Letters to Campus Community

Winter Semester 2010 Welcome

 

Jan. 7, 2010

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Happy New Year, and welcome back to campus! I’m excited about the Winter Semester and the variety of events and activities that await our community in 2010.

Winter in Michigan can be a beautiful place, and you can gain a new perspective on the season through the “Wild Wonderful Winter” exhibit at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory. Here you will find a winter wonderland in a beautiful setting of plants and flowers, as well as outdoor trails for exploring Washtenaw County.

And don’t forget our campus museums, which continue to be the focus of the LS&A theme year. Our University has a rich array of museums, and we are delighted to share them with the campus and the larger community in Southeast Michigan. Consider a visit to the Museum of Art and its exhibit of European graphic art, or stop by the newly reopened Kelsey Museum of Archaeology to view spectacular collections from ancient Egypt, Greece, and the Roman world.

Moving from the ancient world to the 21st century, you will discover the spirit of innovation at this winter’s MPowered Career Fair, where small, high-growth firms will offer internships and full-time jobs.

Organized by students, the MPowered Career Fair is also the place to explore start-up companies launched by U-M students. I encourage you to visit the Michigan Union on Jan. 26, and see how you can contribute to Michigan’s economy.

We are just now putting the finishing touches on the expanded Kellogg Eye Center and the Brehm Tower, a stunning new facility dedicated to discovery. This eight-story building will be the site of expanded research aimed at diseases like macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetes-related eye disease.

It also houses the Brehm Center for Type 1 Diabetes Research and Analysis, an innovative research program focused on accelerating the search for a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

Researchers are already moving in to this newest campus facility, and we will open the doors to patients on March 1st.

The Winter Semester is always the time for students to think about housing for the next school year, and we will offer more on-campus choices next fall than ever.

Not only will we open the state-of-the-art North Quad with its Global Scholars Program, we also will launch what we call the Living Arts community in Bursley Hall. This is a residential community for students interested in the creative process, particularly through the arts, engineering and other fields.

And for our second-year students, the beautifully renovated Stockwell Hall will be home to a new community that we call the Sophomore Year Experience, a unique initiative that engages students in shaping their cognitive and social development. All of these housing options make for attractive and stimulating life on campus.

So whether you are in a museum, the classroom, crossing the campus, or at a sporting event cheering on the Maize and Blue, the new year at U-M is alive with possibilities. I hope you will take advantage of all the University offers.

You have my best wishes for a wonderful new year, and I look forward to seeing you on campus.