Institutional Advancement

Highlights from the 2025 State of the University

lblouin — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:41:50 +0000

Highlights from the 2025 State of the University lblouin Mon, 02/03/2025 - 12:41

Chancellor Domenico Grasso hosted his annual State of the University address last Thursday before a standing-room-only audience of more than 250. Grasso shared the university’s progress toward key milestones, as well as some concerns and challenges, before handing the mic over to the offices of the Provost, Institutional Advancement and Facilities Operations, as well as several ��-Dearborn students, to discuss new initiatives and their impact, along with some future plans. Key takeaways from the event are below.

More students are crossing the finish line to graduation.

Several key metrics in the GOBLUEprint for Success — the university’s strategic plan — are well on track. The four-year graduation rate has climbed from 22% in 2018 to 38% in 2024. “That's a 16% increase. That is truly incredible,” Grasso noted. “Many factors have led to this success in graduation rate: our students’ determination, our professors’ skill and mentoring, our campus resources and a community that is dedicated to seeing students across the finish line.”

The transition to a need-based financial aid model means that 94% of ��-Dearborn undergraduate FTIAC students now receive enough aid that their remaining obligations are less than $2,000 a year. And half of classes on campus now include a practice-based learning component. “This approach provides distinctive and creative opportunities for our students to prepare for the next phase of their careers,” Grasso observed. “I commend the faculty who design these courses and the department chairs and deans who support them.”

Faculty continue to excel: In the past two years, faculty and staff annual citations in publications have grown from 13,500 to over 22,000, and ��-Dearborn faculty experts appeared in 119 major local and national media outlets in 2024. Research awards continue to climb as well. While the university aimed for $9.8 million in research support in FY2024, that number actually reached nearly $12 million. Awarded and recommended funding for the first six months of FY25 now exceeds $14 million.

Grasso celebrated last year’s launch of the Office of Holistic Excellence, noting that the office was supporting several storytelling initiatives as a means of building empathy and a sense of inclusion across campus, as recently discussed in Insight into Diversity magazine. He noted that the campus community will see a new set of KPIs related to belonging and inclusion. The latest GOBLUEprint for Success KPI report was emailed to campus following the event.

Overall enrollment is encouraging, but there is still work to do.

Grasso was candid about the fact that the university’s highest hurdle — one shared by nearly every college and university in the state and many across the country — is enrollment. "There are simply fewer college age students today than a decade ago, especially here in Michigan, but there are still growing opportunities,” he said. “We currently enroll 8,100 students, and have challenged ourselves to enroll 10,000 by 2032. We have experienced modest increases in undergraduate students, which is encouraging. More students should experience everything we have to offer here at ��-Dearborn.”

Grasso shared two concerns about graduate enrollment: first, it has declined, and second, the new presidential administration could severely limit the ability of prospective international students to enter the U.S. “The encouraging news is that the Institute of International Education believes enough members of Congress appreciate what international students contribute to our communities and economy,” Grasso observed. “Our university, too, will continue to advocate for this important community.”

He added that he is meeting with executive officers across all three campuses daily to monitor changes in federal policies, and that the university is regularly posting information on federal orders, policies and regulations on the Key Issues section of the ��-Dearborn website. He urged faculty, staff and students to visit this page for the latest information pertaining specifically to the Dearborn campus.

Grasso also addressed enrollment concerns in the College of Arts, Sciences and Letters and the resulting need to collaboratively reimagine the college’s future. “Together, let’s focus on creative and lasting solutions,” he said. “I would love nothing more than for the University of Michigan-Dearborn to create novel approaches for increasing the attractiveness of the arts and humanities that could serve as models for higher education.”

Fundraising is essential to maintaining the mission.

Grasso then passed the mic to Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich, who shared details about the university’s recently launched five-year “Look to Michigan” fundraising campaign. After announcing the campaign goal of $60 million, she shared short videos from three donors who choose to support ��-Dearborn in diverse ways: Mark Ritz and L. Lee Gorman have made a multi-year gift of $500,000 to install solar panels on the roof of the England Engineering Lab Building; Sadaf Lodhi and Riz Hussain have directed stock to the Student Opportunity and Engagement Fund; and Altair’s corporate contribution created the Altair #OnlyForward Scholarship Fund in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Ulbrich then spoke with two #OnlyForward scholarship recipients, CECS juniors Rehab Jadalla and Jide Owo, about the impact of the award. “Receiving the scholarship, to me, it means that, instead of spending time taking on additional jobs and taking on work to try to make ends meet for each semester, I have the space to take on the opportunities that I'm passionate about and are related to my ultimate career goals,” Jadalla, who is studying software engineering, said.

CECS juniors Rehab Jadalla (right) and Jide Owo (middle) spoke to the crowd about the impact of the #OnlyForward scholarship, sponsored by Altair Engineering.

“I also grew up in Dearborn, so I'm really, really proud to be attending this university," she added. "Just the culture of how encouraging and supportive the faculty and staff here are and the other students, and also the opportunities that I've had over the past three years, I don't think I would find at any other university."

Student success initiatives are having a big impact.

Associate Provosts Maureen Linker and Joan Remski discussed several initiatives led by Experience+ and the Office of Academic Success, all of which are seeing impressive results. These include the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, the Wolverine Mentor Collective, a new peer-to-peer tutoring program that enables students to get help with their studies 24/7 and the STEM Scholars program, which supports STEM majors from low-income backgrounds throughout their time at ��-Dearborn and boasts a 98% retention rate. Two STEM Scholars, Myriam Hazime and Zahra Alemarah, joined Remski on stage to reflect on their experiences. “I was always provided with a very strong support group that I felt like other students outside of STEM scholars didn't have,” Hazime, a CECS sophomore majoring in software engineering, told the audience.

Alemarah, a CASL junior majoring in biochemistry, echoed her sentiments: “Something that's really important, especially at ��-Dearborn as a commuter campus, is building a relationship your first year, your freshman year. Through STEM Scholars, I had so many different friends, and it was very crucial to keep me going to study when it feels impossible, to ask for help when I need it.”

Great spaces encourage students to stay.

Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick closed out the event with a quick check-in on the Comprehensive Campus Plan, an overview of the design process, and a look at five priority projects, all in different phases: the Computer and Information Science Building (investigation phase), Mardigian Library (conceptual design), Social Sciences Building renovations for the College of Business (schematic design), Administrative Building renovations to support the move of the College of Education, Health and Human Services (design development) and the Renick University Center first floor, which is currently wrapping up construction. Glick shared a few “before and after” renderings and photos, revealing a significantly transformed space complete with a fireplace where students won’t just pass through, but will want to hang out for hours. After the event, many attendees took advantage of tours led by the facilities team and the University Unions and Events office to see the changes in real life.

Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick gave an update on the Comprehensive Campus Plan.

Concluding the event, which took place on a nearly 40-degree day, Grasso invited attendees to stick around for the Winter Carnival. “We actually have winter this year,” he’d noted earlier in his address. “Sort of.”

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Story by Kristin Palm. Photos by Annie Barker. Watch the recording of the event here.

Administration & Governance

Institutional Advancement

Off

Mon, 02/03/2025 - 17:40

Chancellor Grasso’s annual address covered enrollment good news and challenges, major research wins, promising student success initiatives and more.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso speaks to a crowd of more than 250 at the 2025 State of the University event.

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

lblouin — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:24:31 +0000

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign lblouin Wed, 12/11/2024 - 08:24

You’re probably starting to hear more about the University of Michigan’s Look to Michigan fundraising campaign, which is a coordinated effort across all three campuses and kicked off its public phase in late October. But this latest comprehensive campaign has actually been going on for about three years, says ��-Dearborn Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich. That’s typical of big fundraising pushes, which try to raise about a third to a half of their total fundraising goal from big donors in a “quiet” or “private” phase before courting a larger base of small-dollar donors in a “public” phase. Ulbrich says campaigns are organized this way for a couple of reasons. First, a private phase is a great test of whether your message is going to resonate with people. “The majority of your giving is coming from a small percentage of people. And you’re not going to be successful unless they’re on board with your vision,” she says. Second, demonstrating that your cause already has momentum can help make public-phase donors feel more confident about supporting your cause.

This campaign differs from ��-Dearborn’s last big push — fundraising for the Engineering Lab Building — in that it’s what development staff call a comprehensive rather than a capital campaign. Ulbrich says university capital campaigns typically raise money for something very specific, often a building. Comprehensive campaigns target donors who feel passionately about a wide range of causes, and priorities typically include specific programs and scholarships, though it might also include buildings. In some ways, this makes it much easier to fundraise. “With a comprehensive campaign, we have priorities that give us guideposts, but if a donor comes to us with something they’re passionate about that falls out of the official case for support, we can likely find something within the university that they can support. So we’re not pigeonholed for what we’re raising money for," Ulbrich says.

For the Look to Michigan campaign, ��-Dearborn’s general guideposts are fourfold: student experience and success, faculty and staff excellence, holistic excellence and economic sustainability. And within that structure, Ulbrich says a few priorities seem to be especially resonating with donors. First, people are really getting behind the university’s prioritizing of need-based financial aid. The free-tuition Go Blue Guarantee is the flagship program in that area, but under the university’s new financial aid scheme, families who don’t meet the GBG’s income requirements are still often eligible for some need-based aid. Second, Ulbrich says donors are excited about the university’s practice-based learning initiative. “As soon as you talk to them about the theoretical versus the hands-on, that makes total sense to them,” she says. “And here at ��-Dearborn, that includes things like internships, study abroad, experiential learning — so there are a wide array of things donors can support.” Ulbrich says they even played up the practice-based learning theme with a soft launch gift that was mailed to recent donors and prospects. The custom Block M Lego set with a Dearborn base came unassembled so supporters could get a little taste of the hands-on ethos at ��-Dearborn.

Compared to past fundraising efforts, Ulbrich says the current campaign is leaning more heavily on the support of standout alumni like Anthony Williams (left), pictured here at the Look to Michigan campaign launch event in October with College of Business Dean Frédéric Brunel. The '03 COB alum and CEO of Corktown Health is making a difference in Detroit and beyond as he works to provide comprehensive and affirming health care to the LGTBQ+ community. Williams was also recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the state's first LGBTQ+ Commission. Photo by Carolyn Noble

So who exactly is our donor base this time around? Ulbrich says this campaign is a little different in that we’re relying most heavily on alumni support. “This has changed a lot at Dearborn over the years,” she says. “Our fundraising used to be more heavily skewed toward corporations and foundations. But a lot of corporations have cut back on giving, and foundation money has become much more competitive. Now, the majority of our fundraising comes from individuals, the vast majority of whom are alumni of the institution. Larger gifts also tend to be alums.” She says most large donations come in the form of planned gifts, where donors pledge to give a certain amount of their wealth after their deaths. “This is an attractive option for a lot of people because it allows them to support something they believe in and be recognized for it without having to reorient their finances while they're alive,” she says. Ublrich also expects this fundraising campaign could have a different shape than the typical donor pyramid: The rule of thumb is that 80% of your fundraising comes from 20% of donors. But with a little more grassroots support from smaller donors, Ulbrich says the donor pyramid “might start to look a little more like a rectangle.” So far, Ulbrich says we’ve raised about $26 million, which puts us “ahead of where we’ve been in past campaigns.”

With the public phase in full swing, the development team will continue to seek out big-dollar donations, but a lot of energy will now turn to social media, newsletters and direct mail efforts that court small-dollar donors in the wider ��-Dearborn-connected community, especially alumni. Another big thing to look forward to: On May 1, the university is hosting a gala at the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. “We decided on a soft launch for the public phase for a couple reasons. We didn’t want to compete with the 50 events happening in Ann Arbor. But we also wanted to have an event at a location that was significant historically for us, and with our connection to Ford, we had our heart set on Central Station. With the renovation, they simply weren’t ready for us,” Ulbrich says. Details for that event are still forthcoming, but Ulbrich says they’re planning to have a discounted faculty-staff ticket price.

In fact, though alums make up the lion’s share of the donor base, Ulbrich doesn’t want faculty and staff to overlook their role in supporting the campaign. One of her talking points with bigger donors is that a large number of people who work at ��-Dearborn also choose to give. “Faculty and staff giving is hugely symbolic, because it’s a show of faith in the institution,” she says. “I give to the Go Blue Guarantee. And so I can say that to a donor and explain why it's important to me to give. To show a donor that the people who know the institution best are willing to support it with their own dollars — that can be very persuasive.”

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Ready to make a gift? Find a cause you're passionate about and donate now. Story by Lou Blouin

Accessibility or Affordability

Experiential Learning

University-wide

Alumni Engagement

Institutional Advancement

Off

Wed, 12/11/2024 - 13:24

It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . fundraising season. We answer your top questions about the university’s Look to Michigan campaign, which recently entered its public phase.

So far, ��-Dearborn has raised about $26 million during its Look to Michigan fundraising campaign.

Campus Colleagues: Erin Vestrand

stuxbury — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 18:14:39 +0000

Campus Colleagues: Erin Vestrand stuxbury Mon, 11/04/2024 - 13:14

Standing next to the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship trophy in the ��-Dearborn Office of the Chancellor earlier this year, Erin Vestrand leaned over and gave it an air hug. After the Wolverines won the championship game, the trophy was on display in the Renick University Center for an afternoon, with a brief layover in the Administrative Building.

Erin Vestrand with the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship trophy. Photo courtesy of Erin Vestrand

To Vestrand, a ’15 ��-Dearborn alum who now works for the university’s Office of Institutional Advancement as leadership annual giving officer, it symbolized the ups and downs that come in a sports program and in life. “I’ve been bleeding maize and blue since I was little — I have a picture of me tailgating with my family when I was 10, and I visited campus and went to games way before that. I think that familiarity helped me feel so at home when I did a ��-Dearborn campus visit in high school — I just knew ��-Dearborn was right for me,” she says. “On the football side of things, I’ve seen from Lloyd Carr to Rich Rod to Harbaugh and more. My dad and I experienced the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows — sometimes we’d drive back from games in silence. So I had to see the trophy and get a photo. The first person I texted it to was my dad. He no longer attends games due to some health issues, but that trophy was a high moment we shared. He was so proud that he’d send me a text every couple days to resend the photo so it would be at the top of his texts so he could show it to people.”

In this month’s edition of Campus Colleagues, Vestrand talks about who and what inspires her, and the power of being open to new experiences.

��-Dearborn professors and flexible thinking helped get her to where she is today.

Vestrand, who is from Riverview, knew she wanted to stay close to home for college and smaller class sizes — but she also wanted that Block M education. Always a social person, she thought she could make more connections at ��-Dearborn and get to know her professors better because it was a tight-knit community. She says it was the right choice.

At the time, Vestrand wanted to be a school psychologist in public schools — she says even as a newer student, her teachers were looking out for her. “One of my professors came up to me as I was getting into an elevator. It was Sociology Professor Pam Aronson. She told me about applying for internships, graduate school, and other opportunities on campus to get experience. It was this a-ha moment,” Vestrand says. “It felt great to know you had someone who cared about you enough to do that and be in your corner. During my time at ��-Dearborn, I had a lot of professor experiences like that.”

After doing job shadowing and seeing some of the limitations public schools face due to a lack of funding, Vestrand decided she’d be happier connecting students with what they needed through a different route.

“If students and programs need money, maybe I need to be the person who fundraises for them to get them what they need to be successful. If someone doesn’t have the books or transportation they need, we can fundraise for it. Fundraising won’t cure cancer directly — but it funds the ability of a student to work in a lab or get the education they need to one day find a breakthrough,” Vestrand says. “So it might seem like a stretch from where I started, but it made sense. It was a full circle moment for me.” Vestrand’s first fundraising position after graduation was at ��-Ann Arbor and she moved to ��-Dearborn when a position became open in 2017. “It was a no-brainer for me to come back home,” she says.

The ‘Look to Michigan’ campaign is her current focus.

The university just kicked off the “Look to Michigan” fundraising campaigngn. Vestrand says people talk about big gifts and those are important. But she knows that many people — herself included — don’t have the budget for those. “But I can give a smaller recurring gift through Renew Blue to the ��-Dearborn food pantry so a student can eat,” she says.

As she begins excitedly talking about fundraising, she stops to acknowledge she knows it is a topic that may make eyes glaze over. “Hear me out,” she says. “There are many ways and levels on how we can change people’s lives and it can be customized to what you think is needed. Feel like your profession needs more students going into the field? You can set up a scholarship. Want a student org you care about to host or attend an event? There are sponsorships.” Recently Vestrand helped secure sponsorships for Hack Dearborn, a student hackathon that welcomed nearly 300 students from campus, and across the U.S. and Canada. Company representatives from Amazon, Carhartt and others attended as well.

“Campaigns get the money needed to connect our students — many who are first in their families to go to college — to opportunities like studying abroad and stipends so they can get paid to do research with faculty members,” Vestrand points out. “People’s gifts make these things happen.”

She finds power in the word 'yes'.

Vestrand says her favorite saying is an African proverb: “If you want to fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” She says she tries to live by these words and is motivated by the social aspects of the activities in which she participates. “When I was at ��-Dearborn, I played women’s club soccer because I like being a part of a tight-knit community.” she says. “I also advocated for the club team to become a collegiate one — I’m proud to say ��-Dearborn Athletics and leadership made it happen.”

Today, Vestrand looks for ways to get involved in just about everything — her mantra is to say yes to the things she wants to do. “You never know where it might lead you. Through Stay and Play Detroit, I’ve joined kickball, volleyball and dodgeball teams. And I’m now trying tap dance at a studio in Ferndale. Since I was a kid, I wanted to take tap dancing lessons, but I was so busy with soccer games and practices that it didn’t work out. So I decided that I was going to start dancing in my 30s. I love it.”

Vestrand says saying yes led to one of the best things that’s recently happened to her. While volunteering at Almost Home Animal Rescue, she was offered a fostering opportunity. “That led to me adopting Sherlock Bones in 2023. He’s my best friend and has the most gentle soul,” she says of the Labrador Retriever mix. “If I wouldn’t have put myself out there, we might not have met. We do almost everything together now. I have the most adorable green jacket for him that he wears on walks — but he’s not a State fan.”

If not on a sports field, her favorite U-M location is the ��-Dearborn greenhouse.

Vestrand was given a plant as a gift during the pandemic in 2020 and she says that her obsession with plants has grown — pun intended — out of control. Now when she goes to the store, she’ll buy a plant. “I learned that I like being surrounded by them in my house. But when I’m not home, I love the campus greenhouse. It’s a really beautiful, quiet place where you can be surrounded by life. It’s great to see classes use the space too,” she says.

Erin Vestrand and her father enjoy Michigan games. Photo courtesy of Erin Vestrand

But spending time watching and playing sports on U-M fields also holds a place near to her heart. “When I was a first-year ��-Dearborn student, I got football season tickets — but I’d always leave my seat to find my dad where he had season tickets,” she says. “Dad’s a Ferris State University grad, but he taught me to really love this place with football Saturdays. He started going to games with friends and it later became what we did as a family.”

Vestrand says her family is a house divided, however. “It’s all in fun, but my sister went to Michigan State and is trying to teach my niece Claire, who’s 6, and nephew Beau, who’s 4, to be Spartan fans. But I have plans,” she says. “Like my dad did for me, I’m going to take them to Michigan games. They will be Wolverine fans. I may have already taught Claire to cheer, ‘Go Blue!’ It’s tradition.”

Want to connect with Vestrand? Reach out at evestran@umich.edu or connect with her on LinkedIn, where she often shares good things happening around ��-Dearborn’s campus.

Story by Sarah Tuxbury

Faculty and Staff

Institutional Advancement

Off

Mon, 11/04/2024 - 18:14

Leadership Annual Giving Officer Erin Vestrand talks about switching career paths to help give opportunities to students, meeting her puppy Sherlock Bones and growing up with a love for maize and blue.

Erin Vestrand, a ’15 ��-Dearborn alum who now works for the university’s Office of Institutional Advancement as leadership annual giving officer, enjoys walks with her pup Sherlock Bones. Photo courtesy of Erin Vestrand

Casandra Ulbrich’s other passion: training search and rescue dogs

lblouin — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:27:29 +0000

Casandra Ulbrich’s other passion: training search and rescue dogs lblouin Mon, 07/31/2023 - 09:27

Dogs can be one of a police force's most potent tools in a missing person situation, whether the objective is to locate a survivor or human remains. But it may surprise you to learn that most police departments don't typically have their own search and rescue canines. Instead, they rely on private citizens or organizations who train and handle dogs for very specific purposes. There are, for example, dogs that focus on finding human remains, and trailing dogs, which can follow the scent of a specific person, even if the trail is days old. It may also surprise you to learn that Casandra Ulbrich, who you know as ��-Dearborn's Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, is one of the go-to rescue and recovery dog trainers and handlers for law enforcement agencies in Michigan. She got into this work by accident, when she learned about it during the search for her first German Shepherd, Jaxon. “The person who helped me locate the breeder did search and rescue, and I thought this was really cool, so I decided to get him tested,” Ulbrich remembers. Jaxon was a natural, and soon after, he was trained and certified as a human remains detection dog. Ulbrich was hooked.

Ulbrich has been doing this work now for 15 years, and in 2017, started her own nonprofit organization, Wolverine State Search and Recovery, which provides search and rescue services to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. It’s a huge part of her life, but it’s also something she says she has to “remind myself not to talk about with people,” at least not with just anyone. For the curious, a conversation about how this all works can quickly lead one into some interesting territory. Training human remains detection dogs, for example, one of Ulbrich’s specialties, means that she has to expose dogs to actual human remains, which, of course, necessitates acquiring and storing “HR.” In a freezer at Ulbrich’s home, right now, you’d find human bone, teeth, cremains, blood, washcloths that were lying underneath a dead body for the day and placenta. Placenta is one of the easier things to come by, because that’s a part of the body hospitals will typically send someone home with after giving birth no questions asked, after which the person is free to donate it. Teeth aren’t a problem either: One of Ulbrich’s teammates at WSSR works at a dentist office. “But the big stuff” — something like an arm or a leg — “that’s pretty hard to come by,” Ulbrich says. Right now she’s trying to work with a local mortuary science program to see if they’d donate body parts during training days, after which they’d be promptly returned.

All of this work is possible, of course, because dogs have an incredibly powerful sense of smell. German Shepherds, which have some of the most sensitive noses in the dog world, have more than 200 million scent receptors, giving them an olfactory sense that’s 6,000 times more powerful than ours. This enables them to accomplish all kinds of superheroic smell-based tasks. They can root through an entire garbage truck and zero in on a single item. They can distinguish between regular ash and human cremains. If a person gets lost in the woods, exposing a trailing dog to an article of the person’s clothing is all a trained dog needs to start following the scent for miles, even in harsh weather and days after the person went missing. But search and rescue requires more than just a great canine nose. Ulbrich says the handler is just as crucial, because they have to be able to recognize subtle body language and behavior changes in the dog, which signal what the dog is thinking. “In a trailing situation, for example, something as subtle as a head turn can be really significant,” Ulbrich explains. “If your dog does a head turn then keeps going straight, you have to make a mental note of that because it could indicate that’s where they were supposed to turn. In an open area, scent moves, so if the dog reaches a dead end, it’s up to you to help get them back on track.” Ulbrich says it takes a long time before a handler really understands their dog. Some dogs can be hard to read, while others, like her star trailing dog, Gryphon, have an easy tell. “Gryphon has this big floofy tail that tells me everything I need to know,” she says.

If you’re wondering how Ulbrich fits all this into her already demanding schedule at the university, it can definitely be tricky, given that search and rescues are often emergency situations. If a person is suspected to be deceased, she says she can typically schedule that work for Gryphon a few days in advance. But if she gets a call from law enforcement for, say, a person with dementia who’s gone missing, it means she has to drop what she’s doing, if possible, and head out into the field. “I’m really lucky that every place I’ve ever worked has been supportive,” Ulbrich says. “There have definitely been a few times when I’ve texted Chancellor Grasso, and I’m, like, ‘Hey, Domenico, Gryphon’s got a job, I gotta go.’ And he’s always, like, ‘Good luck, be safe.’”

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We were so inspired by Casandra Ulbrich’s story that we’re thinking about starting a series on ��-Dearborn faculty and staff who do something super interesting in their lives outside the university. Do you know someone who fits that description? Is that you? If so, drop us a line at umdearborn-news@umich.edu. Story by Lou Blouin.

University-wide

Institutional Advancement

Off

Mon, 07/31/2023 - 13:26

��-Dearborn’s Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement is at the ready should police need her and her dogs to find a missing person.

Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich trains with her dog Gryphon. Ulbrich runs a nonprofit called Wolverine State Search and Recovery, which provides canine search and rescue services to law enforcement agencies.

'Pay attention to the world around you'

stuxbury — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 02:57:36 +0000

'Pay attention to the world around you' stuxbury Wed, 01/18/2023 - 21:57

International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place annually on Jan. 27 — it’s the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

When a survivor spoke to ��-Dearborn’s Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive, they said, “If the oceans were ink and the skies were paper, there would not be enough ink or paper to tell of one hour in Auschwitz.”

Campus’ Voice/Vision archive, which began in 1981, has more than 250 first-hand accounts of life during World War II’s systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jewish men, women and children.

History Lecturer and Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive Director Jamie Wraight understands that a multitude of voices is needed to better understand the Holocaust and knows it will never be fully covered or understood. But he continues to look for ways to bring awareness to the Holocaust, now 78 years past the 1945 liberation date.

Wraight brings experts to speak to the campus community. He does this annually for Holocaust Remembrance Day — Manhattan College’s Mehnaz Afridi will give a talk called “Muslims and the Holocaust” on Jan .24 — and finds ways to share ��-Dearborn’s archive and his decades of professional connections with Dearborn Wolverine students.

Through a Ravitz Foundation grant, Wraight recently finished creating a full-feature online experience for his “History 387: Aspects of the Holocaust” course by sharing recorded Holocaust survivor testimony from ��-Dearborn’s archive collection and bringing in renowned experts like U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Historian Rebecca Erbelding, Nipissing University History Professor Hilary Earl —who focuses on war crimes —and ��-Dearborn faculty members Kristin Poling and Anna Müller.

“There are things I am not an expert in, but there are people out there who are. I want the best information presented to the class so our students can learn about the Holocaust and analyze why this happened, how it happened and find ways they can continue to stay aware to prevent it from happening again,” he said. “Students can watch the recordings at their own pace and every week we meet in person to discuss what they’ve watched. That way they can process what they watched and come to class with any questions they might have.”

The class, previously offered once a year, will now be offered more frequently thanks to the grant. Wraight said he did a “soft opening” last semester with the new format, but considers the format’s debut this winter.

Wraight took over directing the Voice/Vision archive from Professor Emeritus Sidney Bolkosky, who was among the first researchers to interview Holocaust survivors in an effort to document their experiences.

Bolkosky, who taught on campus from 1972-2012, was a campus pioneer in remote learning — sending videos of his lectures to students in ��-Dearborn’s REACH program, a distance-learning initiative that started in the late 1980s. Wraight said some of Bolkosky’s recorded lectures are included in the 2023 course. And, to bring it full circle, the person who recorded the original Bolkosky lectures — College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters Senior Television Engineer Greg Taylor — also recorded the recent talks and lectures and helped make this new version of the class a reality.

“Greg had inside information from when some of these lectures were recorded decades ago. This evolution of the campus’ Holocaust course couldn’t have happened without his knowledge and expertise,” Wraight said. “It’s also important to say that Sid was an amazing teacher — no one could give a lecture like Sid Bolkosky. So it’s important to pay homage to his work by sharing his words and lessons in an updated way.”

As the Day of Remembrance approaches, Wraight suggested finding a talk to attend, listening to Holocaust experiences on the archive site or participating in a community event. He said it's crucial to stay vigilant and to continue seeking out information. Lessons from Holocaust education aren’t uplifting; but they are important, he said.

“Take 30 seconds out of your day to really pay attention to the world or around you. Read headlines. Ask questions,” he said. “Having a healthy dose of skepticism about the information you receive is a good thing. The more we know, the more we can rely on our knowledge to stand up to injustices we may see.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Academic Excellence

Teaching Resource

Technology

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Institutional Advancement

Voice / Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

Off

Thu, 01/19/2023 - 02:56

A new full-feature online experience for ��-Dearborn’s “History 387: Aspects of the Holocaust” course — made possible by a Ravitz Foundation grant — includes recorded Holocaust survivor testimony from ��-Dearborn’s archive collection, renowned expert talks and more.

Northern exposure

clmeeks — Thu, 12 May 2022 23:53:37 +0000

Northern exposure clmeeks Thu, 05/12/2022 - 19:53

This story was originally published on May 7, 2019

At age 19, CASL student Jordan Wohl got a deep dive into how government works, jumping into ��-Dearborn’s Ottawa Internship Program, writing speeches and talking to constituents – and that was just his first day on the job.

Since its creation more than 30 years ago, the Ottawa Internship Program has had more than 600 American students from the University of Michigan and other universities participate in the leadership-training experience. It gives sophomores, juniors and seniors a first-hand look into the Canadian government through placement with a member of Parliament or Senior in the nation’s capital.

Eric Nemeth on campus, 1984

Last fall, Wohl joined other Ottawa Internship alumni at the home of Eric Nemeth (’85 B.A.), who participated in the program in 1984, and his wife, Paula (’85 B.A.), to share their experiences and highlight how others can support this internship program. Wohl is a recipient of a scholarship for the internship that the Nemeths established to help ��-Dearborn students be able to participate in the program.

The enthusiasm of that night inspired the Nemeths to want to do more for the program. To ensure the long-term future of the Ottawa Internship Program, they established a $50,000 endowment for operational and program support. And they are issuing a challenge to program alumni, university graduates, and the community to match their gift.

Nemeth, a tax attorney and former IRS Attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, called his Ottawa experience transformational, especially for him as a young man of 21 from Southwest Detroit.

“It was a like a bootcamp,” Nemeth said fondly. “It was a short time, but it offered big lessons… The Canadian government and my host completely embraced the concept and the students – we were Americans and Canadians, both interested in learning more about each other and embracing the opportunity.”

Two decades later, Wohl’s experience was the same. The five-week program was an intensive, once-in-a-lifetime experience, said Wohl, and it taught him how to engage in the political process. Back home, it got him more deeply involved in campus life. These days, it informs what he wanted to do with his career, pushing him to become a community leader.

“I figured if I could manage a Parliament office in a foreign country, I could do anything when I got back,” Wohl said.

Nemeth said he and Paula want to support the Ottawa Internship with a challenge gift to engage donors with the Dearborn campus and its students. Support of this unique program (one of the only university-run Ottawa Internship Programs in the United States) not only provides for meaningful experiences but also shows students the community is invested in them, Nemeth said.

“It was important for Paula and I do to what we could to create a window for people,” Nemeth said, giving students like himself who otherwise could not afford a summer internship a chance to see another part of the world and political life there.

Wohl agrees. "If it wasn't for the unwavering support of my family and the Nemeth scholarship, Ottawa would have never happened for me,” he said. “I think about that often: had I not experienced the real life challenges that I overcame during my internship, there is no way that I would have had the confidence in my professional skills that has propelled so much of my work here on campus."

Wohl works as a marketing coordinator for the Union at Dearborn as well as in positions such as the Jewish Student Organization’s president and Civic Leadership Board as a community organizer. Having a scholarship for the Ottawa internship was another reason he could fully invest his time and talents there. In fact, Wohl was recognized in April as a University of Michigan-Dearborn Distinguished Student Leader.

“Having an experience of being in such an intensive environment has been extremely helpful,” Wohl said. “I had to be ready for anything that came into the office… (As a result,) it is easier now to take on challenges, to talk to people and to lead groups on campus.”

Victors for ��-Dearborn

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Institutional Advancement

Tue, 05/07/2019 - 14:00

Alumni gift supports Ottawa Political Internship Program

Campus Colleagues: Sarah Dorchak

stuxbury — Tue, 03 May 2022 09:42:58 +0000

Campus Colleagues: Sarah Dorchak stuxbury Tue, 05/03/2022 - 05:42

You’ve probably noticed Sarah Dorchak’s work across campus: The new Engineering Lab Building events, the Chancellor’s Inauguration, the Alumni Awards and more.

��-Dearborn’s Senior Development Associate and Event Specialist is the type of person who points out that many hands lifted up these events. But, if your hands were involved, you know that the 2007 College of Business graduate is who’s pulling everything together behind the scenes.

Dorchak — whose love of event planning began when she was a CECS student assistant and grew with professional roles she had with U-M Office of University Development and Ross School of Business — said campus has given her the life she has today. The first-generation college student said it gave her a pathway to a career she loves. And she met her husband in a history class taught by now College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Dean Marty Hershock. “��-Dearborn is the reason my life looks like it does today.”

We talked with Dorchak recently about her ��-Dearborn experience, which goes back decades, need-to-know event planning tips and the benefits of volunteering.

Be your guest — or at least think about what that would be like — when planning an event.

“Whether you are planning a birthday party at home or something for work, thinking about what it would be like to be a guest at the event. That’s where I start. Then be as prepared as possible when you do your planning: What would you like to happen at what time? How do you want it to look? What will people eat? Where will they sit? How will they interact with each other?

Then, on the day of your event, switch off the thought that everything needs to be perfect. It would be nice if it was, but the odds are that plans might need to shift. And that’s ok. Your guests aren’t going to remember what exact time cake was served and they aren’t going to know if the decorations weren’t exactly how you wanted them to be. But they may notice if you are stressed out and upset. So just enjoy the day and have fun with the people around you. You’ve put so much time and effort into something that is going to go by way too fast to not enjoy it.”

Volunteer. Something great might happen.

“When I was starting out at U-M, I’d look for ways to volunteer. There are so many experienced people to learn from. It also gives you a great way to get to know people you may not normally cross paths with because you’re working on different projects or in different areas. And you’ll definitely get some great memories.

One of my most memorable moments is seeing President Barack Obama speak at the Big House for a Commencement I volunteered for. It was a crazy day with intense ticketing, heavy rain and thousands of people. But it was worth getting soaked. No matter your political affiliation, it almost seems like something in the air changes when you are sitting in the same place as the nation’s president. My seat was way at the top at the Big House — like so far up that I could almost touch the scoreboard — but it didn’t matter. I was there to hear President Obama say ‘Go Blue!’... the nation’s president gave a shout out to our university. I’ll never forget that.”

No matter where you are in your career, involvement connects you to really great people.

“I worked in the CECS Dean’s Office as a student assistant. It was an amazing opportunity because I got to do so many different things, including help plan events. I got to see how their events brought people together to celebrate accomplishments and showcase what we do here. That student job — and the people I met through it — gave me insight into what I wanted to do as a career.

I’m further along in my career now, but getting involved is just as beneficial. Even with how many things we all do across campus, sometimes our paths don’t cross with people whose names you regularly hear. I’m not the type of person who’s comfortable sending a random email asking someone to get coffee to get to know them better. So how do you meet them? For me, it’s been through Staff Senate. There is so much helpful information shared: You also get to know what’s happening around campus. The Chancellor usually gives a report. The Provost and her team share an update from the academic side. HR provides information specifically relevant to staff.

It’s welcoming and you don’t feel like people pressure you to do more. You can actively participate on a committee, serve as a Staff Senator, attend a Staff Senate sponsored event or workshop, or join via Zoom and listen in while you do other things. You decide your level of involvement. We know people are swamped and want to meet people where they are so they can better connect with campus and maybe make a few friends along the way.”

Be open to change — you may discover a better way of doing things.

“��-Dearborn is the reason I have the life I do. Even though campus is such a major part of my story, I was one of those people who saw work and home as separate. I thought it was better to come into the office when it’s time to work. I was kind of rigid when it came to the idea of remote or hybrid work. But the pandemic opened my eyes to how important flexibility is.

I have three kids — my youngest, William, was born in February 2021 when many of us needed to work from home — and I’m lucky that I get the chance to experience the benefits of remote work while my kids are little. When I was pregnant, I could work with my feet up. After William was born, family would come to my house to babysit. I could work from my home office, and then see them during a break or lunch time.

Now that we are back to working in the office more, I have learned to embrace the flexibility we’re offered. For example, I’ll work a bit and then take my girls to school. Before I’d send them to school on the bus because I was in the office by 7:30 (a.m.). There’s nothing wrong with the bus, but dropping them off has given me the chance to get to know their teachers better and connect with my kids in the morning. My work will get done — sometimes I need to work late, so it all balances out. A hybrid work schedule lets you get things done in a way that’s best for your situation. I don’t think I would have done it without the pandemic forcing me too. But, now that I’ve seen the benefits, I’m a believer.”

There really is no place like home.

“When I was a kid, my mom’s work — she was a nurse at Oakwood, now Beaumont — had a family picnic on campus. That’s the first time I remember coming to campus. I remember thinking how cool it was to have the University of Michigan so close to home.

Later, when I was getting ready for college, I visited for an orientation tour. Campus was so awesome. I remember exploring it with my tour group. We had a campus scavenger hunt where we went around to the different buildings. It was my first step into this freedom — like picking my own classes and choosing what I wanted to do — with the security of knowing that at the end of the day, I had the security of home. You know how some people reminisce about their high school years? That’s how I feel about my time at ��-Dearborn.

Don't want to live in the past. But If I could pick a time, I would revisit my college years. That’s probably why I love being here today. It’s like coming home.”

Text by Sarah Tuxbury.

Faculty and Staff

Institutional Advancement

Staff Senate

Off

Tue, 05/03/2022 - 09:42

You’ve probably noticed Sarah Dorchak’s work across campus: The new Engineering Lab Building events, the Chancellor’s inauguration, the Alumni Awards and more. In this month’s Campus Colleagues, the Senior Development Associate and Event Specialist talks about her ��-Dearborn experience, need-to-know event planning tips and the benefits of volunteering.

Sarah Dorchak, Cris Frendo, Karina Nava and Diane Sigler cheered on the Wolverines at the 2019 Alumni Territory Go Blue Homecoming Tailgate. Photo courtesy Sarah Dorchak

'Was there a place for me in college?'

stuxbury — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 02:29:58 +0000

'Was there a place for me in college?' stuxbury Mon, 07/05/2021 - 22:29

Illustration highlighting Alumna Helen Morrison

In the 1970s, the women’s liberation movement made headlines around the country. Social norms began to shift as more females entered the workforce and the college classroom. And Helen Morrison, a 45-year-old homemaker who had the dream of a college degree, became a local representation of this cultural change.

On a national and regional level, Morrison was highlighted in Michigan Media’s 10-part PBS series Worlds of Women (it can be found in the Bentley Historical Library’s collections), which explored this changing role. Closer to home, people at Morrison’s church and in her friend group questioned why she was putting in the effort for an education.

“I was a woman with a dream — a dream I had since I graduated high school in June 1945. I wasn’t looking for attention when I started at ��-Dearborn in 1973. The timing seemed right with my youngest finishing high school,” says Morrison, now 93. “I hope seeing a middle-aged lady in the classroom inspired others to be up for challenges they faced. I wanted my story to be helpful somehow to someone along the way.”

Decades after graduation, Morrison — who studied sociology and education and started Career Life Planners counseling following her 1978 graduation — continues to help others through giving advice, annually offering financial support toward educational goals at ��-Dearborn, and sharing stories of perseverance.

The Dearborn Wolverine recently wrote down her experiences in a memoir and shared some of the lessons she learned through earning her degree during a time of social change, persevering after personal tragedy and witnessing how advocacy can change hearts and minds.

Change makes some people uncomfortable. Keep refining yourself anyway.

“I enjoyed being a homemaker and raising my kids. Homemaking is a high-value vocation and many of the skills are transferable to a career (scheduling, mediating, organizing, service). But I wanted something more after my children were grown. I see life like a fine piece of art or sculpture — you keep perfecting it.

Going to college changed how people viewed me at the time. I was seen as a liberated woman. It made some people uncomfortable. At my church, the men (clergy) would make statements like, ‘So you don’t like the kitchen?’ They sounded very insecure...I just smiled. I had friends who questioned me on why I took the extra effort when I could have had the so-called easy life. My answers didn’t seem to stop the questions, so I let my actions speak for themselves.

I resurrected the Student Psychology Association and served as president, got an internship I wanted at the ��-Dearborn Counseling Center, graduated and started my Career Life Planners business that I ran for 40 years. Some people may have still been uncomfortable, but they knew I wasn’t going to pay their negativity any mind. And my friends’ confusion over my extra effort turned into awe. Your journey might not be for everyone and that’s ok. Don’t let them stand in your way. Maybe they will come around, maybe they won’t. What matters is that you keep learning and growing.”

Don’t let preconceived notions discourage you.

“Unfortunately, we are socially programmed to think things like 50 or 60 is too old to fulfill a dream. At 93, I know this is untrue. But at 45, I did wonder if I was too old to go back to school. Was there a place for me in college? My doubts disappeared as I kept reading about the women who were 75 and 80 and getting degrees. I thought, ‘They can do it. Why can't I?’

I graduated at age 50. I’m now 93. That’s 40-plus years with a college degree. If I would have viewed 45 as too old for college, I would have missed out on so much.

Your dream might be different from mine. Whatever it is, don’t let age or anything else hold you back. Find people who walked the path before you: how did they do it? Let them guide and inspire. If you can’t find anyone, you may be the one who inspires others. Take one step — something you know you can accomplish. For example, fill out an application or talk to someone who can help. One step taken is one step closer to your goal.”

Keep advocating for the change you want to see.

“In May 1978, the month after I graduated from ��-Dearborn, I was one of the 10 elected commissioners from the Presbytery of Detroit to the General Assembly, which is the annual conference of the Presbyterian Church. One of the issues at that time was the ordination of homosexuals. Unbeknownst to us, there were demonstrations outside of the conference center that were making national news when we were going to vote on this. While I didn’t agree with the vote that took place on that day in 1978 (it was denied), I was determined to keep looking at the big picture. When I got home, I stayed active in my church, told others what happened at the General Assembly meeting, and did my share of talks.

It took 36 more years...but at the 2014 General Assembly the commissioners voted to approve same-sex marriage and for clergy members to perform same-sex marriages. At the same assembly, I was named as a Women of Faith and the theme was ‘Prophetic Women.’ That was among the greatest honors I’ve received in my lifetime. Please keep speaking up — it may take longer than you want, but change will come.”

Surround yourself with people who lift you up.

“When things are good, it is easy to keep going. When I was approaching my ��-Dearborn graduation everything my husband Don and I worked for seemed to be falling into place. Our youngest was getting ready to graduate college, Don was going to take an early retirement, and we were planning to open a career-life mentoring business together. I always enjoyed helping people and I knew it would be a fulfilling path for me. Don was going to handle the finance and administrative side.

But our lives changed in the blink of an eye. Don’s lower back pain that we attributed to pulling old grapevines out of our backyard was cancer — it had spread and was terminal. We learned that two months before I graduated. I was dazed. But my husband did everything for us to live as normally as possible. Whether or not he’d be there to see it, Don wanted me to keep working toward my dream of having a college degree and a business. As a graduation gift, he registered our business idea and put it in my name. That was a traumatizing time and I could have put everything on hold or stopped. But I had someone who believed in my vision and supported me until the end. Surround yourself with motivators and believers. They will help you make it through the most difficult times.”

You can always make a difference.

“After we found out my husband had metastatic prostate cancer, what was ahead of us was pretty scary and final in so many ways. He was given three months to three years to live. I cannot imagine what was going through his mind. But Don kept looking at ways to better the world we live in. He was pleased he could contribute to experimental drug research with the time he had left. I’m so grateful for Don and people like him because two of our three sons have since benefited from prostate cancer research. People today are benefiting from what Don did 40 years ago.

If you are experiencing something difficult, please know what you are doing matters. You might not see the impact you have, but your actions can make a world of difference for someone. Struggles can turn into stories of inspiration. Failures can become valuable lessons. Moments that seem so final can have an everlasting impact. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that it’s never too late to make a difference.”

Interview by Sarah Tuxbury. Helen Morrison’s unpublished memoir is called “Yearn, Learn, Earn.”

Student Success

University History

Alumni Engagement

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Institutional Advancement

Off

Tue, 07/06/2021 - 02:24

Dearborn Wolverine Helen Morrison, ‘78 B.A., shares lessons she learned through earning her degree during a time of social change, persevering after personal tragedy and witnessing how advocacy can change hearts and minds.

March 10 is Giving Blueday

stuxbury — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 18:43:00 +0000

March 10 is Giving Blueday stuxbury Mon, 03/08/2021 - 13:43

Living in a Los Angeles mid-century modern home surrounded by palm trees, Alumnus Gary Wohlleben’s life today looks almost nothing like it did when he was a ��-Dearborn student.

And that’s why he gives on Giving Blueday.

“I wouldn’t be sitting here in this beautiful home in California if it wasn’t for the campus internship program, so I make a point to support it every year,” says first-generation college student Wohlleben, ‘66 B.B.A., who went out to California after graduation and used his ��-Dearborn business degree to start his career in Hollywood as a producer and financial controller. “When I went to NBC for my interview, luck would have it that the person interviewing me was a Michigan graduate too.”

Giving Blueday 2021, which will take place all-day Wednesday, is an opportunity for the ��-Dearborn community to come together and support what they love about campus. During the last Giving Blueday, nearly $100,000 was raised for campus causes like scholarships, centers, student organizations and more.

"Giving Blueday is a chance for a lot of people to make a difference together," said Annual Giving Director Eva Gogola. As an added incentive, there are social media challenges and gift matches. "Philanthropy is personal, but I think it should also be fun. We've really embraced that at ��-Dearborn."

For example, Gogola said there is a Giving Brewday Alumni Challenge where people post a photo on social media of themselves with a favorite brew (coffee, tea, beer, etc.) and use #GivingBrewday2021. Each hour from 4 to 7 p.m., one participant will be selected and will win $1,000 directed to the ��-Dearborn fund of their choice.

Photo of Gary Wohlleben, Bert Meza and pup Guinness

If Wohlleben — who’s worked on television shows like Little House of the Prairie and animated movies like the Shrek and Despicable Me series — participates in the challenge, he and husband Bert Meza could take a photo with Guinness, their pint-sized Welsh Corgi pup that’s a favorite in their home.

Over a Zoom call, Wohlleben shared interesting behind-the-scenes stories from popular movies and shows. The donkey in Shrek was modeled after a miniature one in Palo Alto named Perry. Wohlleben said the late actor Michael Landon was inspiring in how he balanced family, filming and growing his career into writing and producing: “He told me, ‘If you don’t put yourself out there and try, how will you know if you'd be any good?’” And when Wohlleben was tasked with finding ways to make the most out of the production budget, which was often his role in the operation, he relied on his education from ��-Dearborn.

“In all steps of my career, I always went back to one class in particular, The Theory of Accounting. So much of what I needed to know on making things financially work came from that class. My education has helped me for 50 years. That’s a pretty good return on investment,” said Wohlleben, who recently retired.

Knowing the doors that education opens, Wohlleben and Meza make it a point to connect with campus on Giving Blueday. They give to areas that promote experiential learning like COB’s Internship and Career Management Center and that support identity affirmation like ��-Dearborn’s LGBTQ+ Programs and Initiatives.

“I want students to continue to have these opportunities. We need to support what once supported us so it doesn’t go away,” Wohlleben said. “We all start from somewhere. And I consider Michigan as the place that helped me get to where I am today. That’s why I give.”

Institutional Advancement

Off

Mon, 03/08/2021 - 18:40

For 24 hours, the entire university will come together and support the causes that make us the leaders and best. One of campus’ Wolverines — who’s worked for NBC, Dreamworks and Illumination Entertainment — shares why he gives.

Giving Blueday 2021

Will do: Make an important long-term plan in 2021

stuxbury — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:18:12 +0000

Will do: Make an important long-term plan in 2021 stuxbury Wed, 01/13/2021 - 15:18

Photo of estate planning documents

It’s 2021. Goals are set by many as we enter a new year — among resolutions, getting organized is often at the top.

That can be getting the clutter out of the closet or changing up your email settings. But getting organized can goes beyond that too. Even with good news and hope (thanks, COVID vaccine), there’s still a bit of uncertainty going into 2021. Because of this, people have been planning ahead and getting their personal affairs in order, like writing a last will and testament, in larger numbers than previously. And younger people — even when most Americans don’t feel like wills are needed until age 35 — say they’re more focused on sharing their wishes too. According to a LegalZoom survey, 34% of young people (18-34) said they created a Last Will and Testament in 2020.

Michelle Fallscheer, senior planned gifts officer

Since the topic isn’t a conversation that typically comes up with family or friends and it can be a bit confusing, Reporter reached out to financial planning and legal minds to learn the need-to-knows about wills, planned gifts and estate planning.

Attorney David Yesh (‘83) and ��-Dearborn Senior Director of Leadership and Planned Giving Michelle Fallscheer talked about their experiences when it comes to planning, what they’ve learned, and a few easy (and sometimes even free) steps ton take.

Write what you want so others won’t have to guess.

Attorney Yesh, is a senior vice president at Marsh (the world’s largest insurance broker) and previously served as a lawyer while in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps. While in the Navy he prepared numerous wills and other end of life documents for service members and their families, and continues to provide advice to others today. Yesh believes it is important to write down your wishes so you know things are handled how you’d want them to be. It takes out the guesswork.

“My father passed away in 2020. We were able to focus on grieving because he talked about everything in advance. I knew what he wanted because he’s the one who made the legal and financial decisions,” Yesh says. “Tell people what you want now. Not only will it give you peace of mind, it will do the same for your loved ones and help avoid disagreements, hard feelings, and wasted time if things end up in court.”

Fallscheer added that without a will or trust in place, decisions are made through the state.

“Without a will, assets are frozen until the court system combs through every detail of the estate,” Fallscheer said. “The court then applies its state intestacy laws and makes a decision regarding where a person’s possessions will be allocated.” In other words, if you don’t have a will, the state will make one for you.

Realize it’s about more than money.

Have pets? Say where they should live. Social media accounts? Say what you want to happen to them. A modest savings account? Share if you’d like it to go to the charity that you volunteer at instead of your next of kin.

David Yesh

“Even if you don’t feel like you don’t have many assets, still write down what you want to happen for what you do have,” Yesh said. “I’m a firm believer that every adult should have a will and an advanced directive at a minimum.”

And if your situation is simple — for example, not having multiple children or property — Yesh said you can go online for the paperwork and do one for free. Another thing that makes things a little easier for Michigan residents? You can also handwrite a will. “Unlike most other states, Michigan wills may be handwritten,” said Fallscheer, who’s worked in the non-profit estate planning for 20 years.

But whether you do the written work yourself— and it must be written, not spoken — or are guided by a professional, Fallscheer said there are some rules for it to be binding.

“In Michigan, will laws require the testator to be at least 18 years old and that it be signed by two competent witnesses.”

List one decision maker.

Many families have more than one child. To make things “fair,” Yesh said people often list all the children as will executors. That might work in some situations, but what happens if there are two children and they don’t agree?

“Well, you end up in court for a probate judge to decide, which is what you are trying to avoid in the first place,” he said.

To circumvent that, Yesh suggests choosing the person who you believe would be the best for the role. Yesh shared that he’s one of six children and his parents chose him to oversee their estate and make medical decisions because of his experience.

However, there’s not a rule saying the same person needs to be on all accounts: If a trusted family member is good with finances, have them oversee estate distribution. If you admire someone’s caregiving skills or they have a healthcare background, list that person on the medical advance directive.

“Different people have different skill sets. This is not playing favorites. It’s choosing the best person for the job.”

But no matter what you decide, be forthcoming with your family.

“To avoid surprises later you should have regular talks about your estate plan with your loved ones, as well as anyone who will be involved in carrying out your intentions, such as the executors or agents of any of your plans,” said Fallscheer.

Let people know if you are interested in making a gift to a non-profit.

Maybe you want to make an estate gift to the animal shelter where you adopted your furry family member, the college that connected you to your first job or the nonprofit that’s working hard to improve lives in your community.

Fallscheer said if someone is interested in leaving a bequest (or any other estate gift option) to a non-profit, the first step is to speak with your financial adviser or attorney. Although it’s not the reason people make planned gifts, it’s good to see if there are any tax benefits. For example, Fallscheer said a gift of stock can have large tax incentives.

Then reach out to the non-profit of your choice. “It is about the legacy that an individual wishes to leave behind. It’s a simple process that starts with a conversation to find out where you want to make a difference in the organization,” said Fallscheer, noting that you get to decide what type of impact you can have and the area you are interested in supporting — an example would be scholarships. “A planned gift allows your personal values to make a profound lasting impact. It allows an individual to give in the future, and it will not affect their current financial situation.”

If you need to help a loved one with planning, ask ‘What is your goal?’

Yesh said talking about wills, advanced directives, trusts and estate planning, can be difficult conversations to have with parents or loved ones you are caring for. He suggests starting the conversation with questions like “What is your goal?” or “What is it that you want to happen?”

“Do not ask about the transfer of the money. Let them bring that up through answering those questions,” Yesh said.

If you still get resistance, Yesh said it’s ok to let them know that you are asking so you can do what they want, which eases your burden of having to guess. He said that gives an understanding of why you want to know and offers a pathway to discussion. “Tell people what you want now when you are healthy and of sound mind. And have them tell you while then can,” Yesh said. “Be transparent so your wishes are known and others can see them through. Estate planning is not a scary or bad thing — instead of associating it with death, we really should see it as a part of life.”

If you have questions, please contact Fallscheer or Yesh. Yesh also writes a blog that covers a variety of financial planning topics.

Alumni Engagement

Institutional Advancement

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Wed, 01/13/2021 - 20:13

��-Dearborn financial planning experts share five things people can do to ensure wishes are followed when it comes to wills, planned gifts, advanced directives and estate planning.

Institutional Advancement

Highlights from the 2025 State of the University

More students are crossing the finish line to graduation.

Overall enrollment is encouraging, but there is still work to do.

Fundraising is essential to maintaining the mission.

Student success initiatives are having a big impact.

Great spaces encourage students to stay.

Everything you need to know about ������-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

Campus Colleagues: Erin Vestrand

������-Dearborn professors and flexible thinking helped get her to where she is today.

The ‘Look to Michigan’ campaign is her current focus.

She finds power in the word 'yes'.

If not on a sports field, her favorite U-M location is the ������-Dearborn greenhouse.

Casandra Ulbrich’s other passion: training search and rescue dogs

'Pay attention to the world around you'

Northern exposure

** This story was originally published on May 7, 2019 **

Campus Colleagues: Sarah Dorchak

'Was there a place for me in college?'

Change makes some people uncomfortable. Keep refining yourself anyway.

Don’t let preconceived notions discourage you.

Keep advocating for the change you want to see.

Surround yourself with people who lift you up.

You can always make a difference.

March 10 is Giving Blueday

Will do: Make an important long-term plan in 2021

Write what you want so others won’t have to guess.

Realize it’s about more than money.

List one decision maker.

Let people know if you are interested in making a gift to a non-profit.

If you need to help a loved one with planning, ask ‘What is your goal?’

Everything you need to know about ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

��-Dearborn professors and flexible thinking helped get her to where she is today.

If not on a sports field, her favorite U-M location is the ��-Dearborn greenhouse.

This story was originally published on May 7, 2019