Dear students, faculty and staff:

Our campus community is facing an inflection point. Like many universities across the nation, we are navigating a social and political shift that is reshaping conversations about higher education. While we recognize the toll this era of uncertainty is taking on many of our colleagues, students and friends, we also believe this moment provides an opportunity to recommit to our core mission.

Today, we are introducing a number of concrete steps the university is taking to support our students – including those who dream of attending the University of Michigan despite significant barriers. We look forward to working with our Board of Regents through the budget process to continue to increase opportunity and success for all of our students.

A college education is the greatest engine of upward mobility in our society. The Wolverine Pathways program has successfully delivered on that premise by providing free college prep instruction for seventh through 12th grade students in Detroit, the Southfield Public and Ypsilanti Community school districts and several partner schools in Grand Rapids. It has supported 1,554 students since its inception in 2016; and today we are announcing it will expand to five new sites and will for the first time begin serving communities in rural Michigan, including in the Upper Peninsula. Specific locations and additional details will be announced in the coming months.

This expansion is the first major step we’re taking to meet the public commitment the university made last month to increase investments in student-facing programs and direct our resources to initiatives that have the greatest impact.

Other investments being announced today include the following: 

• For students who qualify for free tuition through the Go Blue Guarantee, commit to a career in nursing or education and are enrolled in the School of Nursing or the Marsal Family School of Education, beginning in the fall of 2025, the university will begin covering the full cost of attendance, including housing and fees. Similarly, eligible students who received the Go Blue Guarantee as undergraduates and who are enrolled in the MSW program at the School of Social Work, will receive a new “Graduate Guarantee,” covering tuition, housing and fees, starting in the fall of 2025. Taken together, these investments aim to increase the number of students entering nursing and teaching fields, which require a bachelor’s, and social work, which requires a master’s, in order to help address the critical shortage of skilled professionals in these vocations locally and nationally.
• A new campus-wide program, modeled on a successful disability navigator pilot program in LSA, will provide personalized assistance, beginning in the fall term 2025, to faculty and staff navigating the university’s disability accommodation process. Students will continue to access support through Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services, and the university will continue to explore ways to strengthen those student services.
• Several existing programs will also be bolstered over the summer, including the Center for Educational Outreach, which provides support and resources to under-resourced schools across the state; M-Connect, which provides support for community college students who transfer to U-M; First Gen Gateway, which provides support for first-generation students at U-M; and Success Connects, which provides one-on-one professional coaching, tutoring, peer mentoring and monthly workshops for all U-M students.
• To further meet the commitments announced last month, advisory groups coordinated by Student Life will make recommendations and plan for expanded mental health resources, programs and services for students with disabilities, as well as other programs that strengthen community and belonging in the 2025 – 2026 academic year.
• A new vice provost for access and opportunity will oversee and partner on much of the proposed and future programming.

In the same spirit, we are collaborating with the chancellors of both U-M Dearborn and U-M Flint to develop programs that are best suited to their respective campuses.

We look forward to collaborating with the Board of Regents to pass a budget that funds all of these programs.

Our commitment to supporting people from all backgrounds and perspectives remains steadfast; and, moving forward, we will continue to improve our programs in ways that empower individuals to achieve their greatest potential. We are grateful for the partnership of so many schools, colleges, units and individuals dedicated to seeking new knowledge and making ours a better world.

As we navigate these challenging times, please know that we see you, we hear you and we are dedicated to listening and moving forward together with compassion and care.

Sincerely,

Santa J. Ono
President

Laurie K. McCauley
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs 

Martino Harmon
Vice President for Student Life