During Spring Commencement May 2, U-M reached a significant milestone: Conferring its 1 millionth degree. Imagine the reaction of U-M’s first graduating class, comprising just 11 students. As the University grew and its degrees multiplied, President Tappan’s original vision to help nurture a distinctly American civilization began to take form on the growing campus.

Many of Roy Cowden’s faculty colleagues in Michigan’s English department wrote and published much more than he did. But in a long line of writing teachers, Cowden may have been the best loved. His talent lay in the cultivation of others’ talents, both as a teacher and as the first director of the Avery Hopwood and Jule Hopwood Awards in Creative Writing.

Watch early glimpses of life at U-M with this 1930s silent film from the Alumni Association records, including U-M’s president going horseback riding, aerial views of the campus, field hockey, and more. The Bentley includes many videos like this featuring Michigan history!

The first woman hired to teach at U-M was Louisa Reed-Stowell, a brilliant botanist who fought tirelessly for women’s equality, especially in education. Despite her prestigious contributions in the field, in the classroom, and beyond, U-M repeatedly discriminated against her regarding promotions, salary, and recognition. Nevertheless, she persisted.

It’s difficult to comprehend today, but when a disaster of the pre-digital age turned decades of scholarly work into ashes, members of the U-M Economics Department experienced devastating loss. Many of the faculty’s research documents were one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable. And gone.

Nearly eight decades ago, iconic filmmaker Stanley Kubrick took a look at Michigan while working as a staff photographer for ‘Look’ magazine. Kubrick’s early stills hint at the hallmarks that would come to define his groundbreaking filmography.

Since the advent of social media and the smartphone, mental health complaints have spiked on college campuses everywhere. But a fascinating snapshot of student life a century ago shows that it was hardly carefree for many, even back then.

Early in the 20th century, staff in the U-M registrar’s office set out to compare the grades of students in the Greek system with ‘the independents.’ Year after year, sororities earned higher grades than fraternities; in fact, almost all the sororities did better than almost all the fraternities. And almost every year, one small, independent sorority outpaced them all: Collegiate Sorosis.

Jeep Holland may have been kicked out of college, but it was only because he couldn’t major in rock and roll. Less than a year after he left U-M, 12,000 screaming fans had crowded into Detroit’s Cobo Arena — to see the band he managed, the Rationals. Holland’s collection at the Bentley is featured in ‘Collections.’