Talk:History of the University of Michigan

Cleanup
This article could use some citation and clarification, especially to clear up a perceived anachronism in the opening paragraph, which states: "The school moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor in 1837, only 13 years after the latter city had been founded. Ann Arbor had set the land aside trying to win the bid for the new state capital. Lansing won the bid so Ann Arbor offered the land to the university." This implies that Lansing won the bid in 1837 or earlier. However, the state capital was not moved to Lansing until 1847.

Kevin Forsyth 18:40, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Formatting and other issues
I have started a cleanup of article in hopes of one day getting it to at least "Good article" status. In the meantime, I have moved the list of institutional milestones here, given that, in my opinion, it is better to have the material integrated with the article rather than to have it in a separate list (which may also lead to material duplication).

In the meantime, any new information added to this article should pertain to the university as a whole. Any material that is specific to a particular college/school should go into their respective college/school article. PentawingTalk 00:50, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

Institutional milestones

 * 1817 - Legislative act establishes the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania.
 * 1817 - The Reverend John Monteith appointed the first president of the Catholepistemiad.
 * 1817 - The "Temple of Wisdom" seal is adopted for the University, but no proof exists of it ever being struck.
 * 1821 - The university adopts the official name of "The University of Michigan" and reorganizes to form a board of 21 Trustees, including the Governor (chosen from the faculty).
 * 1837 - Ann Arbor chosen as permanent site for the University of Michigan by a March 20 state act. 40 acres are given to the University by the Ann Arbor Land Company.
 * 1837 - The state of Michigan enters the Union in January of this year. The board of regents is established by a state act on March 18, 1837. The first meeting of the board of regents takes place in Ann Arbor on June 5 of 1837.
 * 1838 - the first book purchased by the UM library was a copy of J.J. Audubon's Birds of North America. In 1838 the Regents authorized $970 for its acquisition.
 * 1840 - Four identical houses built for professors, one will later (in 1852) become the president's house, the oldest existing structure on campus today and the first building in Ann Arbor to have indoor plumbing.
 * 1841 - University's first year of classes in Ann Arbor; the student body consists of six freshmen and one sophomore taught by two professors.
 * 1841 - Mason Hall, the first building, is completed.
 * 1843 - The first out-of-state and foreign students enroll; out of a class of 53 students, four were from other states and one was from Canada.
 * 1845 - First commencement held at the First Presbyterian Church; the graduating class consists of eleven men.
 * 1848 - "Department of Medicine" (later the Medical School) established.
 * 1852 - Henry Philip Tappan inaugurated as first president of the university. First physicians graduate from the medical school.
 * 1854- The university's first observatory opens, largely funded by subscriptions from Detroit and known as the "Detroit Observatory."
 * 1856 - First building at a state university designed and equipped solely as a chemical laboratory is built at Michigan.
 * 1857 - First student newspaper, The Peninsular Phoenix and Gazetteer, published on the university campus.
 * 1863 - Erastus Otis Haven inaugurated as second president of the university.
 * 1867 - Maize and azure blue adopted as class colors by a student committee and become official school colors in 1912 by action of the regents.
 * 1869 - Henry Simmons Frieze, professor of Latin, became President pro tempore of the University until 1871.
 * 1869 - Michigan establishes the nation's first university-owned hospital.
 * 1870 - Michigan becomes the first American university to admit students upon graduation from approved high schools rather than examination, and to institute a system of approval of high schools for purposes of regulating the privilege of such certification.
 * 1871 - James Burrill Angell inaugurated as third president of the university.
 * 1876 - First PhD's are conferred.
 * 1880 - Organization and incorporation of the University Musical Society/Choral Union.
 * 1880 - First University Museum building erected (later the Romance Languages building). The New Museums building was erected in 1928.
 * 1880 - Henry S. Frieze as acting president until 1882 while President Angell is on diplomatic missions.
 * 1885 - First commencement for all schools and colleges of the University to be held on the same day. Until then, various schools and colleges held independent exercises.
 * 1887 - Henry S. Frieze as acting president until January 1888 while President Angell is on diplomatic missions.
 * 1889 - Charles Mills Gayley, lit. 1878, writes the words to " The Yellow and Blue
 * 1890 - Michigan Daily begins publication
 * 1891 - University RECORD established
 * 1894 - Literary Class of '94 is the first to wear academic gowns at a Michigan commencement.
 * 1894 - First issue of the Michigan Alumnus magazine published.
 * 1894 - Summer courses given for the first time
 * 1897 - Michiganensian (the UM yearbook) begins publication.
 * 1897 - The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan founded.
 * 1897 - Harry Hutchins becomes interim president until 1898 while President Angell is serving as an envoy in Turkey.
 * 1898 - "The Victors" is written by Louis Elbel, a senior music student.
 * 1902 - Michigan Law Review first published.
 * 1904 - Michigan Union established for male students, alumni, faculty, and regents. Present-day Michigan Union building dedicated in 1920.
 * 1907 - Lawrence C. Hull, '05 is the first Rhodes Scholar chosen from Michigan.
 * 1908 - Michigan Union Opera, later renamed MUSKET (Michigan Union Show, Ko- Eds Too), begins performances.
 * 1909 - Harry Hutchins becomes interim president until 1910 after President Angell's resignation.
 * 1910 - Alumni Memorial Hall (now the Museum of Art) dedicated.
 * 1910 - Harry Burns Hutchins inaugurated as fourth president of the university.
 * 1911 - University of Michigan Extension Service, a division of the University's Academic Outreach Program, is established.
 * 1911 - "Varsity" written by Earl Moore, '12, and J. Fred Lawton, '11.
 * 1911 - Graduate Department formally established with Karl E. Guthe as its first dean.
 * 1913 - Hill Auditorium dedicated
 * 1913 - Museum of Zoology becomes an independent unit, headed by Alexander Ruthven. (it began unofficially in 1903)
 * 1917 - A central corresponding committee of alumnae is established, which in 1920 changes its name to the Alumnae Council of the Alumni Association.
 * 1919 - The Michigan Union building is opened as a gathering place for men only.
 * 1920 - Marion LeRoy Burton inaugurated as fifth president of the university.
 * 1920 - General Library built (Old General Library demolished in 1918).
 * 1922 - Museums of Anthropology and Paleontology established.
 * 1923 - William L. Clements Library of American History erected.
 * 1924 - Angell Hall completed.
 * 1924 - Lawyer's Club completed.
 * 1925 - Alfred Henry Lloyd serves as acting president from February through September after the death of President Burton.
 * 1925 - Clarence Cook Little inaugurated as sixth president of the university.
 * 1925 - University Hospital, built by Albert Kahn and later known as "Old Main," dedicated.
 * 1928 - University Museums building completed
 * 1928 - The archeological collections move into Newberry Hall. The museum is named the Kelsey Museum in 1953.
 * 1929 - Affiliation of the Ann Arbor School of Music with the University of Michigan. The school comes under the complete jurisdiction of the university in 1940, with Earl Moore as director.
 * 1929 - Alexander Grant Ruthven inaugurated as seventh president of the university.
 * 1929 - The Michigan League is opened as a meeting place for women students, faculty, and staff.
 * 1929 - On May 24 the Regents vote to change the date on the UM seal from 1837 to 1817.
 * 1930 - Middle English Dictionary moves to UM.
 * 1930 - Founding of The University of Michigan Press.
 * 1933 - Law Quadrangle completed.
 * 1935 - The university mandates the preservation of state and university history with the establishment of the Michigan Historical Collections (now The Bentley Historical Library).
 * 1936 - Burton Memorial Tower dedicated
 * 1936 - International Center established with J. Raleigh Nelson as director.
 * 1938 - Rackham Graduate School Building completed by the architects Smith, Hinchman & Grylls.
 * 1946 - The Museum of Art is established in Alumni Memorial Hall.
 * 1946 - Willow Run airport is acquired by the University of Michigan.
 * 1947 - UMGASS, the oldest collegiate Gilbert & Sullivan Society in North America, produces Mikado, its first show.
 * 1948 - UM's radio station WUOM goes on the air. Radio broadcasting began on the campus with student broadcasts in 1923.
 * 1951 - Harlan Hawthorne Hatcher inaugurated as eighth president of the university.
 * 1954 - Thomas H. Weller, '36, M.S. '37, is the first Michigan graduate to receive a Nobel Prize.
 * 1955 - North Campus recognized as a campus geographic area.
 * 1955 - Salk polio vaccine announced at the University of Michigan on April 12.
 * 1956 - Flint College offers University of Michigan instruction, with David French as resident dean.
 * 1957 - Undergraduate Library (Shapiro) built by Albert Kahn Associates.
 * 1959 - Dearborn Center opens, headed by University Vice President William E. Stirton.
 * 1960 - On October 14 John F. Kennedy announces the concept of the Peace Corps during a presidential campaign stop on the steps of the Michigan Union.
 * 1964 - President Lyndon Baines Johnson delivers his "Great Society" address to a crowd of more than 80,000 people gathered for spring commencement in Michigan Stadium on May 22.
 * 1965 - Regents approve a merger of the Michigan League and Michigan Union, thus establishing a University Activities Center (UAC). Both buildings become open to all students.
 * 1965 - Astronaut Edward H. White, MSE AA '59, Hon ScD '65, becomes the first American to walk in space during the Gemini Four mission commanded by James A. McDivitt, BSE AA '59, Hon ScD '65. 66
 * 1967 - The university celebrates the sesquicentennial of its original establishment in Detroit with the theme "Knowledge, Wisdom, and the Courage to Serve."
 * 1968 - University Events Building constructed (renamed Crisler Arena in 1970).
 * 1968 - Robben Wright Fleming inaugurated as ninth president of the university.
 * 1970 - Eight story addition (the south building) added onto the Graduate Library.
 * 1971 - Astronauts David R. Scott, '49-50, Alfred M. Worden, MA '63, and James B. Irwin, M.S. '57, travel to the moon aboard Apollo 15.
 * 1971 - Power Center for the Performing Arts built.
 * 1973 - Bentley Historical Library building, home of the Michigan Historical Collections, completed.
 * 1974 - Gerald R. Ford, '35 sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.
 * 1977 - "Let's Go Blue" written by Joseph Carl, a tuba player in the hockey pep band.
 * 1979 - Allan Frederick Smith serves as interim president following President Fleming's resignation.
 * 1980 - Gerald R. Ford Library completed.
 * 1980 - Harold Tafler Shapiro inaugurated as tenth president of the university.
 * 1982 - Marine Col. Jack R. Lousma, BSE '59, Hon ScD '73, commands third flight of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia.
 * 1983 - Alumni Center dedicated.
 * 1986 - The new University Hospital built by Albert Kahn Associates and A. Alfred Taubman Health Care Center dedicated. M-CARE managed care health plan launched.
 * 1987 - The University celebrates the sesquicentennial of its establishment in Ann Arbor.
 * 1988 - Robben Fleming serves as interim president following President Shapiro's resignation.
 * 1988 - James Johnson Duderstadt inaugurated as eleventh president of the university.
 * 1996 - Homer S. Neal serves as interim president following President Duderstadt's resignation.
 * 1997 - The Medical School, Hospitals & Health Centers, and M-CARE are brought together under the umbrella name "University of Michigan Health System."
 * 1996 - Lee C. Bollinger inaugurated as twelfth president of the university.
 * 2002 - B. Joseph White serves as interim president after President Bollinger's unexpected resignation.
 * 2002 - Mary Sue Coleman inaugurated as 13th president of the university and the first woman president.
 * 2006 - M-CARE managed care plan is sold for $240 million to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Several passages that need to be confirmed
I took another look at the article and found the following passages, which I currently can't be able to confirm:
 * 1) UM's adaptation of the German curriculum grew into a model for other universities, including Johns Hopkins.
 * 2) Cleveland once stated, "When I was in office and needed help I usually turned to the University of Michigan." Forty-seven of the university's alumni served in the U.S. Congress during Cleveland's two administrations. UM faculty members also were instrumental in the founding and early leadership of Cornell University, which recruited U-M history professor C.K. Adams to serve as its president in 1885. As of 2005, six UM administrators or faculty members have been appointed president of Cornell.

If someone does find the source for the information, can you be able to write up the citation? Thanks. PentawingTalk 00:39, 8 March 2007 (UTC)


 * There are lots of sources that touch on (1), but I can't find one that outright states that Johns Hopkins was modeled after Michigan. Daniel Coit Gilman was friends with Andrew Dickson White, who was a protege of Henry Philip Tappan, and it is clear that Francis Wayland and Tappan's early work at Brown and Michigan were huge influences on Gilman and many others&mdash;but the only university for which I see sources saying it was definitively modeled after Michigan is the University of California. The closest I could find to a source that actually backs up (1) is this quote:
 * Like Wayland, Tappan was too early. His idea would flower with the creation of Johns Hopkins University 18 years later. Tappan's rejected notions about the German university and scholarship ultimately would form the soul of the modern American university. --
 * But that doesn't really back up the claim that Michigan itself was the model for Johns Hopkins. Sarcasmboy 03:10, 6 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I found a source for (2): -Sarcasmboy 03:32, 7 September 2007 (UTC)


 * Another citation relevant to (1):
 * The trustees accordingly asked Eliot, of Harvard, Angell, of Michigan, and White, of Cornell, to tell them what a university was and who should be its president. With remarkable unanimity all three of these gentlemen answered that a university was a very different thing from the institutions over which they presided, and that Daniel C. Gilman should be president of it. --
 * But, again, I don't know that this shows any particular influence Michigan had on Johns Hopkins over and above the general (and considerable) influence that it, along with Presidents Tappan and Angell, had on just about every new university founded in the late 19th century. -Sarcasmboy 01:22, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Exact date of establisment
Hey all, does anybody know when is the exact date Michigan was established? __earth (Talk) 06:23, 29 August 2007 (UTC)


 * As far as an exact date, I think it depends what you mean by "established." The following timeline seems relevant:
 * August 26, 1817: The Governor and Judges of the Territory of Michigan enacted that there should be a Catholepistemiad, or University, of Michigania.
 * September 12, 1817: The Seal of the University comes into effect (see 1929 below for significance)
 * September 24, 1817: The cornerstone of the first building was laid in Detroit at Bates & Congress.
 * April 30, 1821: The Governor and Judges passed a new act changing the name to the University of Michigan, and appointing a Board of Trustees to replace the president (Rev. John Monteith).
 * March 18, 1837: An act was approved that creates the University of Michigan with a Board of Regents and a Chancellor (a position which the Regents never fill, instead rotating various professors to perform the day-to-day administration, until a new state constitution in 1850 creates the office of President of the University of Michigan)
 * March 20, 1837: A follow-up act was approved that situates the University in Ann Arbor, at a site to be chosen by the Regents
 * June 5, 1837: The first meeting of the new Board of Regents was held
 * 1841: The first freshman class entered the new University
 * 1856: The Michigan Supreme Court decided that, legally speaking, the University of Michigan was continuous from its original founding in 1817. The University itself continued to use 1837 as its founding date.
 * May 24, 1929: The Regents reverse themselves, upon presentation of evidence that the seal of the university was in effect from September 12, 1817, and decide that the official founding date is 1817
 * Except where noted, all of the above dates are from Chapters III-V of:


 * I think the best candidate for "exact date" would be September 12, 1817, when the seal of the university came into existence. It seems to be what the Regents themselves took as evidence of the founding date in 1929. Perhaps some of these dates could be moved into the body of the article. Sarcasmboy 00:22, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Source for opening sentences
I believe the opening two sentences of this article are factually incorrect: "The history of the University of Michigan (UM) began with its establishment in 1817 by the Michigan Territorial legislature. As one of the first public universities in the United States, it was built on 1,920 acres (7.78 km²) of land ceded by the Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi people '…for a college at Detroit.'"

Per the Michigan Territory article, Michigan did not have a territorial legislature until 1824. Prior to that, it was administered by a governor and judges appointed by the president. The establishment of the Catholepistemiad was enacted by Governor Cass and Judges Woodward and Griffin, not a legislature. Source:

In the Treaty of Fort Meigs, Native Americans (at the urging of Father Gabriel Richard) did cede 1,920 acres to the "college at Detroit" (the Catholepistemiad), but the university was not actually built on those lands. In fact, it appears that the actual land was not selected until much later, when Governor Cass commissioned two men to pick it out in 1821; legal right to the lands wasn't granted until 1824. The lands were sold to help pay for the establishment of the Ann Arbor campus in 1837. Source:

I am working on expanding some of the early history sections, and I plan on revising the lead paragraph to remove what I believe to be incorrect information. But first I wanted to see if anyone has a citation for these claims. -Sarcasmboy 02:22, 7 September 2007 (UTC)


 * One correction to myself -- the act establishing the Catholepistemiad was not signed by Governor Cass, as he was traveling, but by the acting governor. The point remains the same. -Sarcasmboy 05:53, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

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Inconsistent citation style
The article uses a mix of regular footnotes and shortened footnotes/Harvard style citations, which does not look good. I take a considerable part of the blame for this, as it appears I introduced a number of inconsistencies back in 2007, and subsequent changes have perpetuated the problem. I'd like to propose moving the entire article to the shortened footnote/harvnb style citations. Comments? Sarcasmboy (talk) 04:37, 30 October 2018 (UTC)