Brad Meltzer, BA ’92, tells Class of 2024: ‘Unleash your kindness’

Four men stand in a line opening their commencement gowns to reveal big Block M's in maize.

2024 commencement speaker Brad Meltzer shares how magic provides insight to shape lives, aligning with classmate Desmond Howard (far left), and 2023 national champions Blake Corum and J.J. McCarthy, to drive home the point.

  1. Men gathered around a table in 1904. Vintage, black & white.

    Life at Prettyman’s

    Horace and Jennie Prettyman’s sprawling manse on North University was Ann Arbor’s best-known boarding house, serving more than a million meals to students from 1875 to 1914 — including Fielding Yost’s varsity football players, who ate there nightly.

  2. Young Japanese men play cards. Black & white. One wears a Michigan t-shirt.

    ‘These young Americans’

    The first Japanese American workers arrived on the U-M campus in 1943. When they were willing to wash dishes and stock shelves, the University opened its doors. When they applied as students, the doors closed.

  3. Michigan Marching Band spells out the name of Gaskill, who was the band photographer for seven decades. Image is from October 1992.

    Dick Gaskill and his photographic memory

    After seven decades, Michigan Marching Band photographer Dick Gaskill, BBA ’57, has finally put down his gameday camera. But all those memories at Michigan Stadium are forever printed in the pages of history, and on his heart.

  4. A pile of zebra mussels

    Water conservation and access will be yearlong focus at UMSI

    School of Information students are looking through the ‘lens of an information professional’ and using data to tackle urgent water-related issues in Michigan and around the globe. Partners in the school’s inaugural ‘theme year’ include representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

  5. View of the top of the Michigan Central Train Station in Detroit.

    Michigan Central Station set to open in 2024 with U-M grad turning the key

    Michigan Central CEO Joshua Sirefman, MUP ’96, is confident this 30-acre mobility district will become a global hub for innovation. The historic but long-abandoned Michigan Central Station is an icon in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

  6. A ballroom in the Michigan Union with a crowd of people networking. Overhead shot.

    U-M reports record number of inventions in FY ’23

    Research led by the University of Michigan generated a record 580 new inventions last year and launched 25 startup companies ranging in scope from innovative therapies for the treatment of fibrosis to technologies that aid in substance abuse monitoring.

‘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.)

  • Engaging the passerby

    “The UMCI design proudly bears the University of Michigan spirit focusing on progress and inclusivity, which is embodied in its dynamic forward-leaning form and the portal that cuts through it, inviting access to all,” said KPF’s Kassem. “Its transparent facade at street level engages the passerby, showcasing innovation, by putting making and research on display.”

     

    Modern office building

  • Ground breaking

    The project broke ground in December at the intersection of Grand River Avenue and West Columbia Street. The proposed 200,000-gross-square-foot building will be the first of three buildings to be constructed on the site, with the other two — an incubator space and a residential building — developed at a future date.

    Aerial view of proposed UMCI

  • Mixed models

    UMCI will be a world-class research, education, and entrepreneurship center designed to advance innovation and community development that will propel  job creation and inclusive economic growth. Programming at the UMCI will offer a mixed-model approach that includes both master’s degrees and workforce development programs that focus on technology and innovation.

    People sit at tables in modern courtyard

  • Open doors

    UMCI also will host a multitude of community engagement activities for the residents of Detroit, ranging from K-12 programs like the Michigan Engineering Zone to the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project and many more.

    Interactive, creative lab

  • Catalyst for growth

    “UMCI will bring together the best of the University of Michigan to catalyze economic development in the city of Detroit,” said U-M Provost Laurie McCauley. “It will house a robust portfolio of academic programs, including new interdisciplinary graduate degrees and certificate programs aligned to the skills of the future.” The ultimate goal is to attract startups as well as major employers to the region, she said. Read more about the UMCI.

    Atrium filled with people in a modern office building