University of Michigan The University of Michigan , Ann Arbor ( commonly referred to as Michigan , U - M , UMich , or U of M ) is a public research university located in Ann Arbor , Michigan in the United States . It is the state ' s oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan . U - M also has satellite campuses in Flint and Dearborn . The university was founded in 1817 in Detroit as the Catholepistemiad , or University of Michigania , about 20 years before the Michigan Territory officially became a state . What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres ( 16 ha ) of what is now known as Central Campus . Since its establishment in Ann Arbor , the university has physically expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 31 million gross square feet ( 712 acres or 2 . 38 km² ) , and transformed its academic program from a strictly classical curriculum to one that includes science and research . U - M was the site of much student activism in the 1960s . When presidential candidate John F . Kennedy visited the University on October 14 , 1960 , he gave an impromptu speech on the steps of the Michigan Union that led to a University of Michigan student movement which contributed to the establishment of the Peace Corps . The University was also a focal point in the controversy over affirmative action within higher education admissions . In the 2011 " U . S . News & World Report " " National University Rankings " , the university was ranked 29th among national universities in the United States , In 1995 , the National Research Council ranked Michigan third nationally for the quality of its graduate programs . Michigan has one of the world ' s largest living alumni groups at 460 , 000 in 2007 . U - M owns the University of Michigan Health System and has one of the largest research expenditures of any American university , passing the $ 1 . 14 billion mark during the 2009 - 2010 academic year . Its athletic teams , called the Wolverines , are members of the Big Ten Conference and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association . The athletic program is known for its success in ice hockey and football . The football team plays in Michigan Stadium , also known as " The Big House , " the largest football stadium in the world . History . The University of Michigan was established in Detroit in 1817 as the " Catholepistemiad " , or University of Michigania , by the governor and judges of Michigan Territory . The Rev . John Monteith was one of the university ' s founders and its first President . Ann Arbor had set aside 40 acres ( 16 ha ) that it hoped would become the site for a new state capitol , but it offered this land to the university when Lansing was chosen as the state capital . What would become the university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 thanks to governor Stevens T . Mason . The original became part of the current Central Campus . The first classes in Ann Arbor were held in 1841 , with six freshmen and a sophomore , taught by two professors . Eleven students graduated in the first commencement in 1845 . By 1866 enrollment increased to 1 , 205 students , many of whom were Civil War veterans . Women were first admitted in 1870 . James Burrill Angell , who served as the university ' s president from 1871 to 1909 , aggressively expanded U - M ' s curriculum to include professional studies in dentistry , architecture , engineering , government , and medicine . U - M also became the first American university to use the seminar method of study . From 1900 to 1920 the university constructed many new facilities , including buildings for the dental and pharmacy programs , chemistry , natural sciences , Hill Auditorium , large hospital and library complexes , and two residence halls . In 1920 the university reorganized the College of Engineering and formed an advisory committee of 100 industrialists to guide academic research initiatives . The university became a favored choice for bright Jewish students from New York in the 1920s and 1930s when the Ivy League schools had quotas restricting the number of Jews to be admitted . As a result , U - M gained the nickname " Harvard of the West , " which became commonly parodied in reverse after John F . Kennedy referred to himself as " a graduate of the Michigan of the East , Harvard University " in his speech proposing the formation of the Peace Corps while on the front steps of the Michigan Union . During World War II , U - M ' s research grew to include U . S . Navy projects such as proximity fuze s , PT boat s , and radar jamming . By 1950 , enrollment had reached 21 , 000 , of whom more than one third : 7 , 700 were veterans supported by the G . I . Bill . As the Cold War and the Space Race took hold , U - M became a major recipient of government grants for strategic research and helped to develop peacetime uses for nuclear energy . Much of that work , as well as research into alternative energy sources , is pursued via the Memorial Phoenix Project . Lyndon B . Johnson ' s speech outlining his Great Society program also occurred at U - M . During the 1960s , there were numerous protests against the Vietnam War and related to other issues at the U - M . On March 24 , 1965 , a group of U - M faculty members and 3 , 000 students held the nation ' s first ever faculty - led " teach - in " to protest against American policy in Southeast Asia . In response to a series of sit - in s in 1966 by " Voice " – the campus political party of Students for a Democratic Society , U - M ' s administration banned sit - ins . In response , 1 , 500 students had a one - hour sit - in the LSA Building , which housed administrative offices . Former U - M student and noted architect Alden B . Dow designed the current Fleming Administration Building , which was completed in 1968 . The building ' s plans were drawn in the early 1960s , before student activism prompted a concern for safety , but the Fleming Building ' s narrow windows , all located above the first floor , and fortress - like exterior led to a campus rumor that it was designed to be riot - proof . Dow denied those rumors , claiming the small windows were designed to be energy efficient . During the 1970s , severe budget constraints challenged the university ' s physical development ; but , in the 1980s , the university received increased grants for research in the social and physical sciences . The university ' s involvement in the anti - missile Strategic Defense Initiative and investments in South Africa caused controversy on campus . During the 1980s and 1990s , the university devoted substantial resources to renovating its massive hospital complex and improving the academic facilities on the North Campus . The university also emphasized the development of computer and information technology throughout the campus . In the early 2000s , U - M also faced declining state funding due to state budget shortfalls . At the same time , the university attempted to maintain its high academic standing while keeping tuition costs affordable . There were disputes between U - M ' s administration and labor unions , notably with the Lecturers ' Employees Organization ( LEO ) and the Graduate Employees Organization ( GEO ) , the union representing graduate student employees . These conflicts led to a series of one - day walkouts by the unions and their supporters . The university is currently engaged in a $ 2 . 5 billion construction campaign . In 2003 , two lawsuits involving U - M ' s affirmative action admissions policy reached the U . S . Supreme Court ( " Grutter v . Bollinger " and " Gratz v . Bollinger " ) . President George W . Bush took the unusual step of publicly opposing the policy before the court issued a ruling . The court found that race may be considered as a factor in university admissions in all public universities and private universities that accept federal funding . But , it ruled that a point system was unconstitutional . In the first case , the court upheld the Law School admissions policy , while in the second it ruled against the university ' s undergraduate admissions policy . The debate continues because in November 2006 , Michigan voters passed Proposal 2 , banning most affirmative action in university admissions . Under that law race , gender , and national origin can no longer be considered in admissions . U - M and other organizations were granted a stay from implementation of the passed proposal soon after that election , and this has allowed time for proponents of affirmative action to decide legal and constitutional options in response to the election results . The university has stated it plans to continue to challenge the ruling ; in the meantime , the admissions office states that it will attempt to achieve a diverse student body by looking at other factors , such as whether the student attended a disadvantaged school , and the level of education of the student ' s parents . Campus . The Ann Arbor campus is divided into four main areas : the North , Central , Medical , and South Campuses . The physical infrastructure includes more than 500 major buildings , with a combined area of more than 31 million square feet ( 712 acres or 2 . 38 km² ) . The Central and South Campus areas are contiguous , while the North Campus area is separated from them , primarily by the Huron River . There is also leased space in buildings scattered throughout the city , many occupied by organizations affiliated with the University of Michigan Health System . An East Medical Campus has recently been developed on Plymouth Road , with several university - owned buildings for outpatient care , diagnostics , and outpatient surgery . In addition to the U - M Golf Course on South Campus , the university operates a second golf course called " Radrick Farms Golf Course " on Geddes Road . The golf course is only open to faculty , staff , and alumni . Another off - campus facility is the Inglis House , which the university has owned since the 1950s . The Inglis House is a 10 , 000 square foot ( 930 m² ) mansion used to hold various social events , including meetings of the board of regents , and to host visiting dignitaries . The university also operates a large office building called Wolverine Tower in southern Ann Arbor near Briarwood Mall . Another major facility is the Matthaei Botanical Gardens , which is located on the eastern outskirts of Ann Arbor . All four campus areas are connected by bus services , the majority of which connect the North and Central Campuses . There is a shuttle service connecting the University Hospital , which lies between North and Central Campuses , with other medical facilities throughout northeastern Ann Arbor . Central Campus . Central Campus was the original location of U - M when it moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 . It originally had a school and dormitory building ( where Mason Hall now stands ) and several houses for professors on land bounded by North University Avenue , South University Avenue , East University Avenue , and State Street . Because Ann Arbor and Central Campus developed simultaneously , there is no distinct boundary between the city and university , and some areas contain a mixture of private and university buildings . Central Campus is the location of the College of Literature , Science and the Arts , and is immediately adjacent to the medical campus . Most of the graduate and professional schools , including the Ross School of Business , the Law School and the School of Dentistry , are on Central Campus . Two prominent libraries , the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library and the Shapiro Undergraduate Library which are connected by a skywalk , are also on Central Campus , as well as museums housing collections in archaeology , anthropology , paleontology , zoology , dentistry , and art . Ten of the buildings on Central Campus were designed by Detroit - based architect Albert Kahn between 1904 and 1936 . The most notable of the Kahn - designed buildings are the Burton Memorial Tower and nearby Hill Auditorium . North Campus . North Campus is the most contiguous campus , built independently from the city on a large plot of farm land — approximately 800 acres ( 3 . 25 km² ) — that the university bought in 1952 . It is newer than Central Campus , and thus has more modern architecture , whereas most Central Campus buildings are classical or gothic in style . The architect Eero Saarinen , based in Birmingham , Michigan , created one of the early master plans for North Campus and designed several of its buildings in the 1950s , including the Earl V . Moore School of Music Building . North and Central Campuses each have unique bell towers that reflect the predominant architectural styles of their surroundings . Each of the bell towers houses a grand carillon . The North Campus tower is called Lurie Tower . The University of Michigan ' s largest residence hall , Bursley Hall , is located on North Campus . North Campus houses the College of Engineering , the School of Music , Theatre & Dance , the School of Art & Design , the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning , and an annex of the School of Information . The campus is served by the Duderstadt Center , which houses the Art , Architecture and Engineering Library . The Duderstadt Center also contains multiple computer lab s , video editing studios , and a 3D virtual reality room . Other libraries located on North Campus include the Gerald R . Ford Presidential Library and the Bentley Historical Library . South Campus . South Campus is the site for the athletic programs , including major sports facilities such as Michigan Stadium , Crisler Arena , and Yost Ice Arena . South Campus is also the site of the Buhr library storage facility ( the collections of which are undergoing digitization by Google ) , the Institute for Continuing Legal Education , and the Student Theatre Arts Complex , which provides shop and rehearsal space for student theatre groups . The university ' s departments of public safety and transportation services offices are located on South Campus . U - M ' s golf course is located south of Michigan Stadium and Crisler Arena . It was designed in the late 1920s by Alister MacKenzie , the designer of Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta , Georgia ( home of The Masters Tournament ) . The course opened to the public in the spring of 1931 . The University of Michigan Golf Course was included in a listing of top holes designed by what " Sports Illustrated " calls “ golf ’ s greatest course architect . ” The U - M Golf Course ’ s signature No . 6 hole — a par 4 , which plays from an elevated tee to a two - tiered , kidney - shaped green protected by four bunkers — is the second hole on the Alister MacKenzie Dream 18 as selected by a five - person panel that includes three - time Masters champion Nick Faldo and golf course architect Tom Doak . The listing of “ the best holes ever designed by Augusta National architect Alister MacKenzie ” is featured in SI ’ s Golf Plus special edition previewing the Masters on April 4 , 2006 . Organization and administration . The University of Michigan consists of a flagship campus in Ann Arbor , with two regional campuses in Dearborn and Flint . The Board of Regents , which governs the university and was established by the Organic Act of March 18 , 1837 , consists of eight members elected at large in biennial state elections for overlapping eight year terms . Between the establishment of the University of Michigan in 1837 and 1850 , the Board of Regents ran the university directly ; although they were , by law , supposed to appoint a Chancellor to administer the university , they never did . Instead a rotating roster of professors carried out the day - to - day administration duties . The President of the University of Michigan is the principal executive officer of the university . The office was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1850 , which also specified that the president was to be appointed by the Regents of the University of Michigan and preside at their meetings , but without a vote . Today , the president ' s office is at the Ann Arbor campus , and the president has the privilege of living in the President ' s House , one of the university ' s oldest buildings located on Central Campus in Ann Arbor . Mary Sue Coleman is the 13th president of the university and has served since August 2002 . Her compensation for 2008 – 2009 totaled $ 783 , 850 . There are thirteen undergraduate schools and colleges . By enrollment , the three largest undergraduate units are the College of Literature , Science , and the Arts , the College of Engineering , and the Ross School of Business . At the graduate level , the Rackham Graduate School serves as the central administrative unit of graduate education at the university . There are 18 graduate schools and colleges , the largest of which are the College of Literature , Science , and the Arts , the College of Engineering , the Law School , and the Ross School of Business . Professional degrees are conferred by the Schools of Public Health , Dentistry , Law , Medicine , and Pharmacy . The Medical School is partnered with the University of Michigan Health System , which comprises the university ' s three hospitals , dozens of outpatient clinics , and many centers for medical care , research , and education . Endowment . U - M ' s financial endowment ( the " University Endowment Fund " ) was valued at $ 7 . 57 billion in NACUBO ' s 2008 ranking . It was the seventh largest endowment in the U . S . and the third - largest among U . S public universities at that time , as well as the fastest growing endowment in the nation over the last 21 years . The endowment is primarily used according to the donors ' wishes , which include the support of teaching and research . In mid - 2000 , U - M embarked on a massive fund - raising campaign called " The Michigan Difference , " which aimed to raise $ 2 . 5 billion , with $ 800 million designated for the permanent endowment . Slated to run through December 2008 , the university announced that the campaign had reached its target 19 months early in May 2007 . Ultimately , the campaign raised $ 3 . 2 billion over 8 years . Over the course of the capital campaign , 191 additional professorships were endowed , bringing the university total to 471 as of 2009 . Like nearly all colleges and universities , U - M suffered significant realized and unrealized losses in its endowment during the second half of 2008 . In February 2009 , a university spokesperson estimated losses of between 20 and 30 percent . As of June 2010 , the endowment was estimated to be $ 6 . 7 billion . Student government . Housed in the Michigan Union , the Michigan Student Assembly ( MSA ) is the central student government of the University . With representatives from each of the University ' s colleges and schools , the MSA represents students and manages student funds on the campus . In recent years MSA has organized airBus , a transportation service between campus and the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , and has led the university ' s efforts to register its student population to vote , with its Voice Your Vote Commission ( VYV ) registering 10 , 000 students in 2004 . VYV also works to improve access to non - partisan voting - related information and increase student voter turnout . MSA has also been successful at reviving Homecoming activities , including a carnival and parade , for students after a roughly eleven - year absence in October 2007 . There are student governance bodies in each college and school . The two largest colleges at the University of Michigan are the College of Literature , Science , and the Arts ( LS & A ) and the College of Engineering . Undergraduate students in the LS & A are represented by the LS & A Student Government ( LSA SG ) . The University of Michigan Engineering Council ( UMEC ) manages undergraduate student government affairs for the College of Engineering . Graduate students enrolled in the Rackham Graduate School are represented by the Rackham Student Government ( RSG ) . In addition , the students that live in the residence halls are represented by the University of Michigan Residence Halls Association . A longstanding goal of the student government is to create a student - designated seat on the Board of Regents , the university ' s governing body . Such a designation would achieve parity with other Big Ten schools that have student regents . In 2000 , students Nick Waun and Scott Trudeau ran for the board on the state - wide ballot as third - party nominees . Waun ran for a second time in 2002 , along with Matt Petering and Susan Fawcett . Although none of these campaigns has been successful , a poll conducted by the State of Michigan in 1998 concluded that a majority of Michigan voters would approve of such a position if the measure were put before them . A change to the board ' s makeup would require amending the Michigan Constitution . Academics . The University of Michigan is a large , four - year , residential research university accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools . The four year , full - time undergraduate program comprises the majority of enrollments and emphasizes instruction in the arts , sciences , and professions and there is a high level of coexistence between graduate and undergraduate programs . The university has " very high " research activity and the " comprehensive " graduate program offers doctoral degrees in the humanities , social sciences , and STEM fields as well as professional degrees in medicine , law , and dentistry . U - M has been included on Richard Moll ' s list of Public Ivies . With over 200 undergraduate majors , 100 doctoral and 90 master ' s programs , U - M conferred 6 , 473 undergraduate degrees , 4 , 322 graduate degrees , and 734 first professional degrees in 2008 - 2009 . National honor societies such as Phi Beta Kappa , Phi Kappa Phi , and Tau Beta Pi have chapters at U - M . Degrees " with Highest Distinction " are recommended to students who rank in the top 3 % of their class , " with High Distinction " to the next 7 % , and " with Distinction " to the next 15 % . Students earning a minimum overall GPA of 3 . 4 who have demonstrated high academic achievement and capacity for independent work may be recommended for a degree " with Highest Honors , " " with High Honors , " or " with Honors . " Those students who earn all A ' s for two or more consecutive terms in a calendar year are recognized as James B . Angell Scholars and are invited to attend the annual Honors Convocation , an event which recognizes undergraduate students with distinguished academic achievements . Out - of - state undergraduate students pay between US $ 36 , 001 . 38 and $ 43 , 063 . 38 annually for tuition alone while in - state undergraduate students paid between US $ 11 , 837 . 38 and $ 16 , 363 . 38 annually . U - M provides financial aid in the form of need - based loans , grants , scholarships , work study , and non - need based scholarships , with 77 % of undergraduates in 2007 receiving financial aid . 8 % were eligible for Pell Grant s . For undergraduates in 2008 , 46 % graduated with about $ 25 , 586 of debt in 2008 . < / ref > Student body . In fall 2010 , the university had an enrollment of 41 , 924 students : 27 , 027 undergraduate students , 12 , 188 academic degree - seeking graduate student s , and 2 , 709 first professional students . in 600 academic programs . Of all students , 36 , 650 ( 87 . 4 percent ) are U . S . citizen s or permanent residents and 5 , 274 ( 12 . 6 percent ) are international student s . Each year , some 30 , 000 people apply for admission to the university ; almost 42 percent are admitted and some 5 , 400 new students enroll . Students come from all 50 U . S . state s and more than 100 countries . Some 97 percent of the university ' s incoming class of 2009 earned a high school GPA of 3 . 0 and higher . The middle 50 percent of the incoming class earned a high school GPA of 3 . 60 to 3 . 90 . The middle 50 percent of admitted applicants reported an SAT score of about 1960 - 2200 ( Critical Reading 620 - 730 , Math 670 - 770 , Writing 640 - 740 ) and an ACT score of 28 - 32 , with AP credit granted to over 3000 freshmen students . Full - time students make up about 96 percent of the student body . Among full - time students , the university has a first - time student retention rate of 96 percent . In 2010 , undergraduates were enrolled in 12 schools : About 62 percent in the College of Literature , Science , and the Arts ; 21 percent in the College of Engineering ; 4 percent in the Ross School of Business ; 3 percent in the School of Kinesiology ; 3 percent in the School of Music , Theatre & Dance ; and 2 percent in the School of Nursing . Small numbers of undergraduates were enrolled in the colleges or schools of Art & Design , Architecture & Urban Planning , Dentistry , Education , Pharmacy , and Pharmacy . Among undergraduates , 70 percent graduate with a bachelor ' s degree within four years , 86 percent graduate within five years and 88 percent graduating within six years . Of the university ' s 12 , 188 non - professional graduate students , 5 , 367 are seeking academic doctorates and 6 , 821 are seeking master ' s degree s . The largest number of master ' s degree students are enrolled in the Ross School of Business ( 1 , 812 students seeking MBA or Master of Accounting degrees ) and the College of Engineering ( 1 , 456 students seeking M . S . or M . Eng . degrees ) . The largest number of doctoral students are enrolled in the College of Literature , Science , and the Arts ( 2 , 076 ) and College of Engineering ( 1 , 496 ) . While the majority of U - M ' s graduate degree - granting schools and colleges have both undergraduate and graduate students , a few schools only issue graduate degrees . Presently , the School of Information , School of Natural Resources and Environment , School of Public Health , and School of Social Work only have graduate students . In fall 2010 , 2 , 709 Michigan students were enrolled in U - M ' s professional school s : the School of Dentistry ( 439 students ) , Law School ( 1 , 182 students ) , Medical School ( 802 students ) , and College of Pharmacy ( 439 students ) . Research . The university is one of the founding members ( 1900 ) of the Association of American Universities . With over 6 , 200 faculty members , 73 of whom are members of the National Academy and 451 of whom hold an endowed chair in their discipline , the university manages one of the largest annual collegiate research budgets of any university in the United States , totaling about $ 1 billion in 2009 . The Medical School spent the most at over US $ 445 million , while the College of Engineering was second at more than $ 160 million . U - M also has a technology transfer office , which is the university conduit between laboratory research and corporate commercialization interests . In 2009 , the university consummated a deal to purchase a facility formerly owned by Pfizer . The acquisition includes over of property , and 30 major buildings comprising roughly of wet laboratory space , and of administrative space . As of the purchase date , the university ' s intentions for the space were not announced , but the expectation is that the new space will allow the university to ramp up its research and ultimately employ in excess of 2 , 000 people . The university is also a major contributor to the medical field with the EKG , gastroscope , and the announcement of Jonas Salk ' s polio vaccine . The university ' s biological station in the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan is one of only 47 Biosphere Reserves in the United States . In the mid - 1960s U - M researchers worked with IBM to develop a new virtual memory architectural model that became part of IBM ' s Model 360 / 67 mainframe computer ( the 360 / 67 was initially dubbed the 360 / 65M where the " M " stood for Michigan ) . The Michigan Terminal System ( MTS ) , an early time - sharing computer operating system developed at U - M , was the first system outside of IBM to use the 360 / 67 ' s virtual memory features . In the late 1960s U - M , together with Michigan State University and Wayne State University , founded the Merit Network , one of the first university computer networks . The Merit Network was then and remains today administratively hosted by U - M . Another major contribution took place in 1987 when a proposal submitted by the Merit Network together with its partners IBM , MCI , and the State of Michigan won a national competition to upgrade and expand the National Science Foundation Network ( NSFNET ) backbone from 56 , 000 to 1 . 5 million , and later to 45 million bits per second . NSFNET was the precursor to today ' s Internet . In 2006 , U - M joined with Michigan State University and Wayne State University to create the University Research Corridor . This effort was undertaken to highlight the capabilities of the state ' s three leading research institutions and drive the transformation of Michigan ' s economy . The 3 universities are electronically connected via Michigan LambdaRail ( MiLR , pronounced ' MY - lar ' ) . Initially MiLR enabled researchers at MSU , U - M and WSU to transfer data at 10 billion bits per second or 1 , 000 to 10 , 000 times faster than the Internet connections normally used in homes and businesses today . The speed and reliability of the new network will enable doctors to perform virtual surgery at remote locations . The network provides the capacity for physicists to share exceptionally large data sets with their colleagues around the world . The new network also will serve as a test - bed for experimental research on networking itself . MiLR , which employs advanced optical electronics , will use more than of fiber - optic cabling , most of it already in place , to connect the universities to each other and to national and international networking hubs in Chicago . Those hubs include the National LambdaRail , StarLight , and an emerging set of network connections that play key roles in the national cyberinfrastructure supporting advanced science and research . U - M is home to the National Election Studies and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index . The Correlates of War project , also located at U - M , is an accumulation of scientific knowledge about war . The university is also home to major research centers in optics , reconfigurable manufacturing systems , wireless integrated microsystems , and social sciences . The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Life Sciences Institute are located at the university . The Institute for Social Research ( ISR ) , the nation ' s longest - standing laboratory for interdisciplinary research in the social sciences , is home to the Survey Research Center , Research Center for Group Dynamics , Center for Political Studies , Population Studies Center , and Inter - Consortium for Political and Social Research . Undergraduate students are able to participate in various research projects through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program ( UROP ) as well as the UROP / Creative - Programs . The U - M library system comprises nineteen individual libraries with twenty - four separate collections — roughly 9 . 6 million volumes , growing at the rate of 177 , 000 volumes a year . U - M was the original home of the JSTOR database , which contains about 750 , 000 digitized pages from the entire pre - 1990 backfile of ten journals of history and economics , and has initiated a book digitization program in collaboration with Google . The University of Michigan Press is also a part of the U - M library system . Student life . Residential life . The University of Michigan ' s campus housing system can accommodate up to 10 , 900 people , or nearly 30 percent of the total student population at the university . The residence halls are organized into three distinct groups : Central Campus , Hill Area ( between Central Campus and the University of Michigan Medical Center ) and North Campus . Family housing is located on North Campus and mainly serves graduate students . The largest residence hall has a capacity of 1 , 240 students , while the smallest accommodates 25 residents . A majority of upper - division and graduate students live in off - campus apartments , houses , and cooperatives , with the largest concentrations in the Central and South Campus areas . The residential system has a number of " living - learning communities " where academic activities and residential life are combined . These communities focus on areas such as research through the Michigan Research Community , medical sciences , community service and the German language . The Michigan Research Community and the Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program are housed in Mosher - Jordan Hall . The Residential College ( RC ) , a living - learning community that is a division of the College of Literature , Science and the Arts , also has its principal instructional space in East Quad . The Lloyd Hall Scholars Program ( LHSP ) and the Health Sciences Scholars Program ( HSSP ) is located in Alice Lloyd Hall . In fall 2010 , North Quad - the first new residential hall to be built on campus since 1967 - opened . This residence complex is composed of two additional living - learning communities : the Global Scholars Program and the Max Kade German Program . It is " technology - rich , " and houses communication - related programs , including the School of Information , the Department of Communication Studies , and the Department of Screen Arts and Cultures . North Quad is also home to services such as the Language Resource Center and the Sweetland Writing Center . Groups and activities . The University lists 1 , 279 student organizations . With a history of student activism , some of the most visible groups include those dedicated to causes such as civil rights and labor rights . One group is Students for a Democratic Society , which recently reformed with a new chapter on campus as of February 2007 . Though the student body generally leans toward left - wing politics , there are also conservative groups , such as Young Americans for Freedom , and non - partisan groups , such as the Roosevelt Institution . There are also several engineering projects teams , including the University of Michigan Solar Car Team , which placed first in the North American Solar Challenge six times and third in the World Solar Challenge four times . Michigan Interactive Investments , the TAMID Israel Investment Group , and the Michigan Economics Society are also affiliated with the university . The university also showcases many community service organizations and charitable projects , including Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children , Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan , The Detroit Partnership , Relay For Life , U - M Stars for the Make - A - Wish Foundation , InnoWorks at the University of Michigan , SERVE , Letters to Success , PROVIDES , Circle K , Habitat for Humanity , and Ann Arbor Reaching Out . Intramural sports are popular , and there are recreation facilities for each of the three campuses . Fraternities and sororities play a role in the university ' s social life ; approximately 18 percent of undergraduates are involved in Greek life . Membership numbers for the 2009 - 2010 school year reached the highest in the last two decades . Four different Greek councils - the Interfraternity Council , Multicultural Greek Council , National Pan - Hellenic Council , and Panhellenic Association - represent most Greek organizations . Each council has a different recruitment process . The Michigan Union and Michigan League are student activity centers located on Central Campus ; Pierpont Commons is on North Campus . The Michigan Union houses a majority of student groups , including the student government . The William Monroe Trotter House , located east of Central Campus , is a multicultural student center operated by the university ' s Office of Multi - Ethnic Student Affairs . The University Activities Center ( UAC ) is a student - run programming organization and is composed of 14 committees . Each group involves students in the planning and execution of a variety of events both on and off campus . The Michigan Marching Band , composed of over 350 students from almost all of U - M ' s schools , is the university ' s marching band . Over 100 years old , the band performs at every home football game and travels to at least one away game a year . The student - run and led University of Michigan Pops Orchestra is another musical ensemble that attracts students from all academic backgrounds . It performs regularly in the Michigan Theater . The University of Michigan Men ' s Glee Club , founded in 1859 and the second oldest such group in the country , is a men ' s chorus with over 100 members . Its eight member subset a cappella group , the University of Michigan Friars , which was founded in 1955 , is the oldest currently running " a cappella " group on campus . The student newspaper is " The Michigan Daily " , founded in 1890 and editorially and financially independent of the university . " The Daily " is published five days a week during academic year , and weekly from May to August . Other student publications at the university include the conservative " The Michigan Review " and the progressive " Michigan Independent " . The humor publications " The Michigan Every Three Weekly " and the " Gargoyle " are also published by Michigan students . WCBN - FM ( 88 . 3 FM ) is the student - run college radio station which plays in freeform format . WOLV - TV is the student - run television station that is primarily shown on the university ' s cable television system . Several academic journal s are published at the university . The Ross School of Business publishes the " Michigan Journal of Business " . The Law School publishes the well - regarded " Michigan Law Review " as well as the " University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform " , " Michigan Journal of Race & Law " , " Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review " , " Michigan Journal of International Law " , and " Michigan Journal of Gender & Law " . Several undergraduate journals are also published at the university , including the " Michigan Journal of Political Science " , " Michigan Journal of History " , and " University of Michigan Undergraduate Research Journal " . Athletics . The University of Michigan ' s sports teams are called the Wolverines . They participate in the NCAA ' s Football Bowl Subdivision ( formerly Division I - A ) and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men ' s ice hockey , which is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association , and woman ' s water polo , which is a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association . In 10 of the past 14 years concluding in 2009 , U - M has finished in the top five of the NACDA Director ' s Cup , a ranking compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to tabulate the success of universities in competitive sports . U - M has finished in the top ten of the Directors ' Cup standings in 14 of the award ' s sixteen seasons and has placed in the top six in 9 of the last 10 seasons . The Michigan football program ranks first in NCAA history in both total wins ( 884 ) and winning percentage ( . 735 ) . The team won the first Rose Bowl game in 1902 . U - M had 40 consecutive winning seasons from 1968 to 2007 , including consecutive bowl game appearances from 1975 to 2007 . The Wolverines have won a record 42 Big Ten championships . The program has eleven national championships , most recently in 1997 , and has produced three Heisman Trophy winners : Tom Harmon , Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson . Michigan Stadium is the largest college football stadium in the nation and one of the largest football - only stadiums in the world , with an official capacity of more than 109 , 901 ( the extra seat is said to be " reserved " for Fielding H . Yost ) though attendance — frequently over 111 , 000 spectators — regularly exceeds the official capacity . The NCAA ' s record - breaking attendance has become commonplace at Michigan Stadium , especially since the arrival of head coach Bo Schembechler . U - M has fierce rivalries with many teams , including Michigan State , Notre Dame , and Ohio State , the last of which has been referred to by ESPN as the greatest rivalry in American sports . U - M has all - time winning records against Michigan State University , University of Notre Dame , and Ohio State University . The men ' s ice hockey team , which plays at Yost Ice Arena , has won nine national championships , while the men ' s basketball team , which plays at Crisler Arena , has appeared in four Final Fours and won the national championship in 1989 . However , the program became involved in a scandal involving payments from a booster during the 1990s . This led to the program being placed on probation for a four - year period . The program also voluntarily vacated victories from its 1992 – 1993 and 1995 – 1999 seasons in which the payments took place , as well as its 1992 and 1993 Final Four appearances . Through the 2008 Summer Olympic Games , 178 U - M students and coaches had participated in the Olympics , winning medals in every Summer Olympics except 1896 , and winning gold medals in all but four Olympiads . U - M students have won a total of 133 Olympic medals : 65 gold , 30 silver , and 38 bronze . In 2012 the university will field a varsity mens lacrosse team , and a women ' s team in 2013 . School songs . The University of Michigan ' s fight song , " The Victors , " was written by student Louis Elbel in 1898 following the last - minute football victory over the University of Chicago that won a league championship . The song was declared by John Philip Sousa as " the greatest college fight song ever written . " The song refers to the university as being " the Champions of the West . " At the time , U - M was part of the Western Conference , which would later become the Big Ten Conference . Michigan was considered to be on the Western Frontier when it was founded in the old Northwest Territory . Although mainly used at sporting events , the fight song can be heard at other events . President Gerald Ford had it played by the United States Marine Band as his entrance anthem during his term as president from 1974 to 1977 , in preference over the more traditional " Hail to the Chief " and the Michigan Marching Band performed a slow - tempo variation on the fight song at his funeral . The fight song is also sung during graduation commencement ceremonies . The university ' s alma mater song is " The Yellow and Blue . " A common rally cry is " Let ' s Go Blue ! , " written by former students Joseph Carl , a sousaphonist , and Albert Ahronheim , a drum major . Notable people and alumni . In addition to the late U . S . president Gerald Ford , the university has produced twenty - six Rhodes Scholars , numerous Marshall Scholars , seven Nobel Prize winners , 116 Olympic medalist s , 16 MacArthur Foundation award winners , 18 Pulitzer Prize winners including Ann Marie Lapinski who was named Pulitzer board co - chair in 2011 , and Fields Medal winner Stephen Smale . More than 250 Michigan graduates have served as legislators as either United States Senator ( 40 graduates ) or as a Congressional representative ( over 200 graduates ) . In the late 1990s and early 2000s , the university routinely has led in the number of Fulbright Scholars including a nation leading 40 scholars in the 2010 / 2011 academic year . U - M ' s contributions to aeronautics include aircraft designer Clarence " Kelly " Johnson of Lockheed Skunk Works fame , Lockheed president Willis Hawkins , and several astronauts including the all - U - M crew of Gemini 4 and the all - Michigan crew of Apollo 15 . U - M counts among its matriculants eighteen billionaires and prominent company founders and co - founders including Google co - founder Larry Page and Dr . J . Robert Beyster who founded Science Applications International Corporation ( SAIC ) in 1969 . Notable writers who attended U - M include playwright Arthur Miller , essayists Susan Orlean and Sven Birkerts , journalists and editors Mike Wallace , Jonathan Chait of " The New Republic " , and Sandra Steingraber , food critics Ruth Reichl and Gael Greene , novelists Brett Ellen Block , Elizabeth Kostova , Marge Piercy , Brad Meltzer , Betty Smith , and Charles Major , screenwriter Judith Guest , Pulitzer Prize - winning poet Theodore Roethke , National Book Award winner Keith Waldrop and composer / author / puppeteer Forman Brown . In Hollywood , famous alumni include actors James Earl Jones , David Alan Grier actresses Lucy Liu and Selma Blair , and filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan . Musical graduates include operatic soprano Jessye Norman , singer Joe Dassin , jazz guitarist Randy Napoleon , and Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis . Classical composer Frank Ticheli and Broadway composer Andrew Lippa attended . Many Broadway and musical theatre actors , including Gavin Creel , Chelsea Krombach , Andrew Keenan - Bolger , and his sister Celia Keenan - Bolger attended U - M for musical theatre . The creators of " A Very Potter Musical " , known as Team StarKid , also graduated from the University of Michigan . A member of Team Starkid , actor and singer Darren Criss , is a series regular on the television series " Glee " . Other U - M graduates include Claude Shannon who made major contributions to the mathematics of information theory , current Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Donald Kohn , Temel Kotil who is the president and CEO of Turkish Airlines , current Dean of Harvard Law School Martha Minow , former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt , US Representative Justin Amash , who represents Michigan ' s Third Congressional District , assisted - suicide advocate Dr . Jack Kevorkian , Weather Underground radical activist Bill Ayers , activist Tom Hayden , architect Charles Moore , Ryan Drummond who was the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the series of video games from 1999 – 2004 , the Swedish Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg , and Benjamin D . Pritchard , the Civil War general who captured Jefferson Davis . Neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta attended both college and medical school at U - M . Conservative pundit Ann Coulter attended law school at U - M , as did Clarence Darrow at a time when many lawyers did not receive any formal education . Vaughn R . Walker , who is a Federal District Judge in California and overturned the controversial California Proposition 8 in 2010 and ruled it unconstitutional , received his undergraduate degree from U - M in 1966 . Pop Superstar Madonna and rock legend Iggy Pop attended but did not graduate . Some more notorious graduates of the University are 1910 convicted murderer ( though perhaps wrongfully so ) Dr . Harvey Crippen , late 19th - century American serial killer Herman Mudgett , and " Unabomber " Ted Kaczynski . U - M athletes have starred in Major League Baseball , the National Football League and National Basketball Association as well as other professional sports . Notable among recent players is Tom Brady of the New England Patriots . Three players have won college football ' s Heisman Trophy , awarded to the player considered the best in the nation : Tom Harmon ( 1940 ) , Desmond Howard ( 1991 ) and Charles Woodson ( 1997 ) . Professional golfer John Schroeder and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps also attended the University of Michigan , with the latter studying Sports Marketing and Management . Phelps also swam competitively for Club Wolverine , a swimming club associated with the university . NHL players Marty Turco , Chris Summers , Brendan Morrison , and Michael Cammalleri all played for U - M ' s ice hockey team . Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds played baseball at the university . Derek Jeter received a baseball scholarship to U - M , but was signed and called up by the New York Yankees before he could play there . In 2011 , Meryl Davis and Charlie White win the first gold medal awarded to the United States in ice dancing in the world championship . The university claims the only alumni association with a chapter on the moon , established in 1971 when the crew of Apollo 15 placed a charter plaque for a new U - M Alumni Association on the lunar surface . The plaque reads : “ The Alumni Association of The University of Michigan . Charter Number One . This is to certify that The University of Michigan Club of The Moon is a duly constituted unit of the Alumni Association and entitled to all the rights and privileges under the Association ’ s Constitution . ” According to the Apollo 15 astronauts , several small U - M flags were brought on the mission . The presence of a U - M flag on the moon is a long - held campus myth .