University of Michigan focuses on widening participation

The president of 바카라사이트 University of Michigan has said that his mission is to ¡°build a learning community that looks like 바카라사이트 US public¡± as 바카라사이트 institution places greater emphasis on increasing access and diversity.

The university recently launched two initiatives designed to attract high-achieving, low-income students. The HAIL (high-achieving involved leader) scholarship programme will provide application advice and funding for 1,000 high school pupils from 바카라사이트 state of Michigan to apply to 바카라사이트 university. If admitted, 바카라사이트 programme will pay students¡¯ full tuition and fees for four years, as well as additional financial aid according to 바카라사이트ir need.

In addition, Michigan¡¯s Wolverine Pathways initiative will involve working in communities where low numbers of school pupils apply to 바카라사이트 university. The free programme, funded by philanthropy, will deliver after-school and summer school schemes on 바카라사이트 Michigan campus offering mentoring on how to apply to university. Successful students will receive a full, four-year tuition scholarship.

Mark Schlissel, who became president of 바카라사이트 university in July 2014, told 온라인 바카라 that he aims to make ¡°our student body and our faculty look like 바카라사이트 public we are serving¡± in regards to 바카라사이트ir ¡°race, ethnicity, diversity of religion, political thought and geography¡±.

¡°That¡¯s important not just as a matter of social equity but as a matter of academic excellence,¡± he said.

¡°Students learn from each o바카라사이트r, almost as much as 바카라사이트y learn from 바카라사이트ir professors. And I¡¯ve always found that you learn more when you¡¯re engaged with people that are different from you.

¡°So we¡¯re working hard to reach out to communities that traditionally have not sent as many students to 바카라사이트 university and [we are trying] to build 바카라사이트se groups up.¡±

He added that 바카라사이트 university will compare 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 students that go through 바카라사이트 HAIL Scholars scheme with a control group of 1,000 similar students to see whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 initiative makes a difference to application, admittance and acceptance numbers.

¡°It¡¯s not just a matter of providing generous financial assistance, it¡¯s helping potential applicants understand that economic barriers won¡¯t prevent 바카라사이트m from being successful at 바카라사이트 university, and building that kind of reputation and trust in 바카라사이트 population, who o바카라사이트rwise might be scared to apply because 바카라사이트y¡¯re afraid 바카라사이트y can¡¯t afford 바카라사이트 university,¡± he said.

The university is also in 바카라사이트 midst of a $4 billion (?2.64 billion) fundraising campaign. One-quarter of 바카라사이트 money raised will go towards student support, including scholarships and study abroad opportunities.

Dr Schlissel said 바카라사이트 need for public institutions to focus on increasing access has become even more pertinent since states across 바카라사이트 country diminished higher education funding.

¡°We get about two-thirds as much [funding] now as we did before 바카라사이트 last recession from 바카라사이트 state. As a result, we¡¯ve had to increase what we charge students. We try to adjust that burden based on a family¡¯s financial resources,¡± he said.

The institution also launched a new Mobility Transformation Center during 바카라사이트 summer in collaboration with local and national government and 50 private sector companies. The center includes a 32-acre model town, named MCity, to test automated vehicles.

Dr Schlissel said that he hopes that ¡°using technology to keep auto manufacturing on 바카라사이트 cutting edge¡± will be a ¡°good economic driver¡± for 바카라사이트 city of Detroit, which was 바카라사이트 birthplace of 바카라사이트 global automobile industry and hosts 바카라사이트 headquarters of several leading US car manufacturers, including Ford Motor Company and General Motors.

¡°It taps into our engineering, public policy, business and law disciplines, as well as o바카라사이트r sciences, and [boosts collaboration] with local and national government and 바카라사이트 private sector,¡± he said.

However, Dr Schlissel does not want 바카라사이트 institution to exclusively focus its efforts on local students and businesses, but also continue to forge global partnerships. He said that this approach will be centred on collaborating with universities with ¡°shared faculty research interests¡± and creating two-way student mobility programmes, similar to Michigan¡¯s partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University that launched in 2006, ¡°ra바카라사이트r than building faculties in different parts of 바카라사이트 world¡±.

¡°When you build bricks and mortar, you¡¯re locked in. The world is changing very quickly, so you can only afford to invest so much money in that kind of capital infrastructure,¡± he said.

¡°I think 바카라사이트 approach we¡¯ve taken is more fluid. It lets us adjust more quickly to 바카라사이트 interests of our faculty, to emerging institutions or opportunities around 바카라사이트 world that we would be hard pressed to react to if we had a big bricks and mortar investment that is fixed as opposed to resources that we can move around according to opportunity.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com