University of Michigan International Institute

The University of Michigan Board of Regents announced Dr. C. Cybele Raver as its choice to become the university’s 17th president. The Board will hold a special meeting on Sept. 1 to take a formal vote. Pending approval, Dr. Raver’s appointment will take effect Dec. 1. Dr. Raver, currently the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University, is a nationally recognized leader in higher education. myumi.ch/xjwJm

Did you know that there's a Summer Game badge for exploring Ann Arbor's Japanese History?

As you explore Ann Arbor for the Ann Arbor District Library Summer Game, discover how Japanese emigrants and their descendants, known as Nikkei, have been an essential part of the Ann Arbor community for decades.

Around World War II, the University of Michigan hired Nikkei employees to staff places like the Michigan Union. But during that same time period, U-M also excluded the majority of Nikkei from becoming students here. The U-M Center for Japanese Studies and Bentley Historical Library have teamed up to put together some clues to help you learn more about this chapter of Japanese-Ann Arbor history with this web-based badge.

Take a moment to explore this local history, and claim this badge with your newfound knowledge!

Learn about the badge, and sign into your Ann Arbor District Library account to see clues here: https://aadl.org/node/671037

New to the Summer Game? Visit aadl.org/play to learn more!

Class of 2026, you probably spotted our official 📷🧍 at the ceremony, weaving through the crowd, and capturing all those joyful and proud moments with your families and friends. Well, here are some of them!

Check out the rest on our Flickr page (link in our bio). They are free to download for personal use!

CC BY-NC-ND — for other uses, contact [email protected].

And we have to ask: what are you up to next? Drop it in the comments! 👇

More from yesterday’s celebration: grads, their families and friends, and the II faculty and staff who worked hard behind the scenes to honor the graduates. High-fives all around! 🙋

No notes. 👏🎉🙌

Caps, gowns, and a whole lot of accomplishment! Years of hard work, research, late nights, and the support of family and friends, all led to this. You made it, grads! Congratulations! 🎉🎓

Tag in your grad pics so we can celebrate you!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
Meet the graduating students from MIRS, PICS, and the Centers, who will be celebrated at the International Institute Graduation Ceremony this afternoon! Read their bios and learn about their work: https://bit.ly/4ucotn6.

Looking for Southeast Asian Studies book recommendations? Here's what members of the community are currently reading. MIRS student Gengrun Li's is Li Zishu (黎紫书)'s "Land of Mundanity (流俗地)."

"Land of Mundanity" is a novel written in Chinese by Malaysian Chinese writer Li Zishu, set in the fictional city of Tin Capital, inspired by her hometown of Ipoh. The novel captures the lives of ordinary working-class Malaysians there, revealing the social history and community change through daily life experiences of various characters, centering on a blind woman named Yinxia (银霞). "Reading this book is very much like watching a documentary film, seeing how social worlds and gendered experiences are portrayed," said Gengrun, who is drawn to the novel's Malaysian Chinese linguistic expressions and its richly observed everyday details.

The book was published by Rye Field Publishing Company in 2020. For an English introduction, check out this essay by Prof. Alison Groppe (University of Oregon): https://archive.ncafroc.org.tw/novel/paper/preview/1x47E6ebz9w4JrGJ2zYO2x

On April 8, five Masters in International & Regional Studies students showcased their work as part of the II Graduate Student Lightning Talks ⚡ 〽️

Read more: myumi.ch/NXW69

Michigan Men's Basketball soared like the dragon on Monday night! Performing 30 minutes before the game, you might say the dragon cast the perfect auspicious vibe... 🐉🏆

Catch the Asian-inspired dragon dance performed among an exuberant lineup of eclectic musical ensembles, including Indonesian Gamelan, U-M’s recently-restored original Moog synthesizer, 19th-century brass instruments, a newly-restored early 18th-century viola da gamba, Chinese and European Baroque Chamber Orchestras, and a multi-keyboard carillon performance at the Stearns End of Year Concert.

Monday, April 6 from 7:30 - 9:30 PM at Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor

Free and open to the public.

For concert information visit: https://myumi.ch/P3PE4

Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan