Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan have teamed up to sponsor an economic summit to explore ways to improve Michigan's long-term economic prospects. Titled "Creating a Brighter Economic Future in Michigan, Talent and Public Policy," the event is scheduled for Friday, March 14, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Lincoln Room of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, in East Lansing, Mich.

Allen Goodman, Wayne State University professor of economics, will join other panelists in a discussion titled "What Are The Policy Issues That Need To Be Clarified? What Are The Tradeoffs?" Goodman, whose research interests focus on health and urban economics, has published and presented extensively.

Goodman will be joined by a team of professors and leading economic development experts during the day-long summit examining the state's economic health and Michigan's road to recovery.

The inaugural summit is expected to attract legislators, policymakers, superintendents and other educators who will be instrumental in developing the state's policy agenda and Michigan's transformation into a knowledge-based economy.

Michigan's three leading research universities are a part of the University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance designed to unite, lead and play a key role in creating a vibrant state economy that leverages the intellectual capital of the three institutions. Each university features a complete graduate and undergraduate education, as well as professional degrees in medicine, business and the law. Their research laboratories produce hundreds of patents each year, and their hospitals develop innovative medical treatments that save lives.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.