To All Members of the University of Michigan Community:

Yesterday, Chancellor Sue Borrego sent a letter to the UM-Flint community detailing the extensive measures she and her team have taken to ensure the safety of all drinking water on campus and to outline her plans for supporting the campus and Flint communities in the months ahead.

I commend her and the entire UM-Flint team for their actions during this crisis. Their considerable efforts began more than a year ago, and because of their actions, drinking water on the campus is safe. UM-Flint is working in partnership with the community to help all Flint residents, and faculty from all three U-M campuses are stepping up to contribute their expertise.

UM-Flint has installed water filters throughout the campus, distributed filters to students and community members, and continues to test water to ensure safety. Chancellor Borrego and UM-Flint Provost Doug Knerr are convening faculty from all of our campuses this week to help identify needs and areas where we can best help.

More information on UM-Flint’s response is available in the University Record and on the Campus Water Information page.  

As Chancellor Borrego said, this is a long-term crisis for one of our state’s most important cities and its people. The strong ties she has built with the community will be needed more than ever.

At our core, we are a public university whose mission is to serve the people of Michigan first. For 60 years, UM-Flint has embraced this mission to its fullest extent. The campus’ continuing devotion to educational access and its deep investment in the community are at the foundation of a long and resilient partnership.

It’s a partnership that the University of Michigan is committed to in perpetuity.

At U-M, a crisis in the host city of one of campuses is a crisis that affects us all. We will do all we can to ensure health and safety for our campus community and the people of Flint. We are all one family.

Sincerely,

Mark S. Schlissel

President