The project, led by Detroit-based artist and U-M alumnus Doug Jones, will culminate in an exhibition titled “Connect the Dots: Collective Interpretations of the U-M Library Collections.” It opens Monday at the Hatcher Graduate Library, 913 South University Ave.

“When I use some of those tools and techniques that I learned in Dr. Mohr’s class and my other Ford School classes to really try to unpack what’s at the root cause of both these challenges and these opportunities, what I come to is designers,” said Olga Stella, U-M alumna and now executive director of Design Core Detroit.

It is noteworthy when a world-renown cultural institution housing priceless art gives you a chance to display what you did over your summer vacation. That is what the Detroit Institute of Arts is doing for a group of Delray students as it honors their families, stories and creativity through their personal ofrendas.

“When traveling in Detroit, doing work on urban gardens, I was struck by all the footpaths,” said Joshua Newell, associate professor at U-M’s School for Environment and Sustainability and in the Program in the Environment. “There is so much vacant land, we are not going to be able to develop or simply enclose all of it … so why not think about reaffirming and formalizing how people are already using these spaces?”

Half of the $5 million gift will establish the Weill Scholars Fund, which will provide tuition support and stipends for graduate students at the Ford School who come from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and are committed to advancing diversity in public policy. 

“I think it’s also the first book to overtly state that cities are our last best chance in the war against climate change. People who live in cities have smaller carbon footprints, and that’s largely due to walkability, transit, and shared dwelling units that share walls and infrastructure.”

“I never thought my career would have unfolded the way it has, but I’ve had the opportunity to work on projects that I think have made the world a better place. I never thought I’d be a municipal lawyer, but when the opportunity came up, I took it. And that’s how I’ve always tried to live my life. To go where I can do the most good,” said Eli Savit, U-M Law School alumnus and lawyer for the city of Detroit.

Some University of Michigan students spent the summer honing their social engagement skills. Three dozen student-led start-ups that received funding from optiMize, a  program that provides grants to students who want to build self-directed projects for social change, spanned out. One, Building Successful Bridges, worked with the incoming ninth grade class of Marygrove High School in Detroit. 

The middle and high school students who are part of the University of Michigan’s Wolverine Pathways program have the smarts to get to college. They have the desire. They see themselves as college students.