University of Michigan

Did you know U-M’s longest-serving First Lady was descended from Mayflower pilgrims? Arriving in Ann Arbor in 1871, Sarah Caswell Angell spent over 30 years shaping campus life, advocating for female students, and leading local community causes.

After months of restoration and the replacement of 30 heavy clappers, the Charles Baird Carillon inside U-M's Burton Memorial Tower is getting its voice back! The lighter gray-iron clappers will give musicians better control, a warmer tone, and a much broader expressive range. Daily recitals are scheduled to resume August 31, with a special rededication concert on October 4.

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

Leaving a top-tier university program to chase a new dream takes serious guts—returning a decade later to finish what you started takes even more 🎭🩰

At 19, Justin Urso put his spot in U-M’s highly competitive Musical Theatre Program on pause to pursue ballet full-time. He spent years dancing professionally, but a decade later, he returned to Ann Arbor as a 30-year-old student to finish his degree at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor ranks among the nation’s best and is the top hospital in the state of Michigan in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings for 2026-27! 🩺

All signs point to a new academic year coming soon! 🟡

In case you were living under a rock, there are entire ecosystems of fungi and complex life forms that live a third of a mile underground. What could they find to eat that far below the surface? Rocks! 🪨

Using genetic tools and microscopy, a U-M study discovered 689 unique species of fungi, including 13 species previously uncovered, in water samples drawn from gas well sites. The research team isolated and grew more than 200 kinds of fungi from the Antrim Shale to determine how underground ecosystems function, where they learned fungi and bacteria ate the organic material trapped within the shale for sustenance.

A 1997 graduate from Michigan Engineering, Dave Stockoski is the engineering manager at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Forest Fire Experiment Station and leads a team that designs, sources, adapts and manufactures the state’s 100-vehicle fleet of wildfire suppression equipment.

Michigan Monday 〽️