Dear University of Michigan Community, 

Happy New Year! I hope that each of you had a restful and rejuvenating holiday season filled with moments of joy and connection with family and friends. As we begin this new semester, I am thrilled to welcome you back to our beloved campuses.

What a way to ring in the new year with the Michigan Wolverines’ thrilling victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide at the New Year’s Eve ReliaQuest Bowl game in Tampa, Florida! It was an unforgettable experience to cheer on our team alongside so many faculty, staff, students, and alumni who traveled to support the Maize and Blue. The spirit and camaraderie of our Michigan family is inspiring, and I am deeply moved by the pride we all share in our exceptional university.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Carl Meyers as our newest Regent at the University of Michigan. I will be forever thankful to Regent Ron Weiser for his extraordinary contributions to the university over the years. I’m looking forward to working with our Board of Regents and our leadership across the faculty, students, and staff as we begin this semester.

The new year also brings new leadership in Washington D.C. Members of my leadership team are collaborating with the deans and other university stakeholders to establish a thoughtful and comprehensive approach for engagement with the new administration and its initiatives. I appreciate everyone involved in this critical work. 

Transitions, whether at the national or institutional level, invite us to reflect on who we are and what we aspire to be. At Michigan, we are committed to staying true to our mission of academic excellence, maintaining the momentum of our research enterprise, and preparing our students to make a meaningful impact on the world. Our priorities, which are grounded in the values developed through our Culture Journey, will continue to guide us as we navigate the new year.

Reflecting Back

The year of 2024 gave us much to celebrate and build upon. In late December, the State of Michigan agreed to provide $100 million toward a state-of-the-art high performance computing and artificial intelligence facility in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory. This partnership will empower us to realize the transformative potential of AI to drive innovations that benefit society across a multitude of disciplines. 

Last semester also marked the beginning of our Year of Democracy, Civic Empowerment, and Global Engagement, which has already catalyzed vibrant programs and partnerships that underscore our commitment to shaping a better, more informed society.

In early December we announced a new Institute for Civil Discourse in support of our three U-M campuses. This institute will create opportunities, support, and ultimately space for meaningful conversations on critical issues, reinforcing our role as a leader in fostering thoughtful, inclusive, dialogue. 

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, we are excited about these and many more initiatives and investments that will be unveiled through our Vision 2034 and Campus Plan 2050 processes.

These transformative campus projects embody our unwavering commitment to advance academic excellence, support groundbreaking research, and enhance the student experience at the University of Michigan.

• Among our most ambitious endeavors is the expansion of affordable housing for undergraduate students who want to live on central campus. The Central Campus Residential Development will provide unparalleled living and learning opportunities for our students. Phase I of the complex consists of five new residence halls with accommodations for 2,300 students and a 900-seat dining facility. Plans for Phase II are underway and will be shared in the near future.
• The new College of Pharmacy building is nearing completion and will stand as a beacon of innovation in pharmaceutical education. The expansion provides space for the school’s growing research programs.
• The D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion represents our commitment to advancing healthcare education and patient care. The facility is progressing nicely and, once open, the high-quality patient care space will expand our capacity to provide world-class healthcare at Michigan Medicine.
• The new Edward and Rosalie Ginsberg Building will enhance our capacity for collaborative, multidisciplinary programs, building on a two-decade legacy. 
• Similarly, the Hadley Family Recreation & Well-Being Center underscores our dedication to fostering student health and wellness. At 200,000 square feet, the facility will add modern gymnasiums, a climbing wall, an indoor track, weight and cardiovascular training rooms and squash courts for Ann Arbor’s central campus.
• The Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building will serve as a new home to our School of Information and advance our leadership in technology and data sciences, and the Ross School of Business renovations will enhance our Executive Education programs.

Together, the university is investing more than $2.5 billion to ensure our academic, research and clinical infrastructure remains at the forefront of global excellence. These projects reflect our Vision 2034 mission, animated by Campus Plan 2050, to shape the future of education, research, and community impact. They also will position the University of Michigan as a leader in scholarship, research and service for decades to come.

Regional Growth and Opportunity

In Detroit, our presence continues to grow and thrive. The University of Michigan Center for Innovation is progressing on schedule. We are actively engaging with the community, government, businesses and other partners such as Michigan Central and Newlab to drive economic and educational opportunities.

Additionally, through a collaborative $28.5 million guarantee from the Kresge Foundation, the Florent Gillet and Madam Cadillac Halls at Marygrove have been revitalized to support the new University of Michigan Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. These facilities include residential dormitory spaces and instructional areas that will create a vibrant learning environment for our students and contribute to the realization of Marygrove’s P-20 campus vision.

In Oakland County, Michigan Medicine will build a multi-specialty facility to expand clinical services and increase patient access for the Oakland County region.

In Flint, the new College of Innovation & Technology Building will fuel creativity and entrepreneurship in a region known for its resilience and ingenuity.

Arts Initiative and Inclusive History Project

I am also proud to share significant progress we have made on two initiatives that advance creativity, foster inclusivity, and preserve our shared history.

The University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative flourished in 2024, bringing the arts to the forefront of our academic and community experience. U-M made its first grants from the U-M Arts Research: Innovation and Acceleration program, which is designed to expand and elevate arts research and creative practice across our campuses and schools. Our expanded support for arts integration into the curriculum ensures that all students, regardless of their field of study, can engage meaningfully with the arts. 

We also developed the Creativity Lab, a weeklong set of collaborative activities that connect artists with members of the STEM community. This year, we are launching a campus wide Arts & Creativity Honors Cord for the May commencement, which will enable the thousands of U-M students who participate in the arts to celebrate their creativity and connection with a bright magenta cord on their graduation regalia.

The Inclusive History Project (IHP) has made notable progress toward illuminating the complex and multifaceted history of our university. In two years, the project has launched more than ten large-scale, foundational research projects, and the teams of faculty, staff, students, and community partners leading them are working to bring forward underrepresented voices and stories and set the stage for tangible changes in how we understand, teach, and commemorate our history. 

This year, the IHP is supporting a range of courses on our university’s inclusive history across our three campuses. We are building capacity at each of our campus archives to support current and future research, and engaging our campus communities through exhibits, symposia, and more. We are also collecting oral histories that illuminate the history of the Dearborn campus.

These initiatives represent our shared commitment to creativity, inclusivity, and critical reflection – values that define us as Wolverines. I am deeply grateful to the students, faculty, staff, and partners whose passion and dedication have brought these projects to life.

Shared Commitment 

As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other initiatives that strengthen our community and enhance the University of Michigan’s impact locally, nationally, and globally. We have many additional programs in development and I look forward to sharing updates with you as the semester progresses, so please stay tuned.

This is a time of tremendous opportunity and growth for our university. I am grateful to work alongside such a passionate and talented community. Thank you for your ongoing support, contributions, and engagement. We are building a future rooted in our shared values and as we embark on this new year together, I encourage all of you to dream big, set ambitious goals, and support one another in reaching them.

Let’s make 2025 a year to remember.

Go Blue!

Santa J. Ono
President