting or
are you real comfortable with Doug inthat sense? Oh? I feel really
comfortable with Doug in that sense.He and I have already talked about what
the evening should be and what itshould look like. We already had a
(21:22):
great conversation about books and movies andall kinds of things. No, you
know, it's it's funny. Ithink when when two writers get together.
We do have a lot in common, We have common experiences. There's a
lot of shorthand you know, thereare things you don't have to go over
because we already understand them. AndI think it's just going to be just
a fun conversation, you know,two authors kicking it around about books.
(21:47):
And I'm really looking forward to that. What is it that attracts people to
of course, these these books andthe Last One City in Ruins, the
Danny Ryan trilogy. What is itabout Danny Ryan that is so electric,
so attractive for people to get suckedinto the beauty of these books? I
think you know, and listen,I'd be the last one to know.
(22:08):
Right, the reader has probably abetter perspective on it than I do because
I spent thirty years with this guy, right, Yeah, I've probably spent
more time with people who don't existthan people who actually do. But I
think, you know, Kenny startsthese books as a normal guy, an
average guy. He's working on thedocks, he's a fisherman. He has
(22:32):
a wife and then a baby,and really all he wants to do is
support his family. It doesn't workout that way for him, and life
launches him into different areas and differentsorts of challenges, and he makes decisions
that are not always the best decisionsas many of us do, you know.
I also think he's a really loyalguy. He's loyal to his family,
(22:53):
he's loyal to his friends, andI think people are attracted to that.
Indeed, this this is a bookthat is the final of a trilogy.
Can you start in the middle ordo you highly recommend you start in
the beginning. A lot of peopleare wondering about that because maybe they're drawn
to another book for a reason.You know, what do you think about
(23:15):
that? Don listen. I thinkthey can start anywhere. And that's very
deliberate. You know, when you'rewriting a trilogy, you're aware that people
might come into it in book twoor even book three, and so you
have to be very careful to givethem enough at the beginning of the book.
You know that they can enter thestory and feel comfortable with the characters
(23:36):
and kind of know where they're at, but not too much that like you
just vomiting backstory, you know.So I've spent a lot of effort trying
to do that. So I thinkyou can come into the trilogy anywhere.
Yeah, Don Winslow is with us. He will be speaking at the National
Writer Series just around the corner afew days away on Sunday, April seven
(23:56):
pm for our West Michigan list herein the Greater Grand Rapids area. We
want to let you know you canwatch this virtually. You can buy virtual
tickets online and it's just a shorttwo hour drive to the Beauty, Beautiful
City Opera House in downtown Traverse City. And we have promised nothing but warm
(24:17):
weather for Don's visit. From southernCalifornia to Northern Michigan. It's always a
crapshoot in April, but I havea good feeling that things are going to
turn in your in your favor.There By the way, we want to
encourage you. If you are inTraverse City in the Northern Michigan area,
you can get Don's book at HorizonBooks, local bookseller, so we wanted
(24:41):
to shout them out. Otherwise,it's available wherever your favorite books are sold
and highly recommended. I got toI wanted to ask you this question.
We actually started out very briefly talkingabout non fiction. If your publisher said
to you, Don, you yournext book has to be a biography and
(25:03):
will okay with that you get atrack record? Who are you going to
write the biography about? Or maybeyour top two you'd love to write that
biography about living or dead? Wow? Wow, Wow, what a question.
It might be a guy named FrederickBenteine who was at the Little Big
Horn and survived, or it couldbe about Crazy Horse. What draws what
(25:30):
draws you to those figures? Beneenebecause he was kind of a tragic figure
who didn't want to be there,who was very opposed to what Custer was
doing, and helped the people whodid survive survive. Crazy Horse because I
think he was such a leader ofhis people in a tragic cause. Yeah,
(25:56):
and really, you know, tookon epic purpose. And as time
has gone on, there's obviously somebodywho is like instantly identifiable with what you
just talked about. Don Winslow iswith US New York Times best selling author.
The brand new book is City inRuins, out on April second,
(26:17):
available wherever books are sold, andyou can see him in the beautiful Traverse
City Opera House on Sunday, Aprilseventh. In a conversation with Doug Stanton,
you know, it's interesting we're talkingabout Doug. He is a guy
who I think every time I'm withhim, and I've interviewed him many times,
just makes you feel comfortable. SoI'm really looking forward to hearing you
(26:37):
and Doug in this conversation. Iknow the folks in Traverse City who are
there in person really are going toget a treat. And I'm just I'm
so glad you're going to do this. Do you, I mean, do
you as you think about this forthose attending, what is it like to
be on the other end of receivingthose questions from the audience? Done?
(27:00):
It's great? You know. LookI mean, and I mean this sincerely.
Every good material thing I have inlife I owe to readers, right,
and so the chance to go outand meet them and say hi and
say thank you and answer those questionsis terrific. The spontaneity is what makes
it fun. You know, ofcourse, you're going to get certain questions
(27:21):
in any given book. You knowthat they're just naturally just going to come.
But every once in a while youget a question that just comes out
of nowhere and takes the evening ina different direction, and it's usually pretty
fun. Well, Don Winslow.I don't know what you're going to do
next after City in Ruins, butI know A it won't be boring,
and I KNOWB A lot of peoplewant to read it or maybe even see
(27:42):
it on the big screen, andI'm excited about that. Congratulations on this
great new book, City in Ruins, the third and a great Danny Ryan
trilogy. Welcome to Michigan in justa few more days. I'm looking forward
to it. Hope to see youthere. Yeah, indeed, we'll look
forward to seeing you there at theNational Writers Series on Sunday, April seventh,
(28:03):
International bestseller author Don Winslow with uson this segment of West Michigan Weekend.
That's our program for this week.Thank you so much for listening.
We'll catch you again next week righthere on this iHeartRadio station iHeartMedia. West
Michigan Weekend, a public affairs program.
iHeartMedia West Michigan Weekend a public affairsprogram. Hi, and welcome in.
It's West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio.I am so glad you have tuned in
on whatever I Heart Radio station youhave to be tuned into this Sunday.
And don't forget we're a podcast aswell. You can find us after you
hear this program on the radio.All of our episodes at woodradio dot com
(00:27):
on the left side of the pageon the podcast section. I am very
pleased to welcome to this program.Aba atari Ava is the MEDC Higher Education
Partnerships Director, And now we're notgoing to have a high level conversation about
education and the state of Michigan.We're actually going to talk about something that
is very important, it's very relatable, and I think it's a great idea.
(00:52):
It's called the Michigan Michigan or ScholarsProgram. This is a program designed
to retain and attacked more of ourstage college students. You've heard about the
talent Suck. A lot of greattalented college graduates leaving the state of Michigan.
I always wonder why in the worldwould they leave the state of Michigan
(01:15):
here to talk more about the MichiganderScholars Program is Ava Atari Ava. Thank
you for joining us. First ofall, thank you so much for having
me well. I appreciate it,and I wanted to rewind a little bit
to talk about you know, youhave a unique position as director and someone
who's very involved with the Michigander ScholarsProgram. Can you talk a little bit
(01:37):
about the talent issue? I meanthis we've been hearing about this, I've
been doing radio interviews about this.It seems like five or ten years.
Do you know when we really realizedwe had to do something about this.
You know, that's a great question. And I think regardless of where you
live in Michigan, there are thousandsand thousands of jobs that are unfilled.
Governor Whimer has been talking about theskills staff in Michigan since her first State
(02:01):
of the State address in twenty nineteen. And you know, while Michiganders don't
always agree on everything, you know, no matter which side of the aisle
you're on, I think we canall agree that Michigan has the population growth
issue. I mean, I don'tknow if you know this. I heard
this fact recently and it took mybreath away. But Michigan is forty ninth
at assistiates for population growth. Yeah, and again I think for anybody you
(02:25):
know who's lived here most of theiradult life, they kind of look at
it and go why how? Butbut there are the simple answer, Ava,
and correct me if I'm wrong.Is there a lot of states that
have had a head start, youknow, beyond Michigan, And we're playing
a bit of ketch up here.I know this program Michigan or Scholars is
(02:46):
focusing on some tech jobs, promotingcareers in the semiconductor, electric vehicle,
and mobility industries. But you knowthat is a depressing statistic, but you've
got to start from somewhere and moveup right. Absolutely, absolutely, And
the Michigan or Scholars program is ultimately, like you said, an attraction and
talent retention program. So I'm soexcited that we pilot this program last year,
(03:09):
and it is aimed at trying tokeep tech and engineering students here in
Michigan once they graduate, ensuring theyhave the skill sets they need to thrive
in the advanced manufacturing industry, andthat key employers in our state have the
workforce they need to thrive. Yeah, and this is as you said,
it's an important program to make surethe college students know there's a reason to
(03:30):
stay here and go to school inMichigan and get jobs in Michigan. Let's
talk about how this program came together. It's called Michigan or Scholars Program.
How did it come together? Andjust give us a basic overview if you
will, Aba, Yeah, absolutelyso. The program was pilighted last year
in March with Michigan State University,Michigan Tech University, and then the three
(03:54):
University of Michigan institutions in in Arbor, Dearborn, Flint. And the program
provides qualifying students with an opportunity togain a deeper exclusive insight into the advanced
manufacturing industry, particularly in the semiconductoror electric vehicle sectors, by bringing these
students and employers closer together, whetherthat's through a networking event, a conference,
(04:18):
facility tours, or even mentorships.But employers can use this opportunity to
really help shape their soon to beworkforce and kind of help dispel some of
that thoughts of around. You know, the manufacturing space is a dark and
dirty, kind of mysterious place,but you know it's no longer what your
(04:40):
parents or grandparents used to do.It's very advanced, it's very high tech.
And then the students can also bebetter set up for their careers.
And then on top of that,if a student completes an internship or accepts
the full time hire with one ofthose participating employers and commits to staying in
Michigan for up to a year,they can get a five thousand to ten
dollars scholarship. Wow. That's verythat's very attractive. You know, it's
(05:04):
interesting when we talk about some ofthe employers that you're working with for the
Michigan or scholars program. I mean, they've been dealing with this on the
frontline for a long time. Whatare they telling you at the MEDC Yeah,
I mean, so we work closelywith over twenty employers right now,
(05:24):
and their core employers across the stateof Michigan, both in the electric vehicle
in semiconductor space, and honestly,this program is born from what they've asked
for. It's really about trying toaddress some of their their untrained and un
you know, unfilled position. Yeah, and so that's really where we kind
(05:46):
of came up with this idea totry to address this issue. Yeah,
and so far the program has hasreally made an impact. It's awarded sixty
three scholarships, five hundred and thirtyfour students currently participating in the program with
with employers. As we look atthat, what are some of the goals
in the next maybe two or threeyears for the Michigander scholars Program as you
(06:09):
hope to grow at AVA. Yeah, so our goal is actually to award
three hundred and fifty students with internshipor full time high scholarships at the end
of September this year. That's impressive. Okay, you've got to find the
students. Now we're talking about thislive on the radio. I know there
are a lot of perked up parentsierslisting, especially you know with kids in
(06:31):
college. Maybe some grandparents listing,going uha, you know, because kids,
Let's face it, people get excited. Kids get excited about what they
see in other states or have friendswho have moved there. I had this
happen in my family, and youknow, it's very difficult to get kids
to understand that there are great jobshere in Michigan. Making that connection.
(06:53):
How are you connecting these college studentswith the Michigander scholars Program. Yeah,
we have a main website where wepromote the program, but then we also
work really closely with each of theinstitutions that are participating. So we actually
recently extended the program to include WayneState University in Kettering University. So actually
(07:15):
those five hundred and thirty four scholarstudents are only at our original pilot schools.
Right now, Wayne State and KetteringUniversity are promoting the program on the
ground and trying to recruit students intothe Scholars program. So folks attending those
schools keep your eyes out and earsopen. But they do a lot of
(07:35):
the active on the ground recruitment ofstudents and outreach, and so we partner
closely with them to help pride themwith the support they need to do that.
We are speaking with Ava Atari,she is the MEDC Higher Education Partnerships
Director, as we talk about therelatively new and very dynamic Michigan Michigan or
(07:56):
Scholars program. Ava, one ofthe things you mentioned very early on in
our conversation with that statistic Michigan beingforty nine out of fifty in population growth.
Why is population important for the bigpicture here for you know, this
program and retaining students. Yeah,population growth is so important because ultimately we
(08:18):
need to be able to fill thejobs that are available here at Michigan,
and part of that is trying tomake sure that the folks that we're graduating
right now have the skill sets thatthey need to be able to fill those
roles, but that also attract themto stay here. And you know,
the Michigan or Scholars program is justone part of this greater effort, and
there are other incentives and efforts thatneed to be made in order to ensure
(08:41):
that we're meeting the needs of ourpopulation but also to attract folks here.
And honestly, Michigan is such anunderrated state. I'm actually from Florida originally,
and when I first moved here,I was like, this state is
incredible. I can't believe no oneis talking about Michigan. And then I
really think we need to do abetter job of selling our states. To
(09:01):
be honest, yeah, I wouldagree one hundred percent. It's interesting of
internships are a part of this challengewith students leaving, and I have experienced
this as someone who is a managerin broadcasting has had a hard time finding
students who had done internships getting thatactual workforce experience is critical. How does
(09:26):
the Michigan or Scholar help address thatissue because internships are very important. Absolutely,
yeah, So there are two scholarshipswith the program. One is an
internship scholarship and one is a fulltime hire. And I'm using that term
internship quite broadly, so that couldinclude catstones, it can include co op
model. Kettering University has a greatco op model that they've used for years.
(09:50):
And if you're a student participating inone of these aspects, you'll get
a five thousand dollars scholarship. Andthen we work closely with the employers as
well to make sure that But thereare those opportunities available to them to students,
Let's talk about who is actually eligiblefor this. This is a very
exciting opportunity the Michigan or scholars program. But how did someone listening right now,
(10:13):
it could even be a college studentor their parents, how do they
know if they're eligible? So thereare three key components to the program.
First is being interested in a careeras a computer, electrical or process engineer
or software developer. So those arein demand careers that were identified by our
participating employers. Those are careers thatthey have a need for now and we'll
(10:35):
have a need for in the future. And then having a declared major or
intend to declare in a relevant undergraduateor graduate program of study. It could
be engineering, it could be computerscience. And then meeting any additional university
specific criteria. So I mentioned beforeour participating universities administer of the programs on
the ground, they might have additionalrequirements. It could be a GPA,
(10:56):
it could be a prep course.So I think talking to the program your
university to identify who the program leadsare on the ground and talking to them
and learning more from them, isthat's how you'll get engaged. Yeah.
Absolutely. We're speaking by the way, with Ava Atari. Ava. Ava
is the MEDC Higher Education Partnership Director. We've been talking about this great Michigander
(11:20):
scholars program. What's the best websitefor people to go to check out to
find out that it sounds like,hey, it sounds like maybe my college
student or I am eligible. Whereshould they go? Ava? Yeah,
So we have a website that alldirect folks to. It's www dot Michigan
Business dot org, forward slash theMichigander Okay, Michigan Business dot org forward
(11:48):
slash the Michigander and you can checkthat out or just google Michigander Scholars.
Yeah, exactly, Yeah, MichiganderScholars. Simple as that. Ava Atari
is with us, the director PartnershipsDirector for MEDC Higher Education. Any final
thoughts, our listeners should know parentsof college of students who are in that
(12:11):
you know, high tech software development, electric vehicle mobility industry or semiconductor.
What would you share with them?I would just say that this is an
opportunity that we're so excited about beingable to offer Michiganders. And we've also
expanded the eligibili the programs, sosophomores are now eligible for scholarships an internship
(12:31):
scholarship. Graduate students are eligible topreticipate in the program as well, and
we hope folks will take advantage ofit. Absolutely, you should not turn
that down at all, Michigander scholarsprogram. It's a new and very dynamic
program and we have been speaking withof Atari, MEDC Higher Education Partnerships Director.
(12:54):
Hopefully the power of this program airingon the radio will send a lot
of people your way of a thankyou so much for your time this morning,
thank you so much for having me. She has been our guest on
this segment of West Michigan Weekend fromiHeartRadio. Stick Around. We have another
segment coming up in just a momenthere at iHeartRadio. Substance whose disorder and
(13:16):
addiction is so isolating and so asa black woman in recovery, hope must
be loud. It grows louder whenyou ask for help and you're vulnerable.
It is the thread that lets youknow that no matter what happens, you
will be okay. When we learnthe power of hope, recovery is possible,
(13:39):
find out how at Start with Hopedot Com. Brought to you by
the National Council for Mental Well Being, Shatterproof and the AD Council. Welcome
back to West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio. Thank you so much for listening across
whatever iHeartRadio station you have tuned in. And boy, this is this is
going to be a real treat.We've been fortunate to connect with our friends
and and Doug Stanton at National WritersSeries, World Class Writer Series and of
(14:03):
course in Trevor's City, Michigan atthe Opera House, and you've got a
real treat. One of the greatauthors in this series will be there on
Sunday, April seventh, just afew days away. It is my great
pleasure to welcome this section of theprogram. Don Winslow, author of twenty
five international best sellers, including theNew York Times bestsellers, Savages, The
(14:28):
Kings of Cool, The Cartel,The Force, The Border, City and
Fire, City of Dreams, andthe brand new book is City in Ruins
out April second. You're going tobe hearing a lot about this everybody,
but the Pope has said this islike the book of the year, and
Don Winslow, is that what's wrongwith the Pope? I don't know.
(14:52):
You know, you got to puta call into the Vatican, Don Don
Winslow, It is a real honorand pleasure to welcome you to the program.
Thanks for joining us, Thanks forhaving me. I appreciate your time.
You know. I'm going to beginwith something that surprised me a little
bit. You've been writing these greatcrime novels. You've got just an incredible
background. You've done everything you toldme earlier we were talking about reading.
(15:16):
You're actually a fan of history andyou love nonfiction. So how did this
whole thing start? Take our listenersand me back to when you were like,
Okay, I think I want todecide to write these incredible novels.
What happens in your head when thishappens, Don Winslow oh Man, good
question. Well, you know,as a kid, I read nothing but
(15:37):
history that was just cooked on them. There was a series when I was
a kid called you Were There,and it was always like a little boy
and a little girl. I surethey were there. Whatever it was,
right Getsburg, Johnstown, Slub,the Normandy Invasion, whatever it was,
they were there and I was therewith them. You know, I was
really thrilled. Later in life,you know, I worked as a pis
(15:58):
private investigator city and I started readingsome of this literature. People turned me
on to Raymond Chandler, John D. McDonald, the Irreplaceable Elmore, Leonard,
Lawrence Block, people like that.You know. One of the great
thrills of my life. By theway, I was spending an hour on
the phone with mister Leonard shortly beforehe passed away, and so I fell
(16:22):
in love with that kind of literature. I had always wanted to be a
writer, and I thought, allright, let me try and miss sen
Yeah, and it kind of workedout. Several best selling books later.
You know, a lot of yourworks also haven't been adapted to the big
screen. Most recently, I shouldsay, Savages was a feature film by
(16:47):
Oliver Stone. I guess, howdo you feel as an author about that
process? You do have some control, but ultimately, in the end,
Oliver Stone decides what is on thekind of room floor and what is on
the big screen. Sure, talkabout that process and how you feel about
it. Yeah, you know,film is famously a directors medium, and
(17:07):
you're being foolish or disingenuously if youdon't think that right. I'm pretty aware
that these are two different breeds ofcat novels and film, and that there
has to be changes for film forfilm to work. I get that.
I always tell filmmakers, you know, two thousand years before you guys were
editing, we guys were editing.Right. I know about cutting, but
(17:33):
I want them I want to knowthe reasons for the changes. You know,
if they're going to make a drasticchange and a character or the story,
I want to know why. Andif they have a good reason,
great, and if they don't havea good reason, let's not do it.
Yeah, that's a great way ofputting that you've written all kinds of
(17:56):
stories, obviously the crime novels,the big ones. But you know,
I was reading you have written someaudio for Audible, which I was really
impressed by because I love short storiesin an audible, you know, in
an audio narrative if you will,wherever you're listening, podcast, Audible,
et cetera. I think there's kindof been a resurgence in short stories,
(18:22):
at least in what I'm seeing andall the reading I'm doing. Are you
getting that feeling? Oh, verymuch so. And it's because of it's
because of recordings, It's because ofthings like Audible and other carriers. Yeah,
there definitely is. I think peoplelike that format. It's very doable.
It's kind of user friendly. Youknow, you don't have to make
(18:45):
the investment of time that you wouldin a full length novel. And I
got to tell you, they're reallyfun to write. You know, they
are about ten thousand words, andit's a challenge shaping a story so that
it comes in that efficiently but stillon its own, you know, every
word counts, and so I hada great time writing this. You are
(19:08):
about to embark on, well,you have said this is your last book.
This is the conclusion of the epicDanny Ryan trilogy. The latest book
is called City in Ruins, outApril. Second. You've said this is
your last book. I mean,that's kind of like the people. It's
(19:29):
like Michael Jordan's saying I'm going toretire and then they come out of retirement
at least for our listening audience andpeople who love your books. What do
you mean by that? I mean, is this are you going to go
in a different direction or is ittoo soon to say? It's too soon
to say. And I'm not beingcoy. Look, I don't think I'll
ever stop writing. I think I'mgoing to stop publishing, you know.
(19:51):
And there's a real difference. Look, I'm so grateful for the career that
I've had, you know. It'sbeen far bigger and better than I ever
dreamed, and that I probably deservean alcandor, you know. And I
don't want to push that gratitude bybeing greedy about it or pushing it past
its natural bounds. This trilogy youalluded to, took me thirty years.
(20:15):
I mean, I was doing otherthings, writing other books, but it
was the work of a lifetime,work of a career and so when I
wrapped it up, it kind offelt like an ending. Yeah, we're
speaking, by the way, withDon Winslow, international bestselling author, former
investigator, anti terrorist, trainer,and a lot of things. He's been
all around the world. His latestbook, the final of the Danny Ryan
(20:38):
trilogy, is City in Ruins.We need to tell you that Don Winslow
will be appearing in Traverse City.This is a real treat on Sunday,
April seventh, at seven pm.Interviewed by The One and Oley Doug Stanton.
You know when two authors get togetherand talk, I mean, you
(21:00):
know, it's not like you're speakingwith a reporter or a member of the
media, or you know, somebodywho's not in that exclusive club of New
York best selling New York Times bestsellingauthors. Is that a little daunting or
are you real comfortable with Doug inthat sense? Oh? I feel really
comfortable with Doug in that sense.He and I have already talked about what
the evening should be and what itshould look like. We already had a
(21:22):
great conversation about books and movies andall kinds of things. No, you
know, it's it's funny. Ithink when when two writers get together.
We do have a lot in common, We have common experiences. There's a
lot of shorthand you know, thereare things you don't have to go over
because we already understand them. AndI think it's just going to be just
a fun conversation, you know,two authors kicking it around about books.
(21:47):
And I'm really looking forward to that. What is it that attracts people to
of course, these these books andthe Last One City in Ruins, the
Danny Ryan trilogy. What is itabout Danny Ryan that is so electric,
so attractive for people to get suckedinto the beauty of these books? I
think you know, and listen,I'd be the last one to know.
(22:08):
Right, the reader has probably abetter perspective on it than I do because
I spent thirty years with this guy, right, Yeah, I've probably spent
more time with people who don't existthan people who actually do. But I
think, you know, Kenny startsthese books as a normal guy, an
average guy. He's working on thedocks, he's a fisherman. He has
(22:32):
a wife and then a baby,and really all he wants to do is
support his family. It doesn't workout that way for him, and life
launches him into different areas and differentsorts of challenges, and he makes decisions
that are not always the best decisionsas many of us do, you know.
I also think he's a really loyalguy. He's loyal to his family,
(22:53):
he's loyal to his friends, andI think people are attracted to that.
Indeed, this this is a bookthat is the final of a trilogy.
Can you start in the middle ordo you highly recommend you start in
the beginning. A lot of peopleare wondering about that because maybe they're drawn
to another book for a reason.You know, what do you think about
(23:15):
that? Don listen. I thinkthey can start anywhere. And that's very
deliberate. You know, when you'rewriting a trilogy, you're aware that people
might come into it in book twoor even book three, and so you
have to be very careful to givethem enough at the beginning of the book.
You know that they can enter thestory and feel comfortable with the characters
(23:36):
and kind of know where they're at, but not too much that like you
just vomiting backstory, you know.So I've spent a lot of effort trying
to do that. So I thinkyou can come into the trilogy anywhere.
Yeah, Don Winslow is with us. He will be speaking at the National
Writer Series just around the corner afew days away on Sunday, April seven
(23:56):
pm for our West Michigan list herein the Greater Grand Rapids area. We
want to let you know you canwatch this virtually. You can buy virtual
tickets online and it's just a shorttwo hour drive to the Beauty, Beautiful
City Opera House in downtown Traverse City. And we have promised nothing but warm
(24:17):
weather for Don's visit. From southernCalifornia to Northern Michigan. It's always a
crapshoot in April, but I havea good feeling that things are going to
turn in your in your favor.There By the way, we want to
encourage you. If you are inTraverse City in the Northern Michigan area,
you can get Don's book at HorizonBooks, local bookseller, so we wanted
(24:41):
to shout them out. Otherwise,it's available wherever your favorite books are sold
and highly recommended. I got toI wanted to ask you this question.
We actually started out very briefly talkingabout non fiction. If your publisher said
to you, Don, you yournext book has to be a biography and
(25:03):
will okay with that you get atrack record? Who are you going to
write the biography about? Or maybeyour top two you'd love to write that
biography about living or dead? Wow? Wow, Wow, what a question.
It might be a guy named FrederickBenteine who was at the Little Big
Horn and survived, or it couldbe about Crazy Horse. What draws what
(25:30):
draws you to those figures? Beneenebecause he was kind of a tragic figure
who didn't want to be there,who was very opposed to what Custer was
doing, and helped the people whodid survive survive. Crazy Horse because I
think he was such a leader ofhis people in a tragic cause. Yeah,
(25:56):
and really, you know, tookon epic purpose. And as time
has gone on, there's obviously somebodywho is like instantly identifiable with what you
just talked about. Don Winslow iswith US New York Times best selling author.
The brand new book is City inRuins, out on April second,
(26:17):
available wherever books are sold, andyou can see him in the beautiful Traverse
City Opera House on Sunday, Aprilseventh. In a conversation with Doug Stanton,
you know, it's interesting we're talkingabout Doug. He is a guy
who I think every time I'm withhim, and I've interviewed him many times,
just makes you feel comfortable. SoI'm really looking forward to hearing you
(26:37):
and Doug in this conversation. Iknow the folks in Traverse City who are
there in person really are going toget a treat. And I'm just I'm
so glad you're going to do this. Do you, I mean, do
you as you think about this forthose attending, what is it like to
be on the other end of receivingthose questions from the audience? Done?
(27:00):
It's great? You know. LookI mean, and I mean this sincerely.
Every good material thing I have inlife I owe to readers, right,
and so the chance to go outand meet them and say hi and
say thank you and answer those questionsis terrific. The spontaneity is what makes
it fun. You know, ofcourse, you're going to get certain questions
(27:21):
in any given book. You knowthat they're just naturally just going to come.
But every once in a while youget a question that just comes out
of nowhere and takes the evening ina different direction, and it's usually pretty
fun. Well, Don Winslow.I don't know what you're going to do
next after City in Ruins, butI know A it won't be boring,
and I KNOWB A lot of peoplewant to read it or maybe even see
(27:42):
it on the big screen, andI'm excited about that. Congratulations on this
great new book, City in Ruins, the third and a great Danny Ryan
trilogy. Welcome to Michigan in justa few more days. I'm looking forward
to it. Hope to see youthere. Yeah, indeed, we'll look
forward to seeing you there at theNational Writers Series on Sunday, April seventh,
(28:03):
International bestseller author Don Winslow with uson this segment of West Michigan Weekend.
That's our program for this week.Thank you so much for listening.
We'll catch you again next week righthere on this iHeartRadio station iHeartMedia. West
Michigan Weekend, a public affairs program.
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