CASE STATEMENT: THE MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE
A walk across the University of Michigan campus is an absorbing experience.
The atmosphere is distinct, rich with the spirit of potential, the heritage of past achievements, and the vitality of inquiry and discovery.
So much happens here.
The University of Michigan holds the promise of a different life. A sophomore discovers Thoreau and Woolf. A research scientist identifies a critical gene. A heart patient lives longer and better. An artist creates unforeseen beauty. A professor hones a revolutionary theory. A woman gives birth. An athlete achieves a championship dream.
The University of Michigan is a global leader known for advancing all aspects of life: health, law and public policy, the arts and humanities, science and engineering. We map the human genome to treat and cure diseases. We examine the world around us, its advantages and its threats, and develop ways to make the globe a safer, sustainable, more equitable place. Our scientists explore how nanotechnologies might repel biological weapons, populate cells to treat diseases, and revolutionize the power of computing. Our museums and theaters nurture and attract the finest and rarest of talent and open a window to science and art. Our libraries connect scholars across time and place. Faculty in our schools and colleges motivate and challenge our students, who respond by exploring worlds they never before imagined. Our alumni are equally outstanding, shaping society with their leadership, creativity and innovation.
It is this breadth of accomplishment and activity - in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint and beyond - that separates Michigan from other institutions. Students and faculty have the opportunity to achieve more at the University of Michigan than anywhere else. This is why our campaign is THE MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE.
The Michigan Difference is about life-changing experiences and the people who inspire them. Our contributions are endless, but a sampling shows the lasting influence of the University of Michigan:
Steadied by the calm leadership of President Gerald R. Ford (AB '35, Hon LLD '74), the nation survived a major constitutional crisis with the resignation of Richard M. Nixon. President Ford's integrity restored faith in the world's most powerful position.
The Peace Corps and the environmental movement are grounded in Michigan. After John F. Kennedy unveiled his volunteerism plan on the steps of the Michigan Union, hundreds of U-M students rallied their peers nationwide to support an idea that would grow into 170,000 Peace Corps workers in 136 countries. National support for recycling, energy conservation and environmental protection grew substantially in 1970 after Michigan students carried out a four-day teach-in, dedicated to the "environmental crisis." The resulting Earth Day is now in its fourth decade of international recognition, and the recycling and reuse of materials such as plastic, paper, metal and glass is commonplace.
Hundreds of thousands of people with HIV live better, longer lives because of azidothimidine, or AZT, an antiviral drug pioneered by Dr. Samuel Broder (BS '66, MD '70), a graduate of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the Medical School. He took a new approach with a drug that initially failed as a way to kill tumors; it was created 20 years earlier by biochemist Dr. Jerome Horwitz (PhD '50).
Indiana Jones, Willy Loman and Roseanne Roseanneadanna are part of the cultural lexicon because of Michigan's Lawrence Kasdan (AB '70, AM '72, Hon LHD '00), Arthur Miller (AB '38, Hon LHD '56) and Gilda Radner ('64-'70).
When a victorious Harry S. Truman held up a newspaper announcing "Dewey Defeats Truman," only one survey research group in the nation didn't need to be embarrassed. Since accurately predicting the results of the 1948 U.S. presidential election, the Institute for Social Research has led the way in developing survey sampling theories and methods. Today, ISR surveys continue to make a difference - monitoring adolescent behavior, demonstrating the powerful impact of consumer confidence, documenting the effects of social and psychological factors on health and longevity, and assessing the strengths and challenges facing older Americans and U.S. families.
As a University, we continually stand on the brink of discovery. The 21st century demands the knowledge and innovation that are hallmarks of Michigan. We are dedicated, indeed obligated, to making an important difference to the citizens of our state, our nation and the world. This is the work of Michigan, the work of the leaders and best. This is why The Michigan Difference is so essential to our future.
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