November 1969: ‘It just changed everything’

A football ticket to the Michigan Ohio State game in 1969.

At spring workouts in 1969, U-M’s new head football coach Glenn E. ‘Bo’ Schembechler unleashed volcanic intensity on his new charges. He told them their overarching aim was to beat Ohio State on Nov. 22. The national press gave the Wolverines absolutely no chance against OSU. But the national press didn’t know Bo.

  1. Student in Peter Toogood's "Augmenting Reality in Medicinal Chemistry" class wears virtual reality goggles with gray sweatshirt and block M at the University of Michigan's Center for Academic Innovation.

    U-M faculty implementing extended reality technology in classes

    U-M has seen a boom in extended reality and virtual reality technology since launching its XR Initiative in the fall of 2019, with many faculty members using it in their classrooms. The Center for Academic Innovation offers more than 100 VR headsets for instructional use and access to a full virtual production studio.

  2. President Emeritus James J. Duderstadt (center), President Emeritus Harold T. Shapiro (left) and former president Lee C. Bollinger (right) were part of an April 6, 2017, panel discussion marking the university’s bicentennial celebration.

    President Emeritus James Duderstadt dies at age 81

    Duderstadt’s wide-ranging impact can be seen in many ways across the University. His vast teaching and research interests included diverse applications of physics and mathematics, nuclear systems, science policy, information technology, higher education policy, and engineering education.

  3. Fielding Yost observes construction of Michigan Stadium with foreman. Black and white. Two men wearing white straw skimmers.

    Yost builds the Big (bigger, and biggest) House

    When the gates at Michigan Stadium opened to fans on Oct. 1, 1927, the venue could seat 72,000 fans — though heavy rains kept the day’s attendance to under 40,000. Thanks to the expansive vision of coach Fielding Yost, 107,601 fans can gather in Michigan Stadium nearly a hundred years later.

  4. Two ancient gold coins with images of an archer.

    Archaeologist finds legit pot of gold at site of ancient Greek city in western Turkey

    A team of researchers led by a University of Michigan archaeologist has uncovered a hoard of gold coins, dating to the fifth century BC, that were likely used to pay mercenary troops. The discovery of such a valuable find in a controlled archaeological excavation is very rare … and incredibly cool.

  5. Cast photo from Fly Me to the Moon showcases actors, including U-M alumna Anna Garcia alongside Scarlett Johannson, dressed in period clothing circa 1969 in the film about the moon landing and NASA.

    Improv roots launched Anna Garcia ‘to the moon’

    Throughout her time as an improv performer at U-M and in Los Angeles, Anna Garcia, BFA ’17, learned to listen and react, two critical skills for any successful actor. Those skills launched Garcia to the silver screen this summer, where she starred with Scarlett Johannson in “Fly Me to the Moon.”

  6. Caregiving: Poll reveals who’s providing care and who they’re caring for

    The poll shows that 61% of those providing care to family or friends with a health condition or disability don’t know about Area Agencies on Aging. AAAs are local or regional organizations that support caregivers, people with certain disabilities, and people over 65.

The University for Michigan

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.

  • Squeals of joy

    Alumnus Damien Crutcher founded Crescendo Detroit in the city’s Dexter-Davison neighborhood in 2013 to provide after-school music and dance programming, literacy and life skill courses, and homework support to area families. Participants work with music students at U-M and attend performances through the University Musical Society. (Image credit: Erin Kirkland, Michigan Photography.) More.

    A student reacts while listening to their creation during music production class at Crescendo Detroit, an after-school program for children ages 5 to 18 that develops music and dance programming to promote artistic excellence and character building.

  • Harvest time

    Midland, Michigan 10th grader Drake Robinson volunteers at Phoenix Community Farm, founded in 2018 by alumna Beth DeVries. The nurse practitioner realized that many people she worked with were not able to afford fresh fruits and vegetables. Knowing how much good health relies on good food, she partnered with a local high school to start a community garden and pay-what-you-can farm stand. Produce is utilized in the school’s culinary program as well. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More

    Boy in Michigan cap fills corn crib with produce in green setting.

  • Reality check

    Shaylee Menhennick, a first-generation college student, and eight other students from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were the first U.P. Scholars cohort to graduate from the U-M in 2024. Scholars represented 20 high schools in 12 of the 15 U.P. counties. Menhennick graduated with a bachelor’s degree in movement science with a minor in sociology of health and medicine. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More

    A female, first-generation college student, along with eight other students from Michigan's Upper Peninsula celebrate in caps and gowns during U-M Spring Commencement in Michigan Stadium.

  • Policy advocates in training

    Students in Dearborn’s Environmental Health Research-to-Action Academy go beyond just collecting air and water quality data, and learn what to do with the valuable information. Natalie Sampson, associate professor of public health at UM-Dearborn, co-founded the community-academic partnership. (Image credit: Erin Kirkland, Michigan Photography.) More

     

     

     

    Middle school students wearing science goggles work in a lab as part of the Environmental Health Research-to-Action Academy.

  • Happy trails

    Along M-22 in northwestern Michigan, people with mobility challenges can now access breathtaking views of Lake Michigan from a 300-foot-high platform, explore rare birds and plants in a restored marsh, or lose themselves in coastal dunes and forests. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has created more than 3 miles of accessible trails since 2016 when the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes opened. It’s all part of the conservancy’s work since 1991 under the leadership of School of Environment and Sustainability alumnus Glen Chown. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More

    Two people with mobility challenges enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Michigan from a 300-foot-high platform, thanks to the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has created more than 3 miles of accessible trails since 2016 when the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes opened.

  • Pop-up Safety

    U-M pediatrician Andy Hashikawa created the traveling Pop-Up Safety Town Initiative in 2017. The pop-ups provide age-focused injury prevention resources to children in Michigan’s underserved and rural communities, including Hillsdale, Grand Rapids, Flint, Jackson, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Addison, Durand, Whitmore Lake, Hamtramck, and some tribal communities. The initiative is part of the U-M Concussion Center and educates kids about head injuries, pedestrian safety, and preventing dog bites. (Image credit: Greta Guest, Michigan News.) More

    Children stand in a semicircle at the Pop-Up Safety town, modeled on the traditional Safety Town, a one-week injury prevention summer camp sponsored by school districts that uses permanent buildings and is expensive to develop. The the pop-up version makes it accessible to all.

  • Sweet and sublime

    U-M assistant professor of urology and beekeeper Brian Stork also is founder of Happy Hive Honey Chocolates in Grand Haven, Michigan. Proceeds from the confectionary go to  Muskegon’s Step Up, which helps unsupported young adults with stable housing, adult mentors, and other services so they can become successfully independent. Step Up was co-founded in 2015 by Michigan Medicine alumnus Dick Kamps. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More 

    Brian Stork, a University of Michigan assistant professor of urology, is dressed in a beekeeper's outfit against a backdrop of green leaves and blue sky as he examines his backyard beehive.

  • Brilliant Detroit

    Brilliant Detroit works in 18 neighborhoods throughout the city by transforming a house in need of repair into a community hub. It partners with 160 organizations to deliver early childhood education, family support, and food. More than 19,000 children have benefited from the programming. CEO Cindy Eggleton co-founded the organization in 2016 with U-M grads Jim Bellinson and Carolyn Bellinson. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More

    African American adults and children engage in play in a colorful educational setting in a living room in Detroit.

  • Lessons in resilience

    School can be a source of trauma for some students, but most schools are not equipped to meet their needs. That’s where the Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices for Schools (TIPPS) comes into play. TIPPS director Todd Herrenkohl is the Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families at U-M’s School of Social Work. TIPPS connects experts in social work, education, and public health to share knowledge and resources with K-12 educators and communities so that students with trauma histories can become more resilient. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More

    Ylisse Yépez, a teacher at Blissfield High School, stands between and talks to two students seated at a table in front of computers in her English class.

  • Want to teach?

    Lizzie Lockwood engages with her fourth-grade class near Grand Rapids, Michigan, upon completing the Michigan Alternate Route to Certification offered by the Marsal Family School of Education. M-ARC is designed for anyone with a bachelor’s degree interested in becoming a teacher in the state. Participants work as certified teachers for three years while enrolled in and supported by the program to earn their standard teaching certificates. (Image credit: Jeremy Marble, Michigan News.) More 

    A young woman sits at a table in a classroom of young children in a fourth-grade class at Ada Vista Elementary School near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • Legacy in land

    Legacy Land Conservancy, founded in 1971, is Michigan’s oldest organization dedicated to the voluntary conservation of locally important land. The conservancy counts some 10,000 protected acres. “We’ve also placed a little over 100 conservation easements,” says Susan Morley LaCroix, a 2011 graduate with dual degrees from the Program in the Environment and Department of Political Science. She is the conservancy’s land protection director, fighting climate change, helping farmers, and allowing communities access to natural habitats. (Image credit: Eric Bronson, Michigan Photography.) More.