DATE: 1-5 p.m. March 30, 2007.

EVENT: The Michigan Economic Forum, which is open to the public at no cost, will address ways the state can improve its economy.

“How Will Michigan Regain Its Competitive Advantage?” will feature several guest speakers, including: Peter Hooper, chief U.S. economist, Deutsche Bank Securities; Charles Evans, director of research and senior vice president, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; John McElroy, WWJ News Radio auto analyst and host of Autoline Detroit; John Austin, vice president of the Michigan State Board of Education and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Joel Vander Kooi, assistant treasurer of risk management, Kellogg Co.

“In order for Michigan to regain its competitive advantage, innovative thinkers and prominent leaders must come together to present solutions,” said Dan Brachfeld, president of Michigan Interactive Investments and a student at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “The Michigan Economic Forum aims to be a platform for developing new ideas and will serve as a link to the University with respect to Michigan’s current economic situation.”

PLACE: Biomedical Science Research Building Auditorium, 109 Zina Pitcher Place

SPONSORS: Michigan Interactive Investments, a student-run investment club, and the Michigan Economics Society, the U-M undergraduate economics club