The School of Information offers a wide range of courses with client engagement opportunities that include user experience design, data analysis, library, and archives at both an undergraduate and graduate level. Clients interact with a student team while receiving help with a wide range of information challenges. Clients come from all industries and locations. Participation is free for most opportunities.

Learn about the range of opportunities and course products at umsi.info/clientopportunities.

UMSI student organizations are an excellent way to make a connection with UMSI students for recruiting purposes, and in some cases, receive consulting help with information problems. Connecting with student organizations can be an easy and effective way to increase brand recognition and identify candidates adept in team dynamics, exhibiting leadership skills, and demonstrating exceptional commitment to their future profession.

Organizations can engage with student organizations in the following ways:

• Employer presentations or brown-bag career seminars
• Skill-development sessions/workshops
• Resume, cover letter or portfolio review sessions
• Employer panels/Job talks
• Design jams, data jams or archive blitzes
• Service projects
• Mock interviews (in-person, video or telephone)
• "Ask the Recruiter" sessions
• Company/organization tour
• Sponsorship of projects or programs

What is a Design Jam?

Design Jams are facilitated, iterative, and interactive experiences that walk students and stakeholders through a design process aimed at generating new ways of thinking about the real challenges facing organizations. Watch this video to learn more about Design Jams. Design Jams usually last two to four hours, and fall into two types:

• Recruitment events, in which the purpose is to expose students to your organization and to gain access to leaders and evaluate talent at a deeper level, while gaining innovative ideas to real organizational design challenges, while building a strong brand/greater visibility for your organizational needs.
• Socially-engaged sessions, in which the purpose is to expose students to a social issue and design thinking methodology, and create novel solutions to your organization’s problem.

Organizations can propose a design jam that meets both needs.  We have facilitated design jams with organizations like Google, Deloitte, Nike, Mass Mutual, Michigan Medicine, Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, Boeing, Democracy Now!, Vroom, and WorkDay.  

What is a Design Problem?

A design problem is a specific issue that a company or organization is trying to solve. A “good” problem should include constraints and focus on a single problem, to better focus students’ work for a short period of time. The problem should encourage user-centered thinking. Example problems include:

• How an organization encourages information sharing across teams
• How to have donors better understand how their donations are being used at an organization
• Who at an organization can best answer a question from a customer, patron, or client
• What outreach method will keep citizen best informed about specific laws

Organizations can also engage with students through data jams, archives blitzes, and other rapid-learning activities.

If you would like to learn more about this type of student engagement opportunity or sponsor a Design Jam at UMSI, please email [email protected].

UMSI students participate in numerous projects and programs that demonstrate the breadth and depth of the curriculum, their skills, and their involvement in the community.  

At the UMSI Student Project Exposition, held each April, hundreds of students showcase a wide range of course and independent projects via posters and lightning talks to industry partners, employers and the general community.

Organizations have the opportunity to provide sponsorship for the Exposition.  This can be done through the naming of an award or as an overall event sponsor.

Visit umsi.info/exposition to learn more, inquire about sponsorship or register to attend.