DONORS AND FRIENDS
MAKING THE PITCH FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: WILLIAM COUGHLIN AND THE HARNESS DICKEY IP INNOVATION DIVERSITY SPRINT Harness Dickey (HDP) CEO William Coughlin, ’80, spent his Saturday providing future Spartan lawyers with a unique opportunity: to test-drive careers in the IP field. The capstone experience of MSU Law’s annual Diversity Week, the inaugural IP Innovation Diversity Sprint, took place on March 27 and immersed students in the world of intellectual property practice. Along with IP counsel from four corporations, Coughlin facilitated a day-long competition program that tasked students to tackle real-word IP problems currently faced by HDP’s corporate partners in this event. Law students were paired up with “phone a friend” partner-mentors from HDP for support and feedback. “I wanted to find an innovative way to simultaneously offer diverse students a real-world challenge, help several corporations reimagine what they could do with their intellectual property assets, showcase diversity talent for employment, demonstrate the deeply-felt commitment within my IP law firm – and have some fun,” said Coughlin. Mary Ann Ferguson, ’02, assistant dean for Diversity and Equity Services and founder of Diversity Week, described the vision and execution from Coughlin and his collaborators as “nothing short of stellar.”
Students generated creative solutions that minimized litigation risk and maximized profitability for products patented by some of HDP’s corporate partners: Dana: bearing assemblies Harman International: Bluetooth loudspeakers Polaris: cargo lock rings Volvo Cars: turbocharger system components
4
I work each year as though it will be my last. Someday, this will be true, of course. But if you think that this will be your last year to change the lives around you for the better, it’s pretty motivating. — William Coughlin, ’80
