November 12, 2004

Michigan News

Yet another college ranking has come out, and Michigan has made the list. Newsweek recently published "America's 25 Hot Schools," which features unconventional categories like "Hottest Architecture," "Hottest for the Tech-Savvy" and "Hottest for Getting a Job." Michigan was named "Hottest for Greeks with Brains." Newsweek compiled the list by interviewing students, admissions officers and admissions experts. All the ranked schools have experienced growth recently in the number of applicants and in the quality of students' test scores, grades and extracurricular activities.

Association News

The Alumni Association has partnered with the publisher of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books to create a Michigan-specific volume, and we’re looking for stories from alumni. Did a University professor change your outlook on life? Did you make the friend of a lifetime in the dorms? Was your life changed by a U-M alum? We are currently accepting heart-warming, engaging, unusual or funny stories about your Michigan experience—whether as a student or an alumnus/a. Selected stories will appear in “Chicken Soup for the University of Michigan Soul,” scheduled for publication in August 2005. Full submission details are available online.

The 2004 Football Fantasy Experience takes place at Saturday’s football game against Northwestern. The winners will attend a special U-M Athletic Department tailgate, tour the radio booth, watch the game from press box seats, visit the sidelines and attend the postgame press conference. The winners are William Henning, ’74, from Lafayette, Indiana (free drawing winner); Jason Hall of Oxford, Michigan (auction #1 winner); and Jeff Koury, ’83, of Dove Canyon, California (auction #2 winner).

The Alumni Association now offers the ability to help students with their research through online polls and surveys. Details are available on the Volunteering and Giving section of the Alumni Association's Web site. Our first survey is from students from the Ross School of Business who are conducting a survey for their marketing class about tailgating and University of Michigan football game-day activities. The survey will take approximately five to seven minutes, and your responses will be greatly appreciated. Please click on the following link to take the survey: http://entrypage.hrgems.com/goblue

Arts & Culture

New York litigation attorney Lawrence Savell, JD’82, recently debuted the CD “Legal Holidaze.” Composed, performed and produced by Savell, the 10 rock ‘n’ roll holiday tunes take on subjects such as lawyer marketing, continuing legal education, document review and production, expert witnesses and bar exams. “Rainmaker Reindeer” (the lawyer marketing song) is one of the songs featured on the CD, which is a follow-up to Savell’s “The Lawyer’s Holiday Humor Album.”

Research

The International Institute and the Institute for the Humanities have partnered on a new initiative to promote human rights education and research at U-M. “International Perspectives on Human Rights” brings together faculty from various departments and viewpoints to serve as a resource for scholars, students and others. The program will also select each year a human rights fellow to promote undergraduate human rights education. Communication studies professor Javed Nazir, who came to U-M as a Journalist at Risk in the Michigan Journalism Fellows Program due to his work at an independent newspaper in Pakistan, is the program’s first fellow.

True Blue Travel

Walk in the footsteps of Cezanne and indulge in French wines on the Alumni Association’s "Alumni College Abroad in Provence" trip. You’ll travel to the old fishing village of Cassis and explore the “calanques,” a series of sheer limestone fjords and cliffs. You’ll take in the lush green forests, perched villages, castles and churches in Le Luberon and visit historic Les Baux and St. Rémy. The trip includes a memorable “Meet the People” discussion with local residents. For details, including dates and prices, on this trip and the rest of our itineraries, visit True Blue Travel online.

Sports

The eighth-ranked field hockey team took home its third Big Ten Tournament title with a 3-2 victory over No. 14 Iowa on Sunday at Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex in Evanston, Illinois. This was the second time the Wolverines captured the regular season and tournament titles in the same season. The team won back-to-back conference titles in 1999 and 2000. The Wolverines will play the University of the Pacific in the first round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 13 at U-M.

With the football season winding down, here are some important items to note:

• Michigan (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) takes on Northwestern (5-4, 4-2 Big Ten) at noon Eastern time on Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
• Michigan will play at Ohio State on Saturday, November 20, in its last regular-season game of the year. Before the game, the Alumni Association will host a True Blue Away-Game Tailgate, featuring appearances by former U-M football players. Admission is only $5.
• Michigan is now ranked ninth in the BCS rankings, which plays an important role in determining the bowl game the Wolverines are invited to. Again this year, the Alumni Association will host the Official University of Michigan Bowl Tour and Tailgate. For details, visit our Web site.