Fall 2025
In THE ISSUE
In
THE
ISSUE
Cover Story
Greg Epstein, ’99, MA’04, is a secular chaplain who helps college students (and readers) consider the big questions.
Feature
Jessica Berman, ’99, dreamed of being a sports commissioner as a teen. Now she’s helping the National Women’s Soccer League grow during a surge of interest in women’s sports.
Feature
There are 4.5 million podcasts worldwide. From Supreme Court analyses to book recommendations, meet three Wolverines hosting shows of their own.
Feature
Through decades of collecting and research, David Tinder, ’49, amassed a comprehensive archive of early Michigan photography, now preserved at the Clements Library.
Guest Column
Ayanna McConnell
Keep Making
The global reach of the University of Michigan alumni network is unparalleled, meaning that wherever you go, a Wolverine is likely to be there.
Around THE U
Around
The U
Cover Story
When Grant Williams was leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, he was left questioning whether or not he could still be an honorable person if he became an atheist. He picked up a copy of “Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe,” a 2009 New York Times bestseller, and realized the author, Greg Epstein, ’99, MA’04, was a chaplain on his own campus at Harvard University.
Feature
As the horn sounded following a goal at a New York Islanders hockey game, a 16-year-old Jessica Berman, ’99, watched as two strangers near her erupted in joy, hugs, and high-fives. That’s when the Brooklyn, New York, native had an epiphany.
Feature
There are so many podcasts because they’re easy to start. All you need is a microphone and a topic. Heck, there’s a chance your buddy started one during the pandemic and abandoned it after making you listen to six episodes. But on today’s show, we’re talking to three University of Michigan alumni who host podcasts of their own. And none of them stopped after six episodes.
Feature
David Tinder, ’49, had a favorite “stunt” he liked to perform when a new visitor arrived in his suburban metro Detroit apartment.
Your
Association
Where in the World is Blue?
Show your
As you travel around the world or around the block, show us your Michigan pride! Don your Maize and Blue or Block M, snap a photo, and submit it to Michigan Alum for the chance to appear in a future issue. Check out the current issue’s gallery here.
Alumni
news+notes
Around Town
Ann Arbor
For 55 years, bonsai enthusiasts have been honing their craft — and their trees — among an ever-growing community.
Michigan Alum
Fall 2025
Editorial Team
CHAIR Mary Kay Haben, MBA’79 | CHAIR-ELECT Kurtis Wilder, ’81, JD’84 | TREASURER Thomas W. Hawkins, ’83 | EX OFFICIO Ayanna McConnell | SECRETARY Gabriela Teran, ’96 | Wendall Brooks, ’87 | Wayee Chu, ’97 | Salene Hitchcock-Gear, ’84 | Monica Howard Douglas, ’94 | Joseph Giles, ’96, MBA’01, JD’01 | Li Li Leung, ’95 | Prakash Patel, ’89 | Anup Popat, ’95 | Emilie Rubinfeld, ’96 | John Sabat, ’95| Charles F. Schwartz, ’90 | Rajiv Shah, ’95 | Steve Shindler, ’85 | Paul Viera, ’81 | Rick Wallace, ’82 | Sophie Wong, ’97 | Lynn Wooten, PHD’95 | Linda Zhang, ’96, MSE’98, MBA’11
