Albion College EPIIC Initiative Year 1 and Year 2 Sociogram

Key Connections & Insights

The Albion College EPIIC Initiative Year 1 and Year 2 Sociogram maps 45 organizations across 9 categories and 4 stakeholder spheres, assembled from 18 faculty survey responses, meeting notes and session notes spanning November 2024 through July 2026, advisory board communications, and program documentation. This network shows how a small liberal arts college in rural Michigan built a coordinated partnership ecosystem through intentional infrastructure and faculty-driven engagement.

Growth Story: Before and After EPIIC

Before EPIIC, Albion College had individual faculty members pursuing partnerships on their own, with no coordinating infrastructure, no systematic tracking, and no institutional strategy for industry engagement. EPIIC catalyzed a transformation: an Advisory Board of 5 industry alumni now meets three times per year, a Cabinet brings the CFO and Provost to the table monthly, Faculty Fellows model the partnership process for peers, and the Career and Internship Center tracks the full portfolio. The result is a coordinated ecosystem where partnerships like Ford Motor Company and CreateMyTee could not have emerged without the program's infrastructure.

Network at a glance

10 industry partnerships

Ford Motor Company (robotics, NDA pending) and CreateMyTee (big data/AI/ML, funded student positions) are explicitly EPIIC-enabled through the Faculty Fellows model. The Advisory Board's 5 industry alumni (HP, Google, Bison Metals, Weedman Ventures, Black and Rossi) provide strategic guidance and directly shaped institutional IP policy. TransPharm, Caster Concepts, Neogen, and Detroit Free Press round out the sector.

16 community and K-12 partners

Albion's community sphere is deep for a liberal arts college its size, with service-learning partnerships across food and health (Community Gardens, Community Table, HealthCare Alliance), youth programming (Harrington Elementary, PlayRight, Family's First), senior services (Forks, PACE), and community development (Innovate Albion, Wilson Institute, District Library). Grand Rapids Symphony launched in May 2025 as a cross-sector cultural partnership.

4 EPIIC infrastructure nodes

Advisory Board (5 industry alumni, meets October/January/May, prompted IP policy review and Cabinet formation), Faculty Fellows (2 in Year 1, expanding Year 2, monthly meetings), EPIIC Cabinet (CFO, Provost, Sponsored Research, CIC, PI/Co-PI, established Year 2), and Career and Internship Center (tracking non-credit experiences). All four are new structures created through the grant.

Higher education network across 6 nodes

Three Connect Four cohort peers (Canisius, NWACC, Roanoke), UIDP membership under investigation (the network appears to be oriented toward R1 institutions), University of Michigan research connection (Dr. Jim Raines), and international partnership with Bunkyo Gakuin University (Masumi Nakashima). The Genomics Education Partnership connects to faculty research and curriculum development, requiring summer conference participation.

Hub organizations

Three organizations emerge as structural hubs based on connection count and bridging role across the network. Each represents a different partnership mechanism: governance, experiential delivery, and faculty-led implementation.

EPIIC Advisory Board

8 direct connections, cross-sector governance bridge

The Advisory Board connects to five industry organizations (HP, Google, Bison Metals, Weedman Ventures, Black and Rossi) through its member companies, to the EPIIC Cabinet through its formal governance role, and to AC3 and the I-69 Regional Development relationship a board member brokered. Its influence extends beyond structural connectivity: the Board prompted Albion's IP policy review (Matthew Keck, HP patent attorney), prompted the creation of the EPIIC Cabinet, and introduced the DoD STTR pursuit with Black and Rossi. Three meetings per year with presidential attendance make it a high-signal governance node.

Industry EPIIC Program

AC3 Community Collaborative

7 direct connections, experiential delivery hub

The Albion College Community Collaborative is where partnerships meet the student experience. Running on a professional consulting model with teams working in sprints and reporting to client leadership, AC3 carries client-driven student projects with Black and Rossi, the Grand Rapids Symphony, CreateMyTee, Ford Motor Company, and TransPharm. It is the structural bridge between the industry sphere and the community sphere, and it links the Faculty Fellows pipeline to the Advisory Board. The Grand Rapids Symphony engagement, a four-student team whose lead was hired full-time after the project, is the clearest workforce outcome the model has produced.

Industry Community EPIIC Program

EPIIC Faculty Fellows

7 direct connections, partnership implementation engine

The Faculty Fellows model is Albion's primary mechanism for translating institutional intention into active partnerships. Dr. Tim Clark leads the CreateMyTee partnership (funded student positions, succession planning operational) and Dr. Moataz Khalifa leads the Ford Motor Company partnership (the NDA review that exposed the institutional process gap). TransPharm, Neogen, and the I-69 Regional Development course project connect through the faculty pipeline. The Career and Internship Center coordinates tracking for all fellows-adjacent partnerships.

Industry EPIIC Program

Thematic clusters

The network organizes into four recognizable clusters that reflect Albion's distinctive position as a small liberal arts college in rural south-central Michigan.

Faculty Fellows pipeline

Ford Motor Company and CreateMyTee are the anchor partnerships, both activated through the Faculty Fellows model. Faculty fellows bring structured support (NDA navigation, project scoping, monthly check-ins) that makes faculty-industry engagement sustainable. TransPharm Preclinical Solutions and Neogen represent the emerging pipeline of partnerships that faculty are identifying and pursuing through the fellows infrastructure.

Advisory Board governance cluster

Five industry alumni sit on the Advisory Board: Matthew Keck (HP, patent attorney), Dannie Lynn Murphy (Google), Jim Burton (Bison Metals), Jeff Weedman (Weedman Ventures / Sus Clinicals), and Bill Black (Black and Rossi, HR consulting). This cluster represents strategic governance, not just individual partnerships. The Board's recommendations flow to the Cabinet, which coordinates institutional action, creating a governance chain from advisory to executive to operational.

Community service-learning network

Fourteen community and K-12 partners form an unusually rich community sphere for a college of Albion's size. These connections emerge from faculty survey data rather than institutional strategy, suggesting deep organic embeddedness in community life. Sub-clusters are visible: food and health services (Community Gardens, Community Table, HealthCare Alliance), youth and K-12 (Harrington Elementary, PlayRight, Family's First), senior services (Forks Senior Center, PACE), and community development (Innovate Albion, Wilson Institute, District Library, Kids N Stuff).

Cohort learning network

The Connect Four structure connects Albion to Canisius, NWACC, and Roanoke through NSF EPIIC and STEMsaic. Craig Streu, Ph.D. cited two specific cohort-derived assets: exposure to partnership management software through Roanoke, and awareness of grant and conference opportunities for experiential learning. Looking into UIDP membership is itself an outcome of cohort-level exposure to national university-industry networks, and the review to date suggests the network is oriented toward R1 institutions.

Four stakeholder spheres

The EPIIC evaluation framework organizes stakeholders into four spheres. Each represents a distinct audience for partnership capacity building.

Sphere 1: Industry and Economic Development (13 nodes)

A large sphere by node count, reflecting Albion's intentional investment in industry partnerships through the Advisory Board and Faculty Fellows model. Ford and CreateMyTee represent the EPIIC-catalyzed model: faculty-led, student-centered partnerships with structured institutional support. I-69 Regional Development shows the full pathway in a single year, from a board member introduction to an experiential-learning course project to a student hired as a full-time summer intern. Albion EDC connects economic development to community engagement.

Ford Motor Company I-69 Regional Development CreateMyTee TransPharm Black & Rossi Caster Concepts HP Google Bison Metals Weedman Ventures Detroit Free Press Albion EDC Neogen

Sphere 2: Higher Education Leadership (13 nodes)

The cohort structure provides Albion with peer institutions for shared learning. UIDP membership is being investigated as an option, though it appears to be more appropriate for R1 institutions. Bunkyo Gakuin University represents an international dimension unique among the cohort. The EPIIC Cabinet and Advisory Board provide institutional leadership infrastructure connecting this sphere to industry engagement, and two sustainability channels now sit here as well: the Gerstacker Institute, which routes donor funding into experiential learning, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, where a letter of intent for partnership-training resources is pending.

Canisius University NWACC Roanoke College NSF EPIIC Program STEMsaic UIDP University of Michigan Bunkyo Gakuin University EPIIC Advisory Board EPIIC Cabinet Career & Internship Center Gerstacker Institute Arthur Vining Davis Fdn

Sphere 3: Faculty (2 nodes)

The Faculty Fellows model is the engine of Albion's partnership implementation. Dr. Tim Clark (CreateMyTee) and Dr. Moataz Khalifa (Ford) were the Year 1 fellows, with expansion planned for Year 2. Monthly meetings create a peer learning community for partnership development. The Genomics Education Partnership provides a research and curriculum collaboration requiring faculty conference participation.

EPIIC Faculty Fellows Genomics Education Partnership

Sphere 4: Community (17 nodes)

Service-learning drives the majority of community connections, with multiple faculty embedding community partnerships into their courses. The AC3 Community Collaborative is the structure through which students carry out client-driven projects with community and industry partners, and it bridges this sphere to the Faculty Fellows and the Advisory Board. The community partners cluster into overlapping sub-networks reflecting Albion's role as an anchor institution in a small rural city, with documented connections to food and health services, youth education, senior programming, and local civic infrastructure.

AC3 Community Collaborative Grand Rapids Symphony Albion Community Gardens Community Table Albion HealthCare Alliance Forks Senior Center Albion District Library Albion Branch NAACP Innovate Albion Harrington Elementary MOHS / Marshall Area Schools PlayRight There's Enough Family's First Learning Center PACE Senior Services Wilson Institute Kids N Stuff

Data collection priorities

Priority 1: Community partner voice

The 16 community partners are confirmed through faculty survey responses and session notes, but we have not yet heard directly from community partners themselves. A brief survey or structured conversation with 3-5 key community partners would reveal how they perceive the partnership, what value they receive, and what connections they maintain with other Albion partners.

Would fill: Sphere 4 depthAdds: community perspectiveSource: partner interviews

Priority 2: Inter-partner connections

Current edges between community partners are based on co-mention in survey responses and documented co-participation. A partner survey asking each organization which other Albion partners they work with directly would transform this from an ego network (all partners connect to Albion) to a whole network analysis revealing independent inter-partner relationships. A place mat activity at a future convening event would generate this data efficiently.

Would fill: cross-partner tiesEnables: whole network analysisSource: partner survey or event activity

Priority 3: Quantitative outcomes

Student placement numbers, internship counts, funded research amounts, and event attendance data would add a quantitative layer to what is currently a structural map. The Career and Internship Center's non-credit experience tracking system (in development) will be a key data source for this dimension.

Would fill: outcome metricsEnables: impact reportingSource: CIC data, faculty reports

Degree centrality rankings

Organization	Category	Connections	Confidence
EPIIC Advisory Board	EPIIC Program	8	Confirmed
AC3 Community Collaborative	EPIIC Program	7	Confirmed
EPIIC Faculty Fellows	EPIIC Program	7	Confirmed
EPIIC Cabinet	EPIIC Program	5	Confirmed
NSF EPIIC Program	Government	4	Confirmed
STEMsaic Research Impacts	EPIIC Program	4	Confirmed
Canisius University	Cohort	4	Confirmed
NWACC	Cohort	4	Confirmed
Roanoke College	Cohort	4	Confirmed
Black & Rossi	Industry	3	Confirmed
Ford Motor Company	Industry	3	Confirmed
CreateMyTee	Industry	2	Confirmed
TransPharm Preclinical	Industry	2	Confirmed
I-69 Regional Development	Industry	2	Confirmed
Hewlett Packard (HP)	Industry	2	Confirmed
Career & Internship Center	EPIIC Program	2	Confirmed
Albion Community Gardens	Community	2	Confirmed
Community Table of Albion	Community	2	Confirmed
Albion HealthCare Alliance	Healthcare	2	Confirmed
Innovate Albion	Community	2	Confirmed
Harrington Elementary	K-12	2	Confirmed

About This Sociogram

A guide to the network analysis methodology, data structures, and visualization techniques used to map the Albion College EPIIC Initiative partnership ecosystem, including the data assembly process and the confidence-level framework.

What is a sociogram?

The interactive network visualization on the first tab is a sociogram, a graphical representation of social relationships and connections within a defined group. The term was coined by Jacob Moreno in the 1930s as part of his development of sociometry, the quantitative study of social relationships. In its simplest form, a sociogram depicts individuals or organizations as points (nodes) and their relationships as lines (edges or ties) connecting them.

This particular sociogram depicts an inter-organizational network: the unit of analysis is the organization rather than the individual, and the ties represent partnership connections between organizations in Albion College's ecosystem.

Key distinction

A sociogram is the visual representation of a network. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is the broader methodological and analytical framework that encompasses the data collection, mathematical analysis, and interpretation of network structures. This visualization is a sociogram produced through SNA methods.

Data structure

This sociogram was built from multiple complementary evidence sources, each contributing different kinds of partnership information. STEMsaic Research Impacts developed and designed the methods to bring together the different assets of the partnership infrastructure developing at Albion College, catalog them, interconnect them, and build this interactive visualization based on research-informed practices of network diagrams and sociograms that reveal insights into partnership ecosystems.

Node attribute table

The network includes 45 organizations, each classified by category (organizational type, determining node color), sphere (EPIIC evaluation dimension, 1-4), and confidence level (confirmed or inferred). This multi-dimensional classification enables richer analysis than a single connection count.

Edge list with confidence and attribution

The 45 connections each carry a confidence level and an attribution note describing the mechanism or activity that created the connection. Confirmed edges (44 of 45 nodes, 40 of 45 edges) come from multi-source evidence including faculty survey responses, session notes, and advisory board communications. Inferred edges are derived from co-mention analysis and documented organizational relationships.

Confidence-level framework

Two confidence levels operate as built-in data quality indicators. Confirmed nodes and edges (solid borders, solid lines) have multi-source evidence or documented program roles: faculty survey responses, session notes, advisory board records, or program documentation. Inferred (dashed borders, dashed lines, gold tint) are logically derived from co-mention analysis or organizational context. Across this network: 38 confirmed nodes, 3 inferred nodes.

Visualization method: force-directed layout

The interactive sociogram uses a force-directed graph layout algorithm to position nodes. This is one of the most widely used layout algorithms in network visualization and works by simulating physical forces:

How the layout works

Repulsion: All nodes repel each other (like charged particles), preventing overlap and spreading the graph out.

Attraction: Connected nodes are pulled toward each other (like springs along the edges), so linked organizations appear closer together.

Equilibrium: The simulation runs iteratively until the forces reach a stable balance, producing a layout where proximity roughly corresponds to network distance. Organizations with more shared connections tend to cluster together visually. Because the algorithm involves random initial placement, the exact layout varies each time the page loads; the structure is preserved but the orientation is not fixed.

Visual encoding

Node size: degree centrality

Larger nodes have more connections (higher degree centrality). In this network, the EPIIC Advisory Board, AC3 Community Collaborative, and Faculty Fellows nodes are the largest.

Node color: organizational category

Nine distinct colors represent organizational types: teal for Connect Four cohort members, pink for EPIIC program infrastructure, green for higher education, gold for industry, orange for workforce development, blue for K-12, purple for government, mint for community organizations, and red for healthcare.

Node and edge borders: confidence level

Solid borders and lines indicate confirmed data from multi-source evidence. Dashed borders and lines (gold-tinted) indicate inferred connections derived from co-mention analysis or organizational context.

Connection type: EPIIC attribution

Edges carry attribution notes identifying the EPIIC mechanism or activity that created or sustains the connection: Faculty Fellows pipeline, Advisory Board governance, Cabinet coordination, or cohort amplification. These are the structural pathways the program uses to build and maintain partnerships.

Hover highlighting: ego network

When you hover over a node, the visualization highlights that node's ego network, the focal node and all nodes directly connected to it, with all other nodes dimmed. This lets you see each organization's direct connection set without navigating away.

Key SNA metrics

Metric	Definition	Albion network
Degree centrality	Number of direct connections a node has	0 to 8 (Advisory Board)
Network density	Ratio of actual ties to possible ties	45 / 990 = 4.5%
Network size	Number of nodes in the network	45 organizations
Stakeholder spheres	EPIIC evaluation dimensions	4 spheres
Attribution types	EPIIC partnership mechanisms	4 types
Data status	Evidence grounding level	Provisional, in progress

Whole network vs. ego network analysis

Like most institutional partnership maps, this is an ego network centered on Albion College. All 45 partners connect to Albion (the implicit center, not depicted as a node). The inter-partner edges shown, such as between community organizations co-mentioned in the same survey response or between Advisory Board and its member companies, represent documented relationships between partners, but comprehensive data on all inter-partner connections has not yet been collected.

To evolve this into a whole network analysis, the critical data needed is inter-partner connection data: which organizations work with each other independent of their connection to Albion. A partner survey or place mat activity at a future convening event would generate this data.

Limitations and considerations

In-progress status. This network represents Year 2 of the EPIIC program, with data collection ongoing. As additional source documents and partner input are incorporated, nodes and edges will be added, confirmed, or refined. The confidence level indicators make data quality visible throughout.

Binary ties only. The network records only whether a connection exists or not. It does not capture tie strength, type, or directionality. A weighted or multiplex analysis would reveal richer structural dynamics.

Snapshot, not longitudinal. This represents the network at one point in time. The network will be updated at multiple time points to track growth and evolution through Year 3 and beyond.

Albion College not shown as a separate node. Albion College is the central institution connected to all partners shown here. The institution is represented through its internal program nodes (Advisory Board, Faculty Fellows, Cabinet, CIC) rather than as a single node, enabling richer structural representation of how the institution connects to partners through different mechanisms.

Suggested references

Moreno, J. L. (1934). Who Shall Survive? The origin of the sociogram concept.
Freeman, L. C. (1979). Centrality in social networks. Social Networks, 1(3), 215-239.
Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press.
Provan, K. G., & Kenis, P. (2008). Modes of network governance. JPART, 18(2), 229-252.
Scott, J. (2017). Social Network Analysis: A Handbook (4th ed.). SAGE.

NSF EPIIC Program Partnership Network Analysis • STEMsaic Research Impacts

Understanding Partnership Networks

Connections can be measured in many ways, and the number of connections is just one starting point. STEMsaic Research Impacts develops interactive network analysis tools to help organizations see, understand, and strengthen their partnership ecosystems.

Network analysis developed by STEMsaic Research Impacts

Why map your network?

Most institutions know they have partnerships, but few can see the full picture. A network map transforms scattered knowledge into a shared, interactive view of who connects to whom, where the clusters form, and where the gaps live. It becomes a strategic tool, not just a visualization.

This sociogram you are viewing is one example of what becomes possible when partnership data is collected thoughtfully and visualized well. STEMsaic works with institutions to design data collection activities and transform the results into interactive tools like this one.

Beyond connection counts

The number of connections is where most network analysis starts, but it is far from where it ends. STEMsaic can help your organization map networks across multiple dimensions:

Internal surveys

Map collaboration patterns within your organization. Which departments work together? Where are the silos? Internal network surveys reveal the informal structures that org charts miss and point toward the support structures most worth strengthening.

Interdepartmental mapping

Go beyond who talks to whom and map shared projects, resource flows, and knowledge exchange across units. Identify bridging individuals who hold your organization together and find where bottlenecks form in the flow of partnership activity.

Landscape analysis

See your institution's place in the broader ecosystem. Who are the regional players? Where do partnership opportunities cluster? Landscape maps reveal strategic positioning and surface connections your institution may not yet know it has.

Thematic and activity networks

Map connections not just by who knows whom, but by what they do together. Shared themes, co-participation in activities, and multi-factor correlations create richer dimensions for strategic planning and grant reporting.

Research-informed approaches

STEMsaic's network analysis work draws on established Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology, adapted for partnership contexts. Key measures include degree centrality, network density, clustering coefficients, and bridging analysis. We make these accessible to practitioners, not just researchers.

How STEMsaic can help

Whether you need a one-time partnership landscape snapshot, an ongoing monitoring system, or a creative data collection activity for a convening event, STEMsaic provides evaluation design, facilitation support, data analysis, and interactive visualization development. We work with your team to design the right approach for your context.

What this looks like in practice

Partnership events and convenings

Design and facilitate hands-on network mapping activities for your next partnership celebration, workshop, or stakeholder meeting. Turn a networking event into a data collection opportunity that produces a permanent artifact of your ecosystem.

Evaluation and reporting

Generate interactive sociograms for grant reports, annual reviews, or board presentations. Show funders and stakeholders the evolving structure of your partnership ecosystem over time, with temporal tracking from baseline through project milestones. The Albion network you are viewing is one example of this service in action.

Strategic planning

Use network analysis to identify gaps, bridge-building opportunities, and potential new partners. A network map is a strategic asset, not just a pretty picture. We help you read the map and act on what it reveals, connecting structural observations to program decisions.

Get in touch

Interested in mapping your own partnership network? STEMsaic works with higher education institutions, research centers, community organizations, and grant-funded projects. Visit stemsaic.com to learn more, or reach out directly at partner@stemsaic.com to discuss what a network analysis engagement might look like for your organization.

How This Was Made

The story behind the Albion College EPIIC Initiative Year 1 and Year 2 Sociogram, from an initial empty scaffold to a 45-organization network built from faculty survey responses, meeting notes and session notes, advisory board communications, and program documentation spanning Year 1 and Year 2 of NSF EPIIC program work.

The NSF EPIIC Program cohort

Albion College is one of four institutions supported in a collaborative NSF EPIIC Program (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) cohort. The cohort also includes Canisius University in Buffalo, NY, Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) in Bentonville, AR, and Roanoke College in Salem, VA. Each institution carries its own individual NSF award, working in parallel to build partnership capacity in ways shaped by their distinctive regional contexts.

Albion's context is distinctive within the cohort. As a private liberal arts college of approximately 1,400 students in rural south-central Michigan, Albion sits outside the urban and suburban industrial corridors that characterize NWACC and Canisius. Its partnership development draws on a combination of alumni network leverage, small-city civic embeddedness, regional industry outreach, and intentional national connections through the Connect Four cohort structure.

How this was made

This network was built through a collaborative, ongoing process of embedded evaluation participation in Albion's EPIIC program operations. That includes observing and engaging with program design and development across the Faculty Fellows model, Advisory Board, and Cabinet formation, participating in cross-institutional Connect Four reporting structures, and working alongside Albion's PI and Co-PI through annual review and goal-setting processes. The data comes from meeting notes, session notes, and synthesis documents spanning November 2024 through July 2026. Partnership developments are ongoing and dynamic. Craig Streu, Ph.D. and Vicki Baker, Ph.D. are coordinating institutional review to verify and continue to assure the network data is current and accurate.

Categories of evidence

The network draws on multiple evidence types, each contributing different kinds of partnership information:

Faculty survey responses (18 responses, Spring 2025, primary source). Faculty described their current partnerships, desired partnerships, and partnership experiences. Each named organization was evaluated for inclusion; co-mentions within the same response were analyzed as potential inter-partner relationships. The survey provided the richest source of community and K-12 partner identification.

Meeting notes and session notes (primary source). Internal session documentation spanning November 2024 through July 2026 provided context on partnership development, institutional strategy, and the evolution of EPIIC infrastructure. Key sources for the Advisory Board, Cabinet, and Faculty Fellows structures, including detailed context on the Ford NDA process, IP policy review, and Cabinet formation.

Advisory board communications. Meeting summaries and participant lists confirmed the board's composition (5 industry alumni from HP, Google, Bison Metals, Weedman Ventures, and Black and Rossi) and its direct influence on IP policy and institutional strategy.

Program documentation. EPIIC program materials, NSF reporting context, and cohort-level documentation confirming the Connect Four structure, evaluation framework, and Year 2 goals monitoring framework.

The EPIIC attribution framework

Every edge in this network carries an attribution note identifying which EPIIC mechanism or activity created or sustains the connection. Albion's program activities fall into four attribution types:

Faculty Fellows pipeline (pink): Connections built directly through the Faculty Fellows model. Dr. Tim Clark leads the CreateMyTee partnership (funded student positions, succession planning operational) and Dr. Moataz Khalifa leads the Ford Motor Company partnership. TransPharm, Neogen, and community service-learning partnerships connect through faculty who are in or adjacent to the fellows model. This is Albion's primary mechanism for translating institutional intention into active partnerships.

Advisory Board governance (purple): Connections created or sustained through the Advisory Board's formal governance function. The board's 5 industry alumni sit at the intersection of advisory and operational roles: reviewing IP policy, identifying DoD STTR opportunities, and providing strategic guidance that flows to the Cabinet for action.

Cabinet coordination (teal): Connections managed or enabled through the EPIIC Cabinet (CFO, Provost, Sponsored Research, CIC, PI/Co-PI). Established in Year 2 to address the institutional bottleneck revealed by the Ford NDA process, the Cabinet now coordinates monthly and provides the institutional infrastructure for emerging partnerships requiring multi-unit coordination.

Cohort amplification (teal/cyan): Connections through the NSF EPIIC Connect Four cohort structure. Monthly meetings, shared documentation, and cross-institutional learning have produced tangible value: exposure to partnership management software models, awareness of grant and conference opportunities, and the review of UIDP membership as an option. STEMsaic's cross-institutional evaluation role connects all four institutions through this attribution type.

Ongoing review and validation

Partnership development is ongoing and dynamic. Craig Streu, Ph.D. and Vicki Baker, Ph.D. are coordinating institutional review to verify, correct, and continuously improve the network data. Full validation will be an ongoing process as Year 2 progresses and Year 3 approaches. We welcome any corrections or additions from program participants and community partners.

Confidence levels

Confirmed (44 of 45 nodes, 40 of 45 connections): Multi-source evidence from faculty survey responses, session notes, advisory board records, or formal program documentation. The high confirmed rate reflects the depth of data available from 18 survey responses and from session documentation spanning November 2024 through July 2026.

Inferred (1 of 45 nodes, 5 of 45 connections): Single-source evidence or logically derived from organizational context. Neogen is the one inferred organization, mentioned as an emerging partner with interested faculty. The inferred connections are derived from co-mention analysis between community partners and from documented organizational relationships that have not yet been separately confirmed.

STEMsaic Research Impacts

STEMsaic Research Impacts provides external evaluation and design expertise and support for the NSF EPIIC Program. As a higher education and industry thought leader in partnerships coordination, science and society bridges, and research and evaluation of Science and Society Interfaces, STEMsaic developed and designed the methods to bring together the different assets of the partnership infrastructure developing at Albion College, catalog them, interconnect them, and build this interactive visualization based on research-informed practices of network diagrams and sociograms. This work goes beyond simply mapping who Albion knows. Identifying the EPIIC connections in terms of development pathways helps illuminate how things came to be, not just that they are, and that understanding points toward the support needed to sustain them.

The Albion EPIIC team

Craig Streu, Ph.D. (PI, Director of EPIIC Fellows, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Vicki Baker, Ph.D. (Co-PI, Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships) lead the Albion College EPIIC program. Dr. Tim Clark and Dr. Moataz Khalifa served as Year 1 Faculty Fellows, leading the CreateMyTee and Ford Motor Company partnerships respectively. The EPIIC Advisory Board brings 5 industry alumni to quarterly governance: Matthew Keck (HP), Dannie Lynn Murphy (Google), Jim Burton (Bison Metals), Jeff Weedman (Weedman Ventures / Sus Clinicals), and Bill Black (Black and Rossi). The EPIIC Cabinet (CFO, Provost, Sponsored Research, Career and Internship Center, PI, and Co-PI) was formed in Year 2 to provide institutional coordination infrastructure for partnership development at scale.