Eastern Michigan Hopes to Boost Enrollment with New Esports Agreement

Eastern Michigan University has signed a multi-year contract with Gen.G to run competitions for both college and high school students and organize K-12 camps. The deal is intended to help the institution accelerate its esports activities, helping to drive fall 2020 enrollment and differentiate the school from others in the region. Gen.G, which owns professional esports teams and runs academic esports programs, has similar programs with the Universities of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Esports plans for Eastern Michigan include running an invitational where high school players pit their skills against college players, as well as hosting several online K-12 esports summer camps, including one specifically for female students.

In June and July, the university will host Super Smash Bros. tournaments every two weeks. High school teams in the region will be able to challenge the EMU Super Smash Club in friendly competitions to be streamed live on Twitch. Players will interact via Discord.

On the camp roster is "Gamer Girls Getting It Done," a three-day online camp that will run three times during the summer. Topics for the $99 camp will include lessons from top women in the industry, tips from streamers and pros and insights on producing esports events.

Other camps will be dedicated to Overwatch, Fortnite, League of Legends and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. And a five-day camp will provide an introduction to the gaming industry, where participants will get experience in game design and learn about tools used to create video games.

"We're proud to be the first in Michigan to truly integrate esports and gaming into our campus life and offer our students a platform to find a community here," said Calvin Phillips, associate vice president for Student Affairs, in a statement. "We know how important selecting a college or university is for a student, and we want to differentiate ourselves with a meaningful opportunity and educational platform at EMU."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • glowing digital brain-shaped neural network surrounded by charts, graphs, and data visualizations

    Google Releases Advanced AI Model for Complex Reasoning Tasks

    Google has released Gemini 2.5 Deep Think, an advanced artificial intelligence model designed for complex reasoning tasks.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    OpenAI Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • cybersecurity book with a shield and padlock

    NIST Proposes New Cybersecurity Guidelines for AI Systems

    The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled plans to issue a new set of cybersecurity guidelines aimed at safeguarding artificial intelligence systems, citing rising concerns over risks tied to generative models, predictive analytics, and autonomous agents.

  • magnifying glass highlighting a human profile silhouette, set over a collage of framed icons including landscapes, charts, and education symbols

    AWS, DeepBrain AI Launch AI-Generated Multimedia Content Detector

    Amazon Web Services (AWS) and DeepBrain AI have introduced AI Detector, an enterprise-grade solution designed to identify and manage AI-generated content across multiple media types. The collaboration targets organizations in government, finance, media, law, and education sectors that need to validate content authenticity at scale.