As U-M heads into a new century with engaged and interdisciplinary learning and research at the forefront of the educational experience, the Office of the Provost is sharing a new hub for resources and storytelling around these goals.
A new Engaged Michigan website offers faculty, staff and students information on the goals, funding, engagement opportunities, and various campus programs and initiatives that can support and advance such work.
In partnership with Michigan News in the Office of the Vice President for Communications, it also highlights the stories of student engagement in hands-on, immersive, collaborative, creative, and community-focused programs and courses.
more information
- Send story ideas, funding opportunities, comments and suggestions to [email protected]
- Engaged Michigan website
“The public ethos of the University of Michigan demands that we engage with the human communities we serve,” said James Holloway, vice provost for global engagement and interdisciplinary academic affairs.
“Engaged Michigan represents a core piece of delivering on this mission: that we apply knowledge, art, and academic values in service to communities of all kinds. Only by understanding their challenges and opportunities can we bring collaborative energy and innovative ideas in service to them.
“Engaged Michigan is about celebrating, enhancing, facilitating our capacity to deliver engaged scholarship and engaged learning, which is defined as scholarship, research or learning in which an authentic stakeholder community is invested in the outcome of the work.”
The website’s purposes are to:
• Create a network of programs and initiatives to showcase U-M’s broad excellence and promote collaboration across units. Affiliate program and initiative websites will eventually include Engaged Michigan badges that create visual connections and foster a digital network.
• Collect and share funding opportunities for students, research faculty and teaching faculty. Faculty grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 support engaged teaching and research, while student grants and scholarships from $200 to $50,000 are available for projects in the arts, sustainability, community partnership and more.
• Collect and share information for students to find out about various engagement opportunities. A future goal is for the site to include a catalogue of engaged learning opportunities.
• Showcase stories and other features on engaged and interdisciplinary learning.
• Serve as a connection point for information on important interdisciplinary engagement projects that have been identified as key priorities for the university.
On the latter, Holloway said: “Many faculty and students across the U-M are doing engaged research and learning, but we have also identified some key interdisciplinary and engaged efforts, such as Poverty Solutions, our work in sustainability, and interprofessional health education, and others, as strategic universitywide programs that bring together students and faculty across many of our schools and colleges. These efforts leverage the amazing broad strengths of Michigan to attack important problems from a variety of perspectives.”
