Dear Corporate Representative,
The Graduate Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM) is proud to support women in engineering as innovative leaders in science and the community, as well as act as a bridge between industry and academia. We thank you for your interest in GradSWE, and would like to take this opportunity to build a lasting relationship between our organizations.
GradSWE is separate from the undergraduate Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in our day to day operations. We organize and host events specifically catered to graduate students. This past year, over 300 members attended our events, and we expect a similar level of participation and enthusiasm in the upcoming year with the return to in-person events.
In the past year, we held several successful hybrid events for career path exploration and professional development, including the tri-annual female student-faculty mixer, a graduate school to industry workshop, and company info-sessions. We also continue to serve the community through active outreach programs. Recently, we have been developing Girl Scout STEM badges with input from Michigan Girl Scout troop leaders.
All of these professional, outreach, and social events are made possible through the support of external groups like your organization. We encourage you to learn more about some of the activities we are planning (listed below). Aside from events, our members also benefit from receiving travel grants for attending the national SWE conference. We also appreciate general sponsorship for regular operations. Your contributions allow us to support and promote graduate women in engineering in both the short and long term. We value the interaction we have with your company and hope to engage in further conversation with you in the near future.
To learn more about GradSWE, please visit our website at https://gradsweatum.wixsite.com/gradswe/. Thank you again for your continued support! We look forward to working with you soon.
Sincerely,
Tasmine Clement & Miya Paserba
Co-directors
Erika Hathaway
External Relations Officer
General Sponsorship
Any general sponsorships are greatly appreciated by the GradSWE. These give us the capability to start new events and initiatives. If your organization is interested in supporting GradSWE for an event not listed below, please contact us and we would be very willing to work with you to develop these new opportunities!
Female Faculty-Student Mixer
Tri-annually:
Fall, Winter, Summer
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Female Faculty Mixer
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Time Frame: Tri-annually (once in Fall, Winter, Summer each)
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Description: A gathering of University of Michigan’s female engineering faculty, and GradSWE members over a delightful lunch. This event aims to bring our members (who are all graduate students) and female faculty closer together while discussing research, graduate school, academia, industry, and sharing advice/stories. This is one of our most highly attended events.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: Varies, around $200-$600
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Speaker, Catering
SWE Conference: WE24
October
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SWE National Conference (WE19)
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Time Frame: Oct. 24-26, Chicago, IL
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Description: The annual national SWE conference, one of the largest gatherings of women engineers and scientists in the country. As graduate students, many of our members conduct research that may be presented at the conference. This event not only encourages the sharing of scientific findings but also promotes connections between fellow women in science. Usually, the largest obstacles to attending the annual conference lies with travel costs. GradSWE strives to support all members who wish to attend the conference, and this is achievable with assistance from your organization.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: Varies, cost of flight/board or partial coverage
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Travel grants, subsidies, conference attendance fee
Welcome Dinner
September
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Welcome Dinner
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Time Frame: September
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Description: The welcome dinner is a gathering of food and members to celebrate the start of a new academic year as well as the joining of new members. This is a highly attended event with over 100 members interested.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $500-$1,000
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Catering and supplies
Corporate Info Sessions
Year-Round
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Corporate Info-sessions
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Time Frame: All year
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Description: Interested in getting to know dedicated, intelligent engineers? GradSWE members are some of the finest engineers around. Info-sessions are a great way to increase visibility for the company, as well as to gauge interest in the graduate students in potential jobs.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $200+
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Speaker, Catering
Corporate Hosted Workshops
Year-Round
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Corporate Hosted Workshops
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Time Frame: All year
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Description: A skill sharing session held by representatives from your company in professional or technical skills (i.e., what recruiters look for in an interview, mastering computer programming languages, negotiating your salary, etc). A great way to increase company visibility while keeping interactions between members and representatives productive and informative.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: Varies, around $300 base fee, not including necessary workshop materials
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Speaker, Catering, Presentation/Workshop
Professional Development Seminars for Grad Students
Fall and Winter Semesters
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Professional Development Seminars for Graduate Students
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Time Frame: Fall and winter semesters
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Description: We aim to equip our members with the skills necessary to thrive in professional settings. This is an event that is hosted and organized by GradSWE for enrichment of our members. Usually, a speaker is invited to impart his/her knowledge.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $200+
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Speaker, Catering
Engineering PhD or MSE Company Recruitment
Year-Round
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Engineering Ph.D or M.S.E Company Recruitment
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Time Frame: All year
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Description: Looking to specifically hire graduate students? A formal recruitment event can be organized to introduce graduate students who are looking for industry jobs to your recruiter.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $200+
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Catering
Women in Tech Mixer
Fall and/or Winter Semesters
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Women in Tech Mixer
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Time Frame: Fall and/or winter semesters
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Description: The Women in Tech Mixer aims to bring working women in technology to meet our members. Historically, this event is highly attended and results in a wonderful networking between industry-wise women engineers and the graduate students who aspire to join (or are interested in) industry post graduation. This event is aimed as both a networking and a fundraising event for future GradSWE-industry operations.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $200-$400
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Speaker, Catering
Holiday Parties
Major Holidays
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Holiday Parties
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Time Frame: Major holidays
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Description: GradSWE plans to host a few holiday parties throughout this year, likely for Thanksgiving and other important holidays as many graduate students often remain on campus, busy with research or classwork. Contributions towards this event could uplift many members’ spirits through amazing food, activities, and more.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $100
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Catering
Outreach Activities
Year-Round
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Outreach Activities
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Time Frame: All year
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Description: Throughout the year, many outreach activities for the local community are held. Fun activities like building telescopes are used to introduce engineering to young kids in elementary to high school. GradSWE is also connected to the local Girl Scouts of America. Some activities that are being planned for the upcoming year include Adopt-A-Park for Ann Arbor, working with the Huron Valley Humane Society, and more.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: Varies, depends on activity, venue, and number of persons involved
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Food, Materials for Activities, Chartered Transportation, et
End of the Year Banquet
April
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End of Year Banquet
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Time Frame: End of winter semester
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Description: A banquet to commemorate the end of the academic year. This is a wonderful event that brings members together and note various achievements.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: $300+
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Catering
End of the Year Banquet Awards
April
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End of Year Banquet Awards
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Time Frame: End of winter semester
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Description: During the banquet listed above, scholarships will be awarded to key active members who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to GradSWE and high academic achievements.
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Estimated Cost per Sponsor: Varies
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Sponsorship Opportunities: Scholarship