President Mary Sue Coleman told U-M’s newest students that their education is a passport — and they are about to embark on a transformational journey.
“The University of Michigan will be unlike any environment you have known, from the classrooms and laboratories to the libraries, museums and Michigan Stadium,” she said at the Aug. 28 New Student Convocation at Crisler Center. “This is a place that will change you.”
Coleman and other university leaders encouraged incoming students at the ceremony to be creative, embrace teamwork and step outside their comfort zones.
She said students shouldn’t hesitate to share their ideas and opinions as they explore everything the university has to offer, because U-M values learners who bring “innovative initiative and a dose of skepticism” to the classroom.
“College is about ideas and viewpoints and questions, and the myriad directions that they take your mind,” Coleman said. “A Michigan education is about the firing of synapses and the connections you make — in the classroom, in the coffee shop, the library and the lab. It is about endless opportunities and countless possibilities.”
The president also highlighted the university’s longstanding commitment to service, noting that President John F. Kennedy announced his idea for the Peace Corps at U-M.
“Hundreds of volunteer activities await you, and I encourage you to step forward and make a difference,” she said.
More than 84,000 high school seniors worldwide applied to attend U-M this fall. The incoming class includes more than 3,600 Michigan residents who hail from 77 of the state’s 83 counties, said Adele Brumfield, vice provost for enrollment management. There also are students from every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, two territories and 68 countries.
“You came to Ann Arbor for a reason,” Brumfield said. “The people are what make the University of Michigan a world-class institution, and more importantly, a special place. … You’ve just started a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will help you grow into the person you’re meant to be.”
Coleman and Martino Harmon, vice president for Student Life, said the expectations for U-M students are high.
“We expect you to get both a degree and an education,” Harmon said. “We expect you to speak up and speak out against inequity and injustice. We expect you to see possibility everywhere, and impossibility nowhere.”
But, he added, “We also expect that you will give back. Enrich our campus. Enrich our university. Your university.”
Harmon encouraged the students to branch out and soak up U-M’s incredible diversity.
“Don’t restrict yourself to the same groups and circles that you became comfortable with before coming here,” he said. “When you graduate, your world may begin to shrink to the field and the workplaces that you choose — so seize this opportunity to build connections with as many people as you can, who are as different from you as possible.”
Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, told the students they will encounter ideas and opinions in their courses that will challenge them.
“This is an important part of a Michigan education,” she said. “The faculty are ready to help you undertake the thoughtful examination of what you are learning. Doing so involves testing your ideas with logic, with evidence, and with the bright light of opposing views. It requires listening respectfully to others and being prepared to change your mind when new information demands it.”
McCauley noted the various ways students can get involved, from U-M’s 1,600 student organizations to the Detroit Partnership program that connects students with Detroit-based community partners for service-learning opportunities and events.
She also reminded the students to take time to unwind.
“Research shows that taking time away from studies and work to do things we enjoy contributes to our physical and mental health,” she said. “College can be intense, so it is good to plan activities that help you relax and connect with friends and your family.”
Toward the end of her remarks, Coleman gave a shout-out to one particularly notable new member of the U-M community: Santa Ono, who will become the university’s 15th president on Oct. 14.
Coleman said Ono is an accomplished scientist, musician and university president.
“I can tell you that he is incredibly excited about connecting with students and faculty, and leading Michigan in exciting new directions,” she said. “I can also tell you that his name really is Santa, and he will want you to call him that.”
“So, even though you’re now starting college, it’s still OK to believe in Santa. He’s going to be an engaging and energetic leader and, like you, he’s ready to be a Wolverine.”
