(As prepared for delivery) Opening Good morning! Thank you all for being here, whether in the room or watching online. Regent Hubbard, thank you. I remain grateful to you, Chair Paul Brown – who also is with us – and the entire Board for your faith in me. It is an honor to serve as …

(As prepared for delivery) Good morning! I’m sorry I cannot be with you in person, but I’m so pleased I can join remotely and share a few thoughts. First, my thanks to Tabbye Chavous for her leadership. I’m thrilled she is our new chief diversity officer and the vice provost for equity and inclusion. It …

(As prepared for delivery) Good afternoon. I want to thank Sonya Jacobs and Patricia Hurn for leading this critical initiative and hosting today’s assembly. Since returning in January as president, I have made it a priority to help restore trust and faith in U-M. This past year has been unlike any other in campus history, …

Remarks as prepared for delivery Thank you, Noah. And thank you to all of this afternoon’s talented performers. Well … does it feel great to be a Michigan Wolverine? As you’ve heard, more than 84,000 high school seniors worldwide hoped to attend the University of Michigan this fall, and we wanted you – the most …

Remarks as prepared for delivery Good morning! Thank you, Matt, for your leadership of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. And thank you to everyone at CRLT for hosting today’s orientation events. This is a highly significant week at the University of Michigan. First and foremost, we are welcoming you, our newest faculty, …

Remarks as prepared for delivery Good afternoon! We are absolutely thrilled to welcome you home to Michigan. It’s so good to see all of you here in the Big House! We are so proud of you. You completed your studies during a very unsettling and confusing time for our world. The Class of 2020 will …

Remarks as prepared for delivery Good morning! Congratulations, graduates! You did it! Just as remarkable as today’s graduates themselves are their families, for the unconditional love and encouragement they have provided through the years. I want to thank these families – the parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings. Your students are beyond impressive. Thank …

Remarks as prepared for delivery Good morning! Thank you to the Aero Saxophone Quartet for that lovely performance and to Valerie for her inspiring words. Graduates, I know it has been hard work. The pride, the satisfaction, and, yes, the relief you feel are richly deserved. Take a deep breath and enjoy this moment! You’ve …

Good afternoon! Thank you, Provost Collins, and thank you to the talented students who have performed and spoken this afternoon. There are always many indicators that spring is on its way in Michigan. It may be an upward tick in temperature. Or the sounds of more and more birds singing. Or tiny snowdrops and crocuses …