His work with university researchers and small businesses led him back to Ohio, where he became associate director of intellectual property at the University of Cincinnati in 1991 and director in 1992. We hadn t contemplated moving north again, Pollack muses. But his children and their families are settled in Madison, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, and the easier commute to MSU in a small community appeals. So does the campus, says the avid gardener who quickly found the horticulture gardens. And we really wanted him, says VP Huggett.
Norm is extremely well qualified and highly respected in the intellectual property arena.
I m glad we could convince him to come here. I sense that faculty members, administrators, and the MSU Foundation all share a strong desire to see the benefits of MSU research brought to the public through commercialization and the formation of startup ventures that can also contribute to the local and state economy, Pollack says. Michigan State already has a tremendous reputation in technology transfer, and I find it exciting to be part of a Big Ten university with its visibility and opportunities, he adds. I see it as a place where I can do some important and interesting things. With patents, for example.