Dear Friends,
Serving the people of our state will always be a central component of the University of Michigan’s public mission. We are proud that our impact extends to virtually every K-12 classroom in our state.
In addition to training teachers and producing influential research, U-M develops education partnerships in many Michigan communities.
For instance, our School of Education’s TeachingWorks initiative fosters skillful math teaching in partnership with the Jandernoa Foundation, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, Kent Intermediate School District, and Grand Valley State University. You can read about how Mike and Sue Jandernoa’s recent gift will benefit our state’s students and teachers in this edition of Michigan Impact.
More than 1,000 teachers in schools across the nation – including ones in Ann Arbor, Holland and Northville – are using the online Big History social studies course developed by U-M professor Bob Bain and international partners. This free course departs from a traditional linear approach to teaching history. Instead, students learn how all facets of natural and human history are tied together, from the Big Bang to the contemporary world.
Faculty in our highly ranked School of Education have also developed free Literacy Essentials Modules to provide coaching and share best practices with classroom teachers throughout Michigan.
I was honored to talk about U-M’s Go Blue Guarantee and Wolverine Pathways initiative during a panel titled “Detroit’s New Era of Collaboration on Education” at last month’s Mackinac Policy Conference. The panel, which included Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit Public Schools Community District Board Treasurer Sonya Mays, and DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti can be viewed online.
The University of Michigan’s budget for the coming year will further enhance our reach and impact by enhancing access to a U-M education.
The budget continues the Go Blue Guarantee, a free-tuition pledge for Ann Arbor campus in-state students with a family income of $65,000 or less, and increases overall undergraduate financial aid by 16.3 percent. The Ann Arbor financial aid budget has increased by an average of 12 percent per year over the past decade, compared with an average annual growth rate of 3.3 percent for in-state undergraduate tuition.
UM-Dearborn’s budget includes a 15.35 percent increase in funding for existing financial aid programs and UM-Flint has increased aid funding by 8.4 percent.
We are grateful for the work of our state’s elected leaders and the help of our many friends in Michigan’s communities, who support the opportunities and value we provide for all people in Michigan.
Sincerely,
Mark Schlissel
President
