In 1887, Frederick Blackburn Pelham became the first Black student to earn an engineering degree from the University of Michigan. He was born in Detroit and worked for Michigan Central Railroad after graduation.

Poverty Solutions at U-M recently examined data from the 2023 American Community Survey to explore how low-income seniors in Detroit are affected by declining housing values and high housing costs compared to seniors across Michigan. Detroit seniors — both owners and renters — are more likely to be housing cost-burdened than Michigan seniors overall.

University of Michigan public policy professor Luke Shaefer has been named chief executive of Health, Human Services, and Poverty Solutions for the city of Detroit as part of Mayor Mary Sheffield’s administration.

Apply now for a 2026 Engage Detroit Workshops grant. The grant from the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning provides up to $15,000 for workshops or speaker series that foster meaningful relationships and connections on a topic connecting U-M faculty and staff with Detroit communities.

Consultations are free to Detroit small business owners through a Community Tech Consultants program run by the University of Michigan in partnership with Jefferson East Inc and Live6 Alliance. The program equips local residents to provide tech support and digital skill development for small business owners, while strengthening community ties. 

Founded in 1995, the Detroit URC envisions a future that involves addressing the root causes of inequity, building bridges, fostering new partnerships, and investing in a new era of scholars, practitioners, and community-based leaders who are deeply committed to or passionate in advancing health equity.

Alumna Madeline Walker Miller was recently named a Notable Leader in Sustainability by Crain’s Detroit Business and is a researcher in U-M’s Urban Energy Justice Lab. And she’s also the founder of NexTiles, a textile waste recycling company, which is diverting hundreds of tons of textile waste from landfills.

Every great river also needs its story keepers. For the past five years, the University of Michigan’s Detroit River Story Lab has been supporting local efforts to lift up river stories and amplify the voices of their tellers. 

U-M student Yumna Dagher has been named a 2025 Rhodes Scholar, one of 32 Americans chosen to win scholarships to Oxford University. Her experience during a visit to Oakland Avenue Urban Farm in Detroit, a Black-led collective, taught her that agriculture is not just about growing food, but about creating a viable future, reinforcing her belief in environmental stewardship as a means of community resilience.