In his spare time, Christopher Stefani teaches Irish stepdance. At work as Lawrence Technological University’s chief of staff in Southfield, he’s more of a juggler. It’s lists and more lists as Stefani pursues LTU’s initiatives.
Tarek M. Sobh, president of Lawrence Tech, explains that Stefani manages high-priority programs as chief of staff, and contributes to long-term goals that will bolster metro Detroit’s technology and design- focused industries.
Two areas of emphasis are of particular interest to Stefani. One is the dual-enrollment programs LTU has with more than 50 high schools in the region. “Instead of doing AP calculus, why wouldn’t you just do a dual-enrollment course so you can guarantee your students get (college) credit?” he asks.
LTU’s Early Middle College program is an example of dual enrollment on steroids. Students can graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree — at no cost — in five years.
“When that student says, ‘Hey, I want to turn around and finish a bachelor’s degree,’ we offer them a half-off scholarship to come to the university and finish. So you’re technically at that point of getting a bachelor’s degree at a 75-percent reduced cost.”
A second program Stefani juggles involves industry sponsorships. “(LTU’s) Transportation Design program has always done that,” he says, referring to support from automakers and Tier 1 suppliers for focused design challenges. He says he sees potential for similar involvement by real estate developers, interior designers — even nonprofits.
Stefani can think of three selling points for such programs. From a human resources perspective, it gives a company first access to new talent. Another benefit is low-cost R&D. For a hypothetical case, he names Lawrence Tech’s near-neighbor, Lear Corp. Assigning employees to flesh out a new idea is expensive and diverts resources, Stefani says.
Instead, mindful of LTU’s motto “Theory and Practice,” he explains, “Lear can come to us. We have an expert. We have young students who are thinking a little bit outside the box. Maybe the price point becomes $30,000 or $40,000 to engage students in that studio space, and then they (Lear) own the outcome. So you’re double-dipping them because they’re getting access to research and development, and to young talent they can start watching under their guise.”
Marketing is the third benefit, Stefani notes. “People want to say they’re doing well; companies want to say they’re doing good in the community.”
Stefani holds a Master of Architecture degree from LTU and founded C.L. Stefani Co. in 2016, but “it’s on the bookshelf.” He was a first-generation college graduate in a family with six children. His grandparents were immigrants, his mother was a homemaker, and his father worked on an assembly line. He has “student debt that would make your toes curl,” but is fervent about higher education leading to opportunity.
Still, his own design talent is on hold. He finds himself thinking that, whenever his time is up at LTU and he retires from the 9-to-5 job, he may relaunch C.L. Stefani Co. “I want to keep it to dabble,” he says.
