The Prosper Foundation Continues to Support Predictive Analytics Education and Workforce Development
2015 Grant Recipients Include Leading U.S. Universities and First European University
Worthington, OH – 4/30/15
As companies continue to decipher big data, the ability of users to identify meaningful findings from relevant data for better informed business decisions will be the new “must have.” The Prosper Foundation grants universities access to these types of relevant data and analytics tools that help prepare students for careers in a data-driven world. The foundation’s mission is to facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration between corporate and academic worlds using consumer insights as the common language.
Through the grant program, both professors and students have access (via InsightCenter technology) to collective data sets including years of trended consumer data, both from the U.S. and China, data from the Federal Reserve and the Consumer Expenditure Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These insights are often used in journal articles, white papers, research briefs, reports, seminars and in the classroom. Examples of research that has been published can be found in these journals.
“For over ten years the integrated marketing communications program at Northwestern has been using Prosper data for faculty research and student projects,” said Frank Mulhern, PhD, Medill IMC’s Associate Dean and Professor. “This has resulted in dozens of published research papers and a great deal of insight into behaviors and trends in media use, shopping, brand preferences and other aspects of consumer behavior.”
“We have used Prosper data far more than data from any other source,” continued Mulhern.
The Prosper Foundation grant recipients for 2015 include its first ever European recipient—the Business School at IE University in Madrid, Spain. IE University joins a growing list of prestigious schools that have applied for and been granted access to trusted and proven consumer insights and analytics:
Prosper Foundation Grants for 2015
• Auburn University
• IE University (Spain)
• Michigan State University
• Northwestern University
• Southern Methodist University
• Texas Tech University
• The Ohio State University Department of Eastern Asian Languages & Literatures
• The Ohio State University Department of Consumer Sciences
• The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business
• University of Arkansas
• University of Mississippi
• University of Notre Dame
• University of South Carolina
• University of Tennessee
• University of Wisconsin
• Western Michigan University
In a quote, Department of Retail Chair, Dr. Marianne Bickle from the University of South Carolina said, “The College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management and the Department of Retailing in particular are extremely grateful for the ongoing support that the Prosper Foundation has provided us. This grant has given us a wealth of data not traditionally available to academics. We have used the data in a multifaceted variety of ways. These include: (1) writing a book on the ways consumers spend money, (2) incorporating up to date data into the undergraduate classroom lectures, (3) obtaining up to date information for the press on sales and consumer trends, and (4) graduate level research. The Prosper Foundation is an excellent example of helping to support the academic foundation of America. Thank you very much for your continued support!”
About The Prosper Foundation
The Prosper Foundation is a Not-for-Profit organization that supports entrepreneurship & innovation. It facilitates transdisciplinary collaboration using consumer insights as the common language. Founded in 1993 by Gary Drenik & Philip Rist, the Prosper Foundation provides information grants to leading academic institutions.
Contact:
Chrissy Wissinger, Director, Communications
chrissy@goProsper.com
614-846-0146
Stacie Severs, Client Services & Marketing Director
stacie@goProsper.com
614-846-0146