University of Michigan: Goals & Principles

Goals

The Bicentennial should:

1. Celebrate the University’s greatest assets—intellectual creativity and academic endeavor— and project their future impact. The Bicentennial should look forward and help launch our third century.
2. Rediscover the University’s long history of contribution to the intellectual life of the state, nation and world; strengthen University traditions; and connect current and future generations to U-M’s heritage.
3. Celebrate and exemplify the University’s continuing leadership and innovation in higher education. The Bicentennial should reflect both on past achievements and on where we’re going in higher education.
4. Explore with full transparency a variety of tensions the University addressed in the past as a basis for better understanding and further exploring current tensions in higher education and society.
5. Celebrate contributions made to society by our students, current and former: their achievements in a wide range of fields, their civic engagement, their national and international service.
6. Engage all University constituencies, on campus and beyond, and strengthen our connections locally, in state, nationally, and internationally.
7. Express and exemplify core values: intellectual leadership and innovation, publicness, academic freedom and integrity, diversity, and commitment to the combined mission of education, research, and service.

Planning Principles

Planning for the Bicentennial and its constituent activities and events should be guided by a set of principles:

1. Bicentennial activities should make a lasting difference to the University of Michigan.
2. Bicentennial events should be intellectually stimulating, thought-provoking, inspiring, and
   fun.
3. Bicentennial planning, programming, and celebrations should be inclusive, collegial, and communal; this is everybody’s celebration.
4. The Bicentennial should comprise: (a) a few signal or “pillar” events, centrally organized, and (b) many smaller events, organized by individual units and organizations.
5. Bicentennial activities should be highly participatory.
6. Bicentennial activities should be cost-effective.
7. The Bicentennial and its constituent events and activities should be well-documented.