Home Prospective Students Rackham Merit Fellowship Connections Rackham Merit Fellowship Connections The Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF) Connection Week is an orientation and community-building program for newly admitted master’s and doctoral students who are recipients of a Rackham Merit Fellowship. The 2026 RMF Connection Week will be held from August 17 to 22, 2026. About RMF Connections RMF Connection Week is designed to: Introduce students to resources in Rackham and across the university. Provide professional, academic, and personal development experiences to help students confidently navigate their first year of graduate school. Cultivate community among the incoming cohort of Rackham Merit Fellows. Participation in this program is optional but highly encouraged. All students who complete their application by July 1, 2026, will be guaranteed a space. To gain the full benefit of the experience, fellows are expected to attend the program in its entirety and be available for scheduled activities between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., including select evening sessions. Saturday activities are optional. A final schedule of activities will be shared by June 1, 2026. I loved learning about life as a grad student in a holistic manner. Y'all were great at providing the resources and experts – I feel so much better about going into my first semester as a graduate student!” RMF Connection Participant I loved meeting graduate students from all over campus! I worried coming here that since I was the only incoming student in my lab, it would be hard to find good friends. I'm so glad that I was able to participate in RMF this week and make some amazing friends from so many different disciplines!” RMF Connection Participant The “Developing Shared Expectations” handout was a critical piece to starting a conversation with my advisor and supervisor. It really set me apart from other students, and also made me look professional and prepared. I feel like they both take me very seriously and are interested in working with me even more because I started an important conversation.” RMF Connection Participant I made a lot of friends! We still hang out, and we even got together after the first day of class just to check in with each other. I appreciated RMF bringing us together because otherwise I would not have found them.” RMF Connection Participant Prev Next Contact Us Hours: Rackham Merit Fellowship staff are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on university holidays. Location 1530 Rackham Building 915 East Washington Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070 RMF Connection Questions Contact us if you have any questions about the RMF Connection. Please include your name, program or department, and phone number. Email: [email protected] Phone: 734.764.9854 RMF General Questions RMF Administration Email: [email protected] Phone: 734.615.5670 RMF Utilization, Award Processing Rackham Office of Finance and Fellowships Email: [email protected] Phone: 734.764.8119
