Galleries

  1. Commemorating an exceptional presidency

    Fifty years ago, at a time of great division and turbulence in the U.S., Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the 38th president of the United States. President Ford's legacy is very much alive at the Ford School of Public Policy. This slideshow is inspired by the school's recent tribute, "A life of public service," in the Spring 2024 issue of State & Hill magazine. As noted by the editors, the values that distinguished Ford remain highly relevant to policy students today: his lifelong commitment to principled public service, his integrity, and his ability to connect across differences to forge consensus.
    • Gerald Ford as a U-M football player crouches with hands on knees.
    • Members of the 1934 Wolverines football team, featuring future president Gerald Ford and black teammate Willis Ward.
    • Gerald R. Ford family at Michigan Stadium as the University retires his jersey, No. 48.
    • Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford share a stage; Ford at the podium as Carter, seated, looks on.
    • Gerald Ford and Bob Ufer. at Crisler Arena.
    • A newspaper image of President Gerald Ford interacting with Michigan football players. Headline reads "President Mingles with Wolverines."

  2. It’s only the beginning

    More than 8,500 graduates attended Spring Commencement May 4, their seats filling the field at Michigan Stadium. They were surrounded by thousands of joyful family, friends, and supporters. Commencement speaker Brad Meltzer, BA '92, a best-selling writer (fiction, non-fiction, comic books, and television) encouraged students to commit the most radical act imaginable by "unleashing your kindness." The commissioning ceremony was interrupted by approximately 75 pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered at the rear of the student section and moved down the center aisle, waving flags and chanting, “Disclose. Divest. We will not stop. We will not rest.” After about 15 minutes, the demonstrators moved to the back of the stadium -- guided by officers -- and the program continued. Read the complete story and see more photos at The University Record.
    • Students toss graduation caps in the air.
    • Four men stand on stage at Michigan Stadium opening their graduation gowns to reveal Block M t-shirts.
    • Two students dressed as Spiderman in their caps and gowns.
    • Two females in caps and gowns embrace in Michigan Stadium.
    • Grad in cap and gown waves Michigan flag in Michigan Stadium.
    • President Ono, an Asian male in glasses, stands at podium on graduation day. 2024

  3. ‘Gateway for innovation’

    The December groundbreaking at the U-M Center for Innovation (UMCI) in Detroit helped kick off Vision 2034, the University's 10-year blueprint for the future. Preliminary site work has been ongoing with a projected opening in 2027. “The UMCI is a catalyst for positive change and, as such, presents itself along Grand River Avenue as a ‘gateway for innovation,'” said Hana Kassem, FAIA, design principal, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). The first two floors will house public programs, a cafe, and shared office space for the U-M Detroit Center, Admissions Office, School of Environment and Sustainability Clinic, and others. Levels three through six are planned for multidisciplinary graduate research. Watch: UMCI design approved, construction ramps up. (All images by Kohn Pedersen Fox.)
    • Modern office building
    • Aerial view of proposed UMCI
    • People sit at tables in modern courtyard
    • Interactive, creative lab
    • Atrium filled with people in a modern office building

  4. The Art Show

    Founded in 1990 with a single theatre workshop, the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) is a program of U-M's Residential College. Courses serve as gateways for undergraduate participation in prison arts workshops and provide academic training in issues surrounding incarceration and practical skills in the arts. The program's Annual Exhibition of Artists in Michigan Prisons (“the art show”) is one of the largest exhibits of artwork by incarcerated artists in the world. The annual exhibition, free to the public, is presented with support from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. It runs through April 2 at the Duderstadt Gallery. (Click on the images to enlarge. Images are courtesy of PCAP.) Learn more about PCAP.
    • Girl in bangs blows giant pink bubble until only her eyes are visible. Chartreuse background.
    • Two dogs dressed like merry old gentlemen wearing top hats, monocles, etc.
    • Dancers enjoy funky honky tonk.
    • Barren landscape with a single tree
    • Despondent man in profile hangs head
    • Inmate's view of dorm living.

  5. Every name has a story

    Historical records of African American students, their living situations, their organizations, and their overall experiences on the early U-M campus are sadly rare. So, in 2022, the Bentley Historical Library launched the African American Student Project, a long-term effort to build a comprehensive database that lists the names and years of attendance of every African American student who enrolled at the University between 1853-1956. University historians encourage users to explore the database and contribute relevant assets to this remarkable archive. This slideshow takes its name from the project's story archive; all images are courtesy of U-M's Bentley Historical Library. (Click on an image to enlarge.)    
    • Group of festive African American students dressed in formal wear for a a party on the porch of a house in Ann Arbor.
    • Sepia portrait of African American student Mary Henrietta Graham. She's serious and fierce with pulled back hair, earrings, and a high-necked blouse with a bow.
    • Construction workers climb the Ambassador Bridge over the Detroit River in the early 20th century. Sepia toned photo.
    • Small group of African American and white students represent the Negro Caucasian club.
    • A team of nine baseball players, circa 1882, sit casually for a team photo. One black player is included.
    • Trio of U-M co-eds circa 1949. In the center is Sopha Holley Ellis, a black woman with glasses and short hair.

  6. Trophy life

    Never a dull moment around here. After winning the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024, the No. 1-ranked Wolverines captured the football program's 12th national championship and first since 1997 with a gritty 34-13 victory in the CFP National Championship Game on Jan. 8. Revisit all the highlights from this thrilling championship season at mgoblue.com. Even before the confetti had settled, several players announced their post-Michigan plans and Coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed he was moving to the NFL. Then, on Jan. 26, Michigan Athletics announced Sherrone Moore had been appointed the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach. Moore is the 21st head football coach in school history; he is the first African American to lead the nation's winningest program in college football history. (Text and images via Michigan Athletics.)
    • Blake Corum at Jan 2024 National Championship game shows off giant ring.
    • JJ McCarthy, young caucasian man with face paint, holds national tropy, 2024. He's happy!
    • The back of a ball cap reads: 2023 National Champs with a Block M logo and the NRG stadium sign in the background.
    • Football player rejoices amid confetti, holding trophy, after national championship win.
    • Marching Band Members in maize and blue uniforms lay on the football field. 3 girls, laughing.
    • Happy football player holds trophy after winning national championship.

  7. Higher ed meets higher purpose

    Call it action-based learning, community engagement, applied academics, or any other catchy term you can conjure. Since the University's founding, its faculty experts, alumni, and enterprising students have combined research, fieldwork, and passion to impact the state's economy and its citizens. Projects and partnerships span the Mitten, impacting everything from children's health to the maritime industry. Learn more about how these Wolverines are using education and experience to create actual value -- in the real world -- every single day.
    • Group of creative looking characters in an art gallery surround its founder in a celebratory moment.
    • Man stands in front of a red ship in a small port.
    • Three girls pose on playground equipment with lots of green space around them.
    • Woman stands amid greenery with urban landscape, chain link fence.
    • A woman in glasses reviews architetcural designs spread on a table as two students look on.
    • Two caucasian men pose with Orbion logo and other scientific equipment.

  8. Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

    Powered by the Australian sun, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team's Astrum was the fourth challenger-class car to cross the finish line in the 2023 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The five-day race (Oct. 22-26) spanned 1,800 miles from Darwin on the coast of Australia's Northern Territory to Adelaide in the south. Astrum is the 17th car made by the Michigan Solar Car Team since its founding in 1989. (Images and text are by Michigan Engineering's Levi Hutmacher and Derek Smith, respectively.)
    • Man in helmet and dark glasses sits in one-person cockpit of solar car, with open hatch.
    • Fans along the sidelines of the Solar Car racetrack.
    • Astrum advances along a road in the Australian outback. The sand surrounding the gray road is a red-brown color. Astrum is shaped like a yellow bullet. A round, white hood covers the driver's seat. A maroon chase car with an antenna on its hood follows Astrum.
    • Fourteen members of the U-M race crew stand together in a line while linking arms. Their backs are facing the viewer. Each team member is wearing a neon green vest with reflective safety markings. In front of the crew is the solar car, Astrum, which has a yellow body. The top panel of the car is opened so that the solar panels are facing the sun. With the panel opened, the inside of the car's black cockpit is visible.
    • : A driver is lifting Astrum's round, white hood so that he can lower himself into the driver's seat. He is wearing a helmet with an attached microphone and sunglasses. Astrum's body is yellow and bullet shaped and is covered in logos from the team's various sponsors.
    • Astrum is moving along a black-paved, Australian road. Astrum is shaped like a yellow bullet with a white cockpit.

  9. An earthly garden of artistic delights

    The Stamps School of Art & Design recently took an important step toward achieving campuswide carbon neutrality with the opening of its Sustainable Materials & Color Garden just steps from the Stamps building. The garden, conceived and built by Stamps faculty, staff, and students, allows creatives to source ingredients for making paper, creating dyes, and other artistic activities. Plants include muraski, hibiscus, flax, tango cosmos, marigold, Japanese indigo, chamomile, and more. (Text: Jamie Sherman. Images: Michigan Photography.) Read more.
    • Four people in a line, 2 women and 2 men of various ethnicities, cut a yellow ribbon to open a new garden at the Stamps School.
    • A bee alights on an orange blossom, which is featured in the Stamps School garden.
    • Man gives a speech to group gathered around a garden filled with green beds and flowers.
    • A bench made of repurposed wood, courtesy of the Tappan Oak, which had to be cut down due to disease.
    • A woman holds a microphone and speaks to a crowd from behind a series of raised garden beds filled with greens.
    • Man gestures to plants in a large raised bed.