Some of the most valuable learning at U-M takes place beyond campus. Each image here promises to take you somewhere special in Michigan, from Blissfield to Brooklyn, as U-M students and faculty create new knowledge and transform our state.

A new collection of vintage photos of Ann Arbor can be found online as part of the Bentley Historical Library’s contribution to the Ann Arbor Bicentennial. These black & white beauties come from the archive of Mel Ivory, co-founder of Ann Arbor's Ivory Photo Engraving Company. Many of Ivory's earliest photographs date to the 1920s and '30s. The first batch of 2,700 images is now available to search and view, thanks to the Bentley and its partners at the U-M Library, who are hosting the photos on their digital collections platform. More to come in 2025. Click on any image to enlarge.

Starting in 1990, Australian-born political satirist Pat Oliphant began spending annual periods in residence at U-M's Wallace House Center for Journalists, where he sketched a wide range of American political figures. A sampling of these images, courtesy of the Wallace House, are displayed in the Clements Library exhibit "An Ungentle Art: Pat Oliphant and the American Tradition of Political Satire." The sketches provoke conversation around four key themes in American politics: capability, character, corruption, and humiliation. This gallery and text come from the larger online exhibit, which contextualizes Oliphant's satire with examples of political art from the Clements Library collection, dating from the 1700s to 1900. Click on any image to enlarge.

U-M's iconic Elbel Field, home to U-M's iconic Michigan Marching Band (MMB) has moved! To be clear, the field hasn't really moved, but the band has taken its gear to a new location within marching distance of its former home. Anyone looking to catch an outdoor practice can find the MMB at the site once owned by Fingerle Lumber, across Hill Street and north of the original Elbel. And while the field may have changed, the dream remains the same. These photos come courtesy of Michigan Marching Band Photography.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.)