Home 150 Years of Doctoral Research at Michigan: A Timeline Key Moments in Michigan’s History of Doctoral Education See the events that helped shape the research enterprise and the Ph.D. student experience at Michigan. You can also learn more about the full history of U-M graduate study. Timeline 1817 University of Michigan Founded The University of Michigania, or Catholepistemiad, is founded in Detroit as an institution of higher learning for the growing Territory of Michigan. 1837 University of Michigan Relocates to Ann Arbor Following the admission of Michigan as a state, the University of Michigan is reorganized as a state university and relocated to Ann Arbor. 1841 University of Michigan Opens With the completion of its original Main Building, the University of Michigan opens to its first cohort of students: six freshmen and one sophomore. 1845 First Offering of a Postgraduate Degree The first reference to graduate education appears in a resolution adopted by the U-M Board of Regents: “No candidate for the second degree of Master of Arts shall receive this honor unless he has preserved a good moral character, and previously to the Commencement, has signified his desire of the same to the Faculty.” 1847 Master of Arts Degree First Offered The Board of Regents establishes the university’s first master of arts degree, with a committee of three faculty appointed to determine its requirements. 1849 First Master's Degree Awarded Merchant H. Goodrich of Ann Arbor and Winfield Smith of Monroe receive the first two master’s degrees earned through coursework. 1852 Growing Emphasis on Postgraduate Education President Henry P. Tappan establishes a lecture system, including the use of libraries, called the university course, for those who have attained B.A. or B.S. degrees. This is part of a larger effort to introduce an emphasis on research and learning formats beyond the typical rote memorization. 1858 Master's Degree Standards Raised More stringent rules are adopted for both master’s of art and master’s of science degrees, including coursework, formal exams, and a thesis. The first degrees under the new standards will be issued the following year. 1874 Doctor of Philosophy Degree Established The Board of Regents makes a provision to grant the doctor of philosophy degree to those who have continued study for at least two years after obtaining a bachelor’s degree. 1876 First Ph.D. Degrees Awarded The first U-M doctor of philosophy degrees are awarded to Victor C. Vaughan and William E. Smith. Their dissertations are titled “Quantitative Separation of Arsenic From Each of the Metals Precipitated by Hydrogen Sulphide in Acid Solution,” and “The Zoology of Anoura and Caecilia,” respectively. 1886 First Woman Earns U-M Ph.D. June Rose Colby becomes the first woman to earn a U-M Ph.D. Her dissertation is titled “Some Ethical Aspects of Later Elizabethan Tragedy, Preceded by an Examination of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy.” She goes on to become a professor of English, and the first female faculty member, at Illinois State Normal University, now Illinois State University. 1891 Need for Graduate Student Organization Identified In an address to the Board of Regents, U-M President James Angell notes the need for an organization to give proper attention to graduate students. 1892 Graduate Department Established at College of Literature, Science, and the Arts In the wake of President Angell’s interest in a need for a graduate student-focused organization, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts forms the university’s first graduate department. Led by an administrative council chaired by the president, it works to appropriately supervise graduate study and the development of advanced courses. 1899 Committee Formed to Review Graduate Student Needs The University of Michigan forms a committee to review the need for graduate fellowship support, an acknowledgement that lack of funding was a key obstacle to students participating in graduate-level studies. 1900 Society for the Promotion of Graduate Research at the University of Michigan Founded The Society for the Promotion of Research at the University of Michigan, later known as the Research Club, is established to form a separate graduate institution for the entire university, rather than just one department, and to promote scholarship based on sound research as the requirement for promotion of faculty. 1901 Plan for a University-Wide Graduate Department First Considered The Board of Regents first considers a proposal to form a graduate department or division that would span the entire university, centered on a nine member council that would in turn elect a dean of graduate studies. The proposal is ultimately rejected, in large part due to the already existing College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Graduate Department not wanting to relinquish its independence. 1902 Junior Research Club and Women's Research Club Founded Serving similar functions as the Research Club founded two years earlier, the Junior Research Club and Women’s Research Club are founded. 1903 Horace Rackham Assists in Incorporation of Ford Motor Company Detroit lawyer Horace H. Rackham assists in drawing up the paperwork to incorporate the Ford Motor Company, becoming one of the company’s original shareholders in the process. 1907 LSA Forms Administrative Council for Graduate Studies With its original Graduate Council growing cumbersome at 55 members, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) creates an Administrative Council for graduate studies. Comprised of 11 members drawn from the LSA faculty and appointed by the president, the new council is intended to make graduate study administration more manageable. 1908 President Angell Reaffirms Need for University-Wide Graduate Department Following the formation of the Administrative Council for graduate studies in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, President Angell again delivers remarks to the Board of Regents on the need for a university-wide graduate department. He states that as graduate study became more prevalent, the university would lag behind other universities if it continued to lack such an institution. 1910 Demand and Opportunities for Graduate Study Increase By this year, 32 departments across the university now offer opportunities for graduate study, demonstrating its growing importance and demand. 1911 Committee Formed to Explore University-Wide Graduate Department In light of growing demand for graduate study, a committee comprised of the university president, three regents, two deans, and two faculty members is formed to consider the creation of a university-wide graduate department. University of Michigan Graduate Department Formed In the wake of the committee’s findings, the Board of Regents approves the creation of the University of Michigan Graduate Department, a separate institution to oversee all graduate education at the university. 1912 Graduate Department Begins Operations With offices located in University Hall, the Graduate Department began operations to serve the university’s 326 graduate students. It is led by an executive board comprised of the university president, the dean of the department, and seven faculty members drawn from across the university. Physics professor Karl E. Guthe is named the first dean of the Graduate Department. 1913 "Dissertation" Replaces "Thesis" On Dean Guthe’s recommendation, the term “dissertation” replaces “thesis” in the requirements for a doctoral degree. Graduate Department Assumes Responsibility for All University Publications In light of its relative independence as a university department, the Graduate Department becomes home of many cross-disciplinary activities. An early example is assuming responsibility for all university publications, including the annual issuing of faculty bibliographies, which were used to promote and encourage research. 1915 Graduate Department Renamed Graduate School The Board of Regents determines that university departments granting undergraduate degrees would be termed colleges, and those providing professional education would be termed schools. Thus, the Graduate Department becomes known as the Graduate School. 1917 Barbour Scholarship Established Among the oldest and most prestigious awards granted by the University of Michigan, the Barbour Scholarship is established through an endowment by former university regent Levi Barbour. It supports female graduate students from Asia and the Middle East and is administered by the Graduate School. 1918 First African American Earns U-M Ph.D. Elmer Imes becomes the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, in physics. His dissertation is entitled “Measurements on the Near Infra-Red Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases.” He goes on to earn four patents for instruments used for measuring magnetic and electric properties and will develop and chair the physics department at Fisk University. 1925 Separate Trust Established for Graduate School The Board of Regents establishes a separate trust fund for the Graduate School, to support research activities across the university. 1930 University of Michigan Press Established As university publications continue to proliferate, the university founds its own publishing arm, the University of Michigan Press. Publishing responsibilities shift from the Graduate School to this new unit, though authorization and budget remain under the auspices of the Graduate School Executive Board. 1935 Graduate School Endowed by Rackham Fund The Horace H. Rackham and Mary A. Rackham Fund, led by Horace Rackham’s widow Mary, gives a gift of $6.5 million to the University of Michigan, with $2.5 million for the construction of a new building for the Graduate School and $4 million as an endowment to support scholarly activity. The gift eventually rises to $10 million. The Rackham Board of Governors is established to oversee the endowment. Graduate School Renamed Reflecting the gift of the Rackham Fund, the Graduate School is renamed the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, commonly called Rackham Graduate School. The organization of the school remains the same. 1936 Construction of Rackham Building Begins Ground is broken for the new Rackham Building in May, with the cornerstone laid in October. Rackham Fund Begins Supporting Research and Students Dean Clarence S. Yoakum announces the procedure for faculty to submit research grant applications to the Board of Governors, who will review each application. In addition, two postdoctoral fellowships and 10 predoctoral fellowships are created. All of these draw on the Rackham Fund. 1937 Rackham Executive Board Reorganized The Rackham Executive Board is expanded to 10 members, with each serving a five-year term, and two members retiring each year. The university president retires as an ex-officio member. 1938 Rackham Building Dedicated Construction of the Rackham Building is completed, and the building is dedicated in June. 1943 World War II Impacts Graduate Education at U-M Enrollment in graduate studies at the University of Michigan drops from 3,083 in 1939 to 633 in 1943 as a result of military service requirements during World War II. Much of the Rackham Building is dedicated during this time to the study of engineering, chemistry, meteorology, foreign languages, civil administration, and other areas related to war needs. 1945 Graduate Study Rebounds After the War With the end of World War II, enrollment rebounds to 3,125 graduate students—slightly more than before the war. The Rackham Building requires extensive redecoration after its heavy use for military purposes. 1947 Rackham Becomes Postwar Interdisciplinary Hub New interdisciplinary projects flourish after the war, with many finding a home under the auspices of Rackham. These include the Center for Japanese Studies, the Statistical Research Center, and the Survey Research Center. Rackham Takes Central Role in Research Administration As research at the university undergoes rapid expansion in the postwar period, a need for centralized oversight becomes apparent. Starting with the 1947-48 academic year, Rackham begins administering all budgets supporting research and fellowships. Dissertation Publication Methods Altered The Board of Regents abolishes the $50 dissertation-publication deposit, replacing it with a $30 fee, providing for microfilming of a dissertation. Microfilming includes having the dissertation catalogued by the Library of Congress, as well as publication of abstracts in Dissertation Abstracts International. Through the Association of Graduate Schools, Rackham successfully popularizes this procedure, and most major universities in the U.S. will eventually use this method of publishing dissertations. 1952 First Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Cultures Granted Robert H. Brower earns the first doctorate from the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, then named the Department of Far Eastern Languages and Literatures, for his dissertation, titled, “The Kon̄zyaku Monogatarisyū: An Historical and Critical Introduction, with Annotated Translations of Seventy-Eight Tales.” He will return to U-M as a professor of Japanese Language and Literature and serve as the chair of Far Eastern Languages and Literatures. 1954 Graduate Student Council Formed University of Michigan graduate students form their own organization, the Graduate Student Council, to represent their interests. This will later become known as Rackham Student Government. 1955 Expansion of Computing Technology An IBM 650 computer is purchased by the Statistical Research Lab in the Rackham Building, the beginning of an explosive demand for computing services at the university. 1957 Rackham Works to Balance Academic Support The onset of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union sees significant government support for graduate programs in scientific and technical disciplines over the next decade. Noting the unevenness of academic support, the Rackham Executive Board awards most of its research funds to the humanities and social sciences to prevent serious decline in these fields. 1959 Office of Research Founded As research grants grow to encompass millions of dollars in funding, the university establishes a separate Office of Research Administration. Rackham Dean Ralph Sawyer is appointed the first Vice President for Research, while continuing to serve as dean. Computing Center Founded As computing demand continues to rise, a separate Computing Center is formed within the Statistical Research Laboratory in the Rackham Building. 1961 First Ph.D. in American Culture Granted Betty Ch’maj earns the first doctorate from the Department of American Culture—itself the first academic American studies department—for her dissertation, titled, “The Double Attraction: A History of National Artistic Will, 1890-1917.” She spends her career researching American literature and music, founding the Radical Caucus of the American Studies Association in the 1970s, and working to challenge systemic gender discrimination in American studies programs. The department’s annual lecture is named in her honor. 1964 Rackham Funding Unified and Expanded The Rackham Board of Governors votes to join the separate funds comprising the Rackham endowment. It also determines the Rackham dean and Executive Board will decide how to use the annual allocations for graduate fellowships, faculty research grants, and faculty subventions for publication, resulting in significant growth in the distribution of predoctoral fellowships: in 1961 there are 836 awarded and by 1967 there are 4,106 awarded. 1966 Ph.D. Process Modernized The Rackham Executive Board begins modernizing the process of earning a Ph.D. Students who pass a comprehensive exam and complete all requirements except submission of a doctoral dissertation are now called “candidates in philosophy,” or doctoral candidates. 1967 Ph.D. Language Requirements Revised The Rackham Executive Board votes to allow departments to set their own language guidelines, allowing programs to not require students have a reading knowledge of French and German. Opportunity Program Founded A new program is established to focus on funding designated specifically for minority students, with the goal of increasing their numbers among the graduate students. 1969 Rackham Programs Nationally Ranked A study by the American Council on Education places University of Michigan graduate programs in the top 10, and often in the top five, in the United States. 1970 Percentage of Women Graduate Students Doubles In 1960, 11 percent of University of Michigan graduate students identify as women. By 1970, that number has doubled. Michigan Society of Fellows Established Through a $600,000 grant, the Rackham Executive Board funds the Michigan Society of Fellows, which aims to develop promising young, gifted scholars and artists by supporting them for three years as members of a small community of interacting fellows. 1971 Office of Graduate Minority Affairs Established In response to the campus-wide strike of the Black Action Movement in 1970, demanding better representation of Black students at the university, Rackham establishes the Office of Graduate Minority Affairs, responsible for implementing recommendations for recruiting and other services. The Opportunity Program is also expanded, becoming one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. 1972 Panel Convened to Improve Access to Graduate Education for Women Dean Donald Stokes convenes the Committee on the Status of Women in Graduate Study and Later Careers to consider the status of women and recommend steps toward guaranteeing equal access to graduate education. Formal Evaluation of Graduate Programs Begins Formal evaluation of graduate programs is established under the direction of Associate Dean Alfred Sussman. First Dual Graduate-Professional Degree Established The dual-degree program in law and public policy becomes the first doctoral program to link a graduate and professional degree. 1973 CUGS Program Established The Concurrent Undergraduate/Graduate Study program, which enables early admission to graduate school, begins. Dissertation Committee Requirement Established The Executive Board establishes a requirement for a committee to review a candidate’s dissertation, a university-wide committee to review the independent research component of the Ph.D. program. 1974 Graduate Employees Organization Founded In response to a tuition increase without an increase in teaching fellow salaries in 1973, University of Michigan graduate students vote to form the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) to represent their interests. It is one of oldest graduate student unions in the United States. Panel on Women in Graduate School Issues Report The Committee on the Status of Women in Graduate Study and Later Careers issues its report, leading to the Rackham Board of Governors establishing a new fellowship for nontraditional students. Rackham Development Office Established Rackham establishes its Development Office to serve as a link between the graduate school and external funding sources. 1975 Rackham Expands Alternative Career Resources In the face of a shrinking academic job market, Rackham sponsors the Conference on Alternative Careers for Ph.D.s in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as two non-academic job-hunting workshops in succeeding years. It also initiates a study of Ph.D. employment through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. 1976 Ph.D. Review Committee Established A Ph.D. Review Committee is established to determine measures for evaluating the quality of existing graduate programs and to suggest criteria to determine the future size and direction of graduate education at Michigan. Academic Appeals Procedure Established An academic appeals procedure is established for Rackham students who have a grievance related to academic matters. Academic Records Office Established An Office of Graduate Academic Records is established to better manage academic information throughout the graduate school. 1977 Graduate Study Begins at University of Michigan-Flint A master of liberal studies degree in American culture is approved at the University of Michigan-Flint, beginning graduate education on the Flint campus. 1979 Medical Scientist Training Program Established The Medical Scientist Training Program, which awards an M.D. and a Ph.D. in one of the biomedical sciences, is established. 1982 Economic Turmoil Impacts Graduate Study A combination of declining state support for higher education, inflation, and federal regulations brings about new challenges for Rackham. The university can no longer function as a fully public institution, needing private funds to support its operations, and grants and fellowships become increasingly essential for access to graduate education. 1983 Rackham Merit Fellowship Created The Rackham Merit Fellowship is created as a multi-year funding package for students historically underrepresented in graduate education. 1984 Rackham Dean's Role Expanded The role of the Rackham dean is expanded to include the additional designation of vice provost for academic affairs, recognizing the key role of the graduate school at the university. 1985 Wallenberg Endowment Established The Wallenberg Endowment is established at Rackham to commemorate Raoul Wallenberg and to recognize annually those whose own courageous actions echo his extraordinary values and achievements. Minority Organization of Rackham Founded A group of Rackham students form the Minority Organization of Rackham to support graduate students of color and help them connect. 1986 SROP Established With help from Minority Organization of Rackham students, the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) is established. SROP expands access and opportunity to students with diverse experiences and goals, and who come from various educational, cultural, geographic, and familial backgrounds, with the aim to facilitate their preparation as a pathway to doctoral studies. 1987 Michigan Mandate Expands Access for Black Students As a result of the Black Action Movement III strike, the University of Michigan establishes the Michigan Mandate to increase diversity on campus, which coupled academic excellence with social diversity. As a result of the Rackham initiatives stemming from the Michigan Mandate, for the period of 1986 to 1992, successful candidacy for students of color rises to 73 percent. Institute for the Humanities Founded The Institute for the Humanities, which promotes interdisciplinary research and discourse in the humanities and the arts, is founded within Rackham. It will eventually move to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. 1988 50th Anniversary of the Rackham Building In commemoration of the Rackham Building’s 50th anniversary, Rackham hosts a national symposium: Intellectual History and Academic Culture at the University of Michigan. 1989 Rackham Summer Institute Established With help from Minority Organization of Rackham students, the annual Rackham Summer Institute is established to provide the opportunity for an accelerated introduction to graduate school to all incoming Rackham Merit Fellowship recipients. 1991 Fellowship Support for Underrepresented Students Expands Rackham provides 625 fellowships for students from underrepresented backgrounds, an increase of 86 percent since 1987. Mellon Fellowships Established Rackham is selected by the Mellon Foundation for its Graduate Education Initiative, with the goal of reducing student financial burden and attrition rates. At the time, it is the largest effort ever undertaken by a private funder to support graduate training in the humanities. To expand the impact of the Mellon Fellowships, Rackham creates Dean’s Fellowships to provide similar support to a set of programs in the arts and humanities. 1992 MOR Becomes SCOR The Minority Organization of Rackham changes its name to Students of Color of Rackham (SCOR), under which it continues to operate today. 1995 Associate Dean Positions Created To encourage interdisciplinary work and coordination, Rackham creates four associate dean positions to corresponding to each of its divisions: biological and health sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences, and humanities and the arts. 1996 First Woman Appointed Dean Nancy Cantor is named dean of the Rackham Graduate School, the first woman to hold that position. 1998 Rackham Receives Grant to Recruit, Mentor, and Retain Minority Students in Science and Engineering With a consortium of other Michigan research universities, Rackham successfully applies for a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate to develop innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining minority students in science and engineering doctoral programs. Arts of Citizenship Program Founded An outgrowth of the Year of Humanities and the Arts, the Arts of Citizenship Program is founded through the Office of the Vice President for Research to build bridges between the university and the larger community in the arts and humanities. This includes a grants program aimed at fostering research, teaching, and creative projects that tangibly benefit communities. 1999 First African American Appointed Dean Earl Lewis is appointed dean of Rackham, the first African American to hold the position. 2000 Rackham Building Closes for Major Renovations The Rackham Building closes for major renovations. This includes returning the building’s public spaces to their original style and splendor, as well as making significant infrastructure improvements. During this two year process, operations are temporarily moved to the Argus Building in downtown Ann Arbor. 2001 U-M Participates in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate U-M begins participating in the five-year Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, which aims to support, document, and analyze innovations in doctoral education at leading programs. Rackham Joins Responsive Ph.D. Program Rackham joins the Responsive Ph.D. Program, sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation the year prior. This program aims to develop recommendations for change and to foster models for innovation in doctoral education. These recommendations are meant to address the mismatch between the kinds of training doctoral students receive and their career options identified by earlier national studies. Museum Studies Program Created Following a recommendation submitted in 2000, the Board of Regents creates the Museum Studies Program as a successor to the closed Museum Practice Program. To reflect the interdisciplinary scope of museum work and museum theory, the program is placed in the Rackham Graduate School. The program accepts its first cohort of students in 2003. 2003 Rackham Building Reopens The Rackham Building is reopened and the administrative operations of the graduate school return there from the Argus Building. Among the improvements include the installation of new technology for multimedia instruction and the return of the second floor study halls and library to student use. 2004 Rackham Joins Ph.D. Completion Project Rackham becomes one of the original research partners in the Council of Graduate Schools’ Ph.D. Completion Project. This program aims to understand graduate student retention and completion rates. 2006 Rackham Merit Fellowship Revised The State of Michigan adopts Proposal 2, a state constitutional amendment banning public institutions from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education, public employment, or public contracting. In response, Rackham Merit Fund criteria are adjusted to focus on students who experienced financial hardship, were first generation college graduates, first generation citizens, or who came from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in their disciplines. Rackham Program Review Begins Under Dean Janet Weiss, the Rackham Program Review process begins. Every four years, the Rackham deans meet with graduate programs to discuss successes and strategize ways to improve outcomes. Office of Graduate Student Success Founded The Office of Graduate Student Success is founded within Rackham, offering a wide range of services to assist graduate students, from recruitment through job placement. Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee Formed To better support one of the key aspects of the graduate school experience, the mentoring relationship between students and faculty, Rackham establishes the Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee. Its primary activity is providing presentations and training opportunities for faculty groups on graduate student mentoring. 2008 Rackham Bouchet Honor Society Chapter Founded A chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is opened at the University of Michigan. Founded in 2005 and named for the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States, the Bouchet Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. MORE Committee Founded Based on its successes, the Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee is reorganized into the Mentoring Others Results in Excellence (MORE) Committee, a standing committee that provides mentoring workshops and resources for faculty and students. 2010 Arts of Citizenship Moved to Rackham; Internships Begin The Arts of Citizenship Program is transferred from the Office of the Vice President for Research to Rackham. At the same time, the program begins offering summer internships to students with partner organizations. Rackham Public Scholarship Grants Begin As part of the Arts of Citizenship Program, Rackham begins offering Public Scholarship Grants to support student/faculty pairs in developing collaborative scholarly projects with community partners that serve community identified needs and the greater public good. 2011 Public Humanities Institute Founded Founded under the auspices of the Arts of Citizenship Program, the Public Humanities Institute provides an orientation and gateway for an interdisciplinary cohort of Rackham graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in learning about public and community engaged research, scholarship, and careers within and beyond higher education. 2012 Rackham Celebrates 100 Years Rackham commemorates 100 years since the founding of the U-M Graduate Department in 1912. The anniversary is marked with a centennial symposium and other affiliated events. Electronic Submission of Dissertations Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, all dissertations are submitted to the university’s Deep Blue Repositories electronically, rather than via a hardbound copy. 2013 Public Humanities Institute Becomes Institute for Social Change The Public Humanities Institute is restructured and renamed the Institute for Social Change, expanding to include students from all programs. 2014 Engaged Pedagogy Initiative Founded A collaboration between Rackham’s Arts of Citizenship Program and the Ginsberg Center, the Engaged Pedagogy Initiative is an intensive, semester-long workshop on the theoretical foundations and ethical implications of community-engaged learning. 2016 Arts of Citizenship Program Becomes Rackham Program in Public Scholarship In reflection of its expanded scope and opening to students in social science and STEM programs, the Arts of Citizenship Program is renamed the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship. 2018 Inaugural Ph.D. Connections Conference is Held In collaboration with the University Career Center, Rackham hosts the first annual Ph.D. Connections Conference, designed to support doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in exploring career paths beyond academia. Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows learn about career opportunities beyond the professoriate through engaging sessions with Ph.D. recipients in diverse fields. 2019 Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force Formed In response to growing concerns about graduate student mental health, Rackham forms the Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force. Composed of faculty, graduate students, mental health professionals, and other U-M staff, the task force identifies changes that graduate programs, faculty members, and individual graduate students can make to improve graduate-student mental health and supports programs in implementing them. First Rackham Ph.D. Programs at U-M Dearborn Four new Ph.D. programs—computer and information science; electrical, electronics, and computer engineering; industrial and systems engineering; and mechanical sciences and engineering—mark the first Rackham doctoral programs to to be offered at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. At the same time, a new Rackham associate dean position is created to coordinate Rackham programs and initiatives on the Dearborn campus. Brahim Medjahed is the first to occupy this position. Rackham Launches Strategic Vision for Graduate Education Rackham launches a new Strategic Vision for Graduate Education, a multiyear plan that outlines goals and objectives to reimagine graduate education at the University of Michigan in a way that emphasizes a holistic view of graduate training. It includes, among other things, preparing students for an expanded range of career opportunities, strengthening student diversity, and providing outlets for interdisciplinary, project-based approaches to solving complex, real-world problems for both doctoral and master’s students. 2020 Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Founded The Rackham Program in Public Scholarship internship program is expanded and renamed the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program. This program connects graduate students with internship experiences at partner organizations, as well as their own self-identified internships. Rackham Adjusts for the COVID-19 Pandemic In light of the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rackham initiates numerous adjustments to help students navigate disruptions and continue making progress in their programs. This includes encouraging programs and faculty to embrace flexible approaches to research methods, exams, and dissertation scope and supporting extended time to degree completion. 2021 Rackham Supports Graduate Anti-Racism Grants Rackham, alongside the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy’s Center for Racial Justice, begins cosponsoring the Graduate Anti-Racism Grants administered through the Phillip J. Bowman Center for Scholarship to Practice. The grants aim to support engagement in research projects focused on racial inequality, racial equity, and racial justice while advancing graduate student progress toward degree. Rackham Creates Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being Following the recommendations of its Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force, Rackham creates a standing Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being in order to provide continuous support for graduate students, programs, and mentors around this critical issue. Central to the committee’s mission is the establishment of a mental health and well-being advocate program, which sees mental health advocates embedded in graduate programs across the university. 2022 Rackham Begins 12-Month Funding for Ph.D. Students To better support Ph.D. students throughout the year, Rackham adopts a new funding model in which all Rackham Ph.D. students on the Ann Arbor campus receive 12 months of stipend support for the duration of the funding packages outlined in their offers of admission. 2023 Engaged Pedagogy Initiative Becomes Community Engaged Course Design Workshop The Engaged Pedagogy Initiative is renamed the Community Engaged Course Design Workshop to better reflect its mission and content. First Predoctoral Fellowships Awarded to U-M Dearborn Students Nada Lachtar and Dania Ammar, both Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, become the first students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn to receive Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships. Rackham Adopts Statement of Graduate Faculty Values, Privileges, and Responsibilities After consultation with the Rackham community, the Rackham Executive Board adopts into its bylaws a statement of values, privileges, and responsibilities of the Rackham graduate faculty to serve as a positive expression of their professional standards and complement the professional and academic standards that have already been established for Rackham graduate students. 2025 Rackham Launches GradWell Podcast Hosted by Sam Hobson, a Ph.D. candidate and graduate student assistant in Rackham’s Professional Development and Engagement Office, Rackham launches the GradWell podcast as a way to explore the different dimensions of well-being, their effect on graduate students, and the various ways the University of Michigan can support its graduate students in their journey to greater well-being in their everyday lives. Rackham Graduate Exercises Move to Crisler Center Due to the growing size of Rackham’s student population, Rackham Graduate Exercises are moved from Hill Auditorium to the Crisler Center.
1817 University of Michigan Founded The University of Michigania, or Catholepistemiad, is founded in Detroit as an institution of higher learning for the growing Territory of Michigan.
1837 University of Michigan Relocates to Ann Arbor Following the admission of Michigan as a state, the University of Michigan is reorganized as a state university and relocated to Ann Arbor.
1841 University of Michigan Opens With the completion of its original Main Building, the University of Michigan opens to its first cohort of students: six freshmen and one sophomore.
1845 First Offering of a Postgraduate Degree The first reference to graduate education appears in a resolution adopted by the U-M Board of Regents: “No candidate for the second degree of Master of Arts shall receive this honor unless he has preserved a good moral character, and previously to the Commencement, has signified his desire of the same to the Faculty.”
1847 Master of Arts Degree First Offered The Board of Regents establishes the university’s first master of arts degree, with a committee of three faculty appointed to determine its requirements.
1849 First Master's Degree Awarded Merchant H. Goodrich of Ann Arbor and Winfield Smith of Monroe receive the first two master’s degrees earned through coursework.
1852 Growing Emphasis on Postgraduate Education President Henry P. Tappan establishes a lecture system, including the use of libraries, called the university course, for those who have attained B.A. or B.S. degrees. This is part of a larger effort to introduce an emphasis on research and learning formats beyond the typical rote memorization.
1858 Master's Degree Standards Raised More stringent rules are adopted for both master’s of art and master’s of science degrees, including coursework, formal exams, and a thesis. The first degrees under the new standards will be issued the following year.
1874 Doctor of Philosophy Degree Established The Board of Regents makes a provision to grant the doctor of philosophy degree to those who have continued study for at least two years after obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
1876 First Ph.D. Degrees Awarded The first U-M doctor of philosophy degrees are awarded to Victor C. Vaughan and William E. Smith. Their dissertations are titled “Quantitative Separation of Arsenic From Each of the Metals Precipitated by Hydrogen Sulphide in Acid Solution,” and “The Zoology of Anoura and Caecilia,” respectively.
1886 First Woman Earns U-M Ph.D. June Rose Colby becomes the first woman to earn a U-M Ph.D. Her dissertation is titled “Some Ethical Aspects of Later Elizabethan Tragedy, Preceded by an Examination of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy.” She goes on to become a professor of English, and the first female faculty member, at Illinois State Normal University, now Illinois State University.
1891 Need for Graduate Student Organization Identified In an address to the Board of Regents, U-M President James Angell notes the need for an organization to give proper attention to graduate students.
1892 Graduate Department Established at College of Literature, Science, and the Arts In the wake of President Angell’s interest in a need for a graduate student-focused organization, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts forms the university’s first graduate department. Led by an administrative council chaired by the president, it works to appropriately supervise graduate study and the development of advanced courses.
1899 Committee Formed to Review Graduate Student Needs The University of Michigan forms a committee to review the need for graduate fellowship support, an acknowledgement that lack of funding was a key obstacle to students participating in graduate-level studies.
1900 Society for the Promotion of Graduate Research at the University of Michigan Founded The Society for the Promotion of Research at the University of Michigan, later known as the Research Club, is established to form a separate graduate institution for the entire university, rather than just one department, and to promote scholarship based on sound research as the requirement for promotion of faculty.
1901 Plan for a University-Wide Graduate Department First Considered The Board of Regents first considers a proposal to form a graduate department or division that would span the entire university, centered on a nine member council that would in turn elect a dean of graduate studies. The proposal is ultimately rejected, in large part due to the already existing College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Graduate Department not wanting to relinquish its independence.
1902 Junior Research Club and Women's Research Club Founded Serving similar functions as the Research Club founded two years earlier, the Junior Research Club and Women’s Research Club are founded.
1903 Horace Rackham Assists in Incorporation of Ford Motor Company Detroit lawyer Horace H. Rackham assists in drawing up the paperwork to incorporate the Ford Motor Company, becoming one of the company’s original shareholders in the process.
1907 LSA Forms Administrative Council for Graduate Studies With its original Graduate Council growing cumbersome at 55 members, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) creates an Administrative Council for graduate studies. Comprised of 11 members drawn from the LSA faculty and appointed by the president, the new council is intended to make graduate study administration more manageable.
1908 President Angell Reaffirms Need for University-Wide Graduate Department Following the formation of the Administrative Council for graduate studies in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, President Angell again delivers remarks to the Board of Regents on the need for a university-wide graduate department. He states that as graduate study became more prevalent, the university would lag behind other universities if it continued to lack such an institution.
1910 Demand and Opportunities for Graduate Study Increase By this year, 32 departments across the university now offer opportunities for graduate study, demonstrating its growing importance and demand.
1911 Committee Formed to Explore University-Wide Graduate Department In light of growing demand for graduate study, a committee comprised of the university president, three regents, two deans, and two faculty members is formed to consider the creation of a university-wide graduate department. University of Michigan Graduate Department Formed In the wake of the committee’s findings, the Board of Regents approves the creation of the University of Michigan Graduate Department, a separate institution to oversee all graduate education at the university.
1912 Graduate Department Begins Operations With offices located in University Hall, the Graduate Department began operations to serve the university’s 326 graduate students. It is led by an executive board comprised of the university president, the dean of the department, and seven faculty members drawn from across the university. Physics professor Karl E. Guthe is named the first dean of the Graduate Department.
1913 "Dissertation" Replaces "Thesis" On Dean Guthe’s recommendation, the term “dissertation” replaces “thesis” in the requirements for a doctoral degree. Graduate Department Assumes Responsibility for All University Publications In light of its relative independence as a university department, the Graduate Department becomes home of many cross-disciplinary activities. An early example is assuming responsibility for all university publications, including the annual issuing of faculty bibliographies, which were used to promote and encourage research.
1915 Graduate Department Renamed Graduate School The Board of Regents determines that university departments granting undergraduate degrees would be termed colleges, and those providing professional education would be termed schools. Thus, the Graduate Department becomes known as the Graduate School.
1917 Barbour Scholarship Established Among the oldest and most prestigious awards granted by the University of Michigan, the Barbour Scholarship is established through an endowment by former university regent Levi Barbour. It supports female graduate students from Asia and the Middle East and is administered by the Graduate School.
1918 First African American Earns U-M Ph.D. Elmer Imes becomes the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, in physics. His dissertation is entitled “Measurements on the Near Infra-Red Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases.” He goes on to earn four patents for instruments used for measuring magnetic and electric properties and will develop and chair the physics department at Fisk University.
1925 Separate Trust Established for Graduate School The Board of Regents establishes a separate trust fund for the Graduate School, to support research activities across the university.
1930 University of Michigan Press Established As university publications continue to proliferate, the university founds its own publishing arm, the University of Michigan Press. Publishing responsibilities shift from the Graduate School to this new unit, though authorization and budget remain under the auspices of the Graduate School Executive Board.
1935 Graduate School Endowed by Rackham Fund The Horace H. Rackham and Mary A. Rackham Fund, led by Horace Rackham’s widow Mary, gives a gift of $6.5 million to the University of Michigan, with $2.5 million for the construction of a new building for the Graduate School and $4 million as an endowment to support scholarly activity. The gift eventually rises to $10 million. The Rackham Board of Governors is established to oversee the endowment. Graduate School Renamed Reflecting the gift of the Rackham Fund, the Graduate School is renamed the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, commonly called Rackham Graduate School. The organization of the school remains the same.
1936 Construction of Rackham Building Begins Ground is broken for the new Rackham Building in May, with the cornerstone laid in October. Rackham Fund Begins Supporting Research and Students Dean Clarence S. Yoakum announces the procedure for faculty to submit research grant applications to the Board of Governors, who will review each application. In addition, two postdoctoral fellowships and 10 predoctoral fellowships are created. All of these draw on the Rackham Fund.
1937 Rackham Executive Board Reorganized The Rackham Executive Board is expanded to 10 members, with each serving a five-year term, and two members retiring each year. The university president retires as an ex-officio member.
1938 Rackham Building Dedicated Construction of the Rackham Building is completed, and the building is dedicated in June.
1943 World War II Impacts Graduate Education at U-M Enrollment in graduate studies at the University of Michigan drops from 3,083 in 1939 to 633 in 1943 as a result of military service requirements during World War II. Much of the Rackham Building is dedicated during this time to the study of engineering, chemistry, meteorology, foreign languages, civil administration, and other areas related to war needs.
1945 Graduate Study Rebounds After the War With the end of World War II, enrollment rebounds to 3,125 graduate students—slightly more than before the war. The Rackham Building requires extensive redecoration after its heavy use for military purposes.
1947 Rackham Becomes Postwar Interdisciplinary Hub New interdisciplinary projects flourish after the war, with many finding a home under the auspices of Rackham. These include the Center for Japanese Studies, the Statistical Research Center, and the Survey Research Center. Rackham Takes Central Role in Research Administration As research at the university undergoes rapid expansion in the postwar period, a need for centralized oversight becomes apparent. Starting with the 1947-48 academic year, Rackham begins administering all budgets supporting research and fellowships. Dissertation Publication Methods Altered The Board of Regents abolishes the $50 dissertation-publication deposit, replacing it with a $30 fee, providing for microfilming of a dissertation. Microfilming includes having the dissertation catalogued by the Library of Congress, as well as publication of abstracts in Dissertation Abstracts International. Through the Association of Graduate Schools, Rackham successfully popularizes this procedure, and most major universities in the U.S. will eventually use this method of publishing dissertations.
1952 First Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Cultures Granted Robert H. Brower earns the first doctorate from the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, then named the Department of Far Eastern Languages and Literatures, for his dissertation, titled, “The Kon̄zyaku Monogatarisyū: An Historical and Critical Introduction, with Annotated Translations of Seventy-Eight Tales.” He will return to U-M as a professor of Japanese Language and Literature and serve as the chair of Far Eastern Languages and Literatures.
1954 Graduate Student Council Formed University of Michigan graduate students form their own organization, the Graduate Student Council, to represent their interests. This will later become known as Rackham Student Government.
1955 Expansion of Computing Technology An IBM 650 computer is purchased by the Statistical Research Lab in the Rackham Building, the beginning of an explosive demand for computing services at the university.
1957 Rackham Works to Balance Academic Support The onset of the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union sees significant government support for graduate programs in scientific and technical disciplines over the next decade. Noting the unevenness of academic support, the Rackham Executive Board awards most of its research funds to the humanities and social sciences to prevent serious decline in these fields.
1959 Office of Research Founded As research grants grow to encompass millions of dollars in funding, the university establishes a separate Office of Research Administration. Rackham Dean Ralph Sawyer is appointed the first Vice President for Research, while continuing to serve as dean. Computing Center Founded As computing demand continues to rise, a separate Computing Center is formed within the Statistical Research Laboratory in the Rackham Building.
1961 First Ph.D. in American Culture Granted Betty Ch’maj earns the first doctorate from the Department of American Culture—itself the first academic American studies department—for her dissertation, titled, “The Double Attraction: A History of National Artistic Will, 1890-1917.” She spends her career researching American literature and music, founding the Radical Caucus of the American Studies Association in the 1970s, and working to challenge systemic gender discrimination in American studies programs. The department’s annual lecture is named in her honor.
1964 Rackham Funding Unified and Expanded The Rackham Board of Governors votes to join the separate funds comprising the Rackham endowment. It also determines the Rackham dean and Executive Board will decide how to use the annual allocations for graduate fellowships, faculty research grants, and faculty subventions for publication, resulting in significant growth in the distribution of predoctoral fellowships: in 1961 there are 836 awarded and by 1967 there are 4,106 awarded.
1966 Ph.D. Process Modernized The Rackham Executive Board begins modernizing the process of earning a Ph.D. Students who pass a comprehensive exam and complete all requirements except submission of a doctoral dissertation are now called “candidates in philosophy,” or doctoral candidates.
1967 Ph.D. Language Requirements Revised The Rackham Executive Board votes to allow departments to set their own language guidelines, allowing programs to not require students have a reading knowledge of French and German. Opportunity Program Founded A new program is established to focus on funding designated specifically for minority students, with the goal of increasing their numbers among the graduate students.
1969 Rackham Programs Nationally Ranked A study by the American Council on Education places University of Michigan graduate programs in the top 10, and often in the top five, in the United States.
1970 Percentage of Women Graduate Students Doubles In 1960, 11 percent of University of Michigan graduate students identify as women. By 1970, that number has doubled. Michigan Society of Fellows Established Through a $600,000 grant, the Rackham Executive Board funds the Michigan Society of Fellows, which aims to develop promising young, gifted scholars and artists by supporting them for three years as members of a small community of interacting fellows.
1971 Office of Graduate Minority Affairs Established In response to the campus-wide strike of the Black Action Movement in 1970, demanding better representation of Black students at the university, Rackham establishes the Office of Graduate Minority Affairs, responsible for implementing recommendations for recruiting and other services. The Opportunity Program is also expanded, becoming one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.
1972 Panel Convened to Improve Access to Graduate Education for Women Dean Donald Stokes convenes the Committee on the Status of Women in Graduate Study and Later Careers to consider the status of women and recommend steps toward guaranteeing equal access to graduate education. Formal Evaluation of Graduate Programs Begins Formal evaluation of graduate programs is established under the direction of Associate Dean Alfred Sussman. First Dual Graduate-Professional Degree Established The dual-degree program in law and public policy becomes the first doctoral program to link a graduate and professional degree.
1973 CUGS Program Established The Concurrent Undergraduate/Graduate Study program, which enables early admission to graduate school, begins. Dissertation Committee Requirement Established The Executive Board establishes a requirement for a committee to review a candidate’s dissertation, a university-wide committee to review the independent research component of the Ph.D. program.
1974 Graduate Employees Organization Founded In response to a tuition increase without an increase in teaching fellow salaries in 1973, University of Michigan graduate students vote to form the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) to represent their interests. It is one of oldest graduate student unions in the United States. Panel on Women in Graduate School Issues Report The Committee on the Status of Women in Graduate Study and Later Careers issues its report, leading to the Rackham Board of Governors establishing a new fellowship for nontraditional students. Rackham Development Office Established Rackham establishes its Development Office to serve as a link between the graduate school and external funding sources.
1975 Rackham Expands Alternative Career Resources In the face of a shrinking academic job market, Rackham sponsors the Conference on Alternative Careers for Ph.D.s in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as two non-academic job-hunting workshops in succeeding years. It also initiates a study of Ph.D. employment through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
1976 Ph.D. Review Committee Established A Ph.D. Review Committee is established to determine measures for evaluating the quality of existing graduate programs and to suggest criteria to determine the future size and direction of graduate education at Michigan. Academic Appeals Procedure Established An academic appeals procedure is established for Rackham students who have a grievance related to academic matters. Academic Records Office Established An Office of Graduate Academic Records is established to better manage academic information throughout the graduate school.
1977 Graduate Study Begins at University of Michigan-Flint A master of liberal studies degree in American culture is approved at the University of Michigan-Flint, beginning graduate education on the Flint campus.
1979 Medical Scientist Training Program Established The Medical Scientist Training Program, which awards an M.D. and a Ph.D. in one of the biomedical sciences, is established.
1982 Economic Turmoil Impacts Graduate Study A combination of declining state support for higher education, inflation, and federal regulations brings about new challenges for Rackham. The university can no longer function as a fully public institution, needing private funds to support its operations, and grants and fellowships become increasingly essential for access to graduate education.
1983 Rackham Merit Fellowship Created The Rackham Merit Fellowship is created as a multi-year funding package for students historically underrepresented in graduate education.
1984 Rackham Dean's Role Expanded The role of the Rackham dean is expanded to include the additional designation of vice provost for academic affairs, recognizing the key role of the graduate school at the university.
1985 Wallenberg Endowment Established The Wallenberg Endowment is established at Rackham to commemorate Raoul Wallenberg and to recognize annually those whose own courageous actions echo his extraordinary values and achievements. Minority Organization of Rackham Founded A group of Rackham students form the Minority Organization of Rackham to support graduate students of color and help them connect.
1986 SROP Established With help from Minority Organization of Rackham students, the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) is established. SROP expands access and opportunity to students with diverse experiences and goals, and who come from various educational, cultural, geographic, and familial backgrounds, with the aim to facilitate their preparation as a pathway to doctoral studies.
1987 Michigan Mandate Expands Access for Black Students As a result of the Black Action Movement III strike, the University of Michigan establishes the Michigan Mandate to increase diversity on campus, which coupled academic excellence with social diversity. As a result of the Rackham initiatives stemming from the Michigan Mandate, for the period of 1986 to 1992, successful candidacy for students of color rises to 73 percent. Institute for the Humanities Founded The Institute for the Humanities, which promotes interdisciplinary research and discourse in the humanities and the arts, is founded within Rackham. It will eventually move to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
1988 50th Anniversary of the Rackham Building In commemoration of the Rackham Building’s 50th anniversary, Rackham hosts a national symposium: Intellectual History and Academic Culture at the University of Michigan.
1989 Rackham Summer Institute Established With help from Minority Organization of Rackham students, the annual Rackham Summer Institute is established to provide the opportunity for an accelerated introduction to graduate school to all incoming Rackham Merit Fellowship recipients.
1991 Fellowship Support for Underrepresented Students Expands Rackham provides 625 fellowships for students from underrepresented backgrounds, an increase of 86 percent since 1987. Mellon Fellowships Established Rackham is selected by the Mellon Foundation for its Graduate Education Initiative, with the goal of reducing student financial burden and attrition rates. At the time, it is the largest effort ever undertaken by a private funder to support graduate training in the humanities. To expand the impact of the Mellon Fellowships, Rackham creates Dean’s Fellowships to provide similar support to a set of programs in the arts and humanities.
1992 MOR Becomes SCOR The Minority Organization of Rackham changes its name to Students of Color of Rackham (SCOR), under which it continues to operate today.
1995 Associate Dean Positions Created To encourage interdisciplinary work and coordination, Rackham creates four associate dean positions to corresponding to each of its divisions: biological and health sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences, and humanities and the arts.
1996 First Woman Appointed Dean Nancy Cantor is named dean of the Rackham Graduate School, the first woman to hold that position.
1998 Rackham Receives Grant to Recruit, Mentor, and Retain Minority Students in Science and Engineering With a consortium of other Michigan research universities, Rackham successfully applies for a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate to develop innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining minority students in science and engineering doctoral programs. Arts of Citizenship Program Founded An outgrowth of the Year of Humanities and the Arts, the Arts of Citizenship Program is founded through the Office of the Vice President for Research to build bridges between the university and the larger community in the arts and humanities. This includes a grants program aimed at fostering research, teaching, and creative projects that tangibly benefit communities.
1999 First African American Appointed Dean Earl Lewis is appointed dean of Rackham, the first African American to hold the position.
2000 Rackham Building Closes for Major Renovations The Rackham Building closes for major renovations. This includes returning the building’s public spaces to their original style and splendor, as well as making significant infrastructure improvements. During this two year process, operations are temporarily moved to the Argus Building in downtown Ann Arbor.
2001 U-M Participates in the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate U-M begins participating in the five-year Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate, which aims to support, document, and analyze innovations in doctoral education at leading programs. Rackham Joins Responsive Ph.D. Program Rackham joins the Responsive Ph.D. Program, sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation the year prior. This program aims to develop recommendations for change and to foster models for innovation in doctoral education. These recommendations are meant to address the mismatch between the kinds of training doctoral students receive and their career options identified by earlier national studies. Museum Studies Program Created Following a recommendation submitted in 2000, the Board of Regents creates the Museum Studies Program as a successor to the closed Museum Practice Program. To reflect the interdisciplinary scope of museum work and museum theory, the program is placed in the Rackham Graduate School. The program accepts its first cohort of students in 2003.
2003 Rackham Building Reopens The Rackham Building is reopened and the administrative operations of the graduate school return there from the Argus Building. Among the improvements include the installation of new technology for multimedia instruction and the return of the second floor study halls and library to student use.
2004 Rackham Joins Ph.D. Completion Project Rackham becomes one of the original research partners in the Council of Graduate Schools’ Ph.D. Completion Project. This program aims to understand graduate student retention and completion rates.
2006 Rackham Merit Fellowship Revised The State of Michigan adopts Proposal 2, a state constitutional amendment banning public institutions from discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education, public employment, or public contracting. In response, Rackham Merit Fund criteria are adjusted to focus on students who experienced financial hardship, were first generation college graduates, first generation citizens, or who came from an educational, cultural or geographic background that is underrepresented in graduate study in their disciplines. Rackham Program Review Begins Under Dean Janet Weiss, the Rackham Program Review process begins. Every four years, the Rackham deans meet with graduate programs to discuss successes and strategize ways to improve outcomes. Office of Graduate Student Success Founded The Office of Graduate Student Success is founded within Rackham, offering a wide range of services to assist graduate students, from recruitment through job placement. Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee Formed To better support one of the key aspects of the graduate school experience, the mentoring relationship between students and faculty, Rackham establishes the Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee. Its primary activity is providing presentations and training opportunities for faculty groups on graduate student mentoring.
2008 Rackham Bouchet Honor Society Chapter Founded A chapter of the Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is opened at the University of Michigan. Founded in 2005 and named for the first African American doctoral recipient in the United States, the Bouchet Society recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. MORE Committee Founded Based on its successes, the Michigan Mentoring Initiative Committee is reorganized into the Mentoring Others Results in Excellence (MORE) Committee, a standing committee that provides mentoring workshops and resources for faculty and students.
2010 Arts of Citizenship Moved to Rackham; Internships Begin The Arts of Citizenship Program is transferred from the Office of the Vice President for Research to Rackham. At the same time, the program begins offering summer internships to students with partner organizations. Rackham Public Scholarship Grants Begin As part of the Arts of Citizenship Program, Rackham begins offering Public Scholarship Grants to support student/faculty pairs in developing collaborative scholarly projects with community partners that serve community identified needs and the greater public good.
2011 Public Humanities Institute Founded Founded under the auspices of the Arts of Citizenship Program, the Public Humanities Institute provides an orientation and gateway for an interdisciplinary cohort of Rackham graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in learning about public and community engaged research, scholarship, and careers within and beyond higher education.
2012 Rackham Celebrates 100 Years Rackham commemorates 100 years since the founding of the U-M Graduate Department in 1912. The anniversary is marked with a centennial symposium and other affiliated events. Electronic Submission of Dissertations Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year, all dissertations are submitted to the university’s Deep Blue Repositories electronically, rather than via a hardbound copy.
2013 Public Humanities Institute Becomes Institute for Social Change The Public Humanities Institute is restructured and renamed the Institute for Social Change, expanding to include students from all programs.
2014 Engaged Pedagogy Initiative Founded A collaboration between Rackham’s Arts of Citizenship Program and the Ginsberg Center, the Engaged Pedagogy Initiative is an intensive, semester-long workshop on the theoretical foundations and ethical implications of community-engaged learning.
2016 Arts of Citizenship Program Becomes Rackham Program in Public Scholarship In reflection of its expanded scope and opening to students in social science and STEM programs, the Arts of Citizenship Program is renamed the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship.
2018 Inaugural Ph.D. Connections Conference is Held In collaboration with the University Career Center, Rackham hosts the first annual Ph.D. Connections Conference, designed to support doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in exploring career paths beyond academia. Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows learn about career opportunities beyond the professoriate through engaging sessions with Ph.D. recipients in diverse fields.
2019 Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force Formed In response to growing concerns about graduate student mental health, Rackham forms the Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force. Composed of faculty, graduate students, mental health professionals, and other U-M staff, the task force identifies changes that graduate programs, faculty members, and individual graduate students can make to improve graduate-student mental health and supports programs in implementing them. First Rackham Ph.D. Programs at U-M Dearborn Four new Ph.D. programs—computer and information science; electrical, electronics, and computer engineering; industrial and systems engineering; and mechanical sciences and engineering—mark the first Rackham doctoral programs to to be offered at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. At the same time, a new Rackham associate dean position is created to coordinate Rackham programs and initiatives on the Dearborn campus. Brahim Medjahed is the first to occupy this position. Rackham Launches Strategic Vision for Graduate Education Rackham launches a new Strategic Vision for Graduate Education, a multiyear plan that outlines goals and objectives to reimagine graduate education at the University of Michigan in a way that emphasizes a holistic view of graduate training. It includes, among other things, preparing students for an expanded range of career opportunities, strengthening student diversity, and providing outlets for interdisciplinary, project-based approaches to solving complex, real-world problems for both doctoral and master’s students.
2020 Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Founded The Rackham Program in Public Scholarship internship program is expanded and renamed the Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program. This program connects graduate students with internship experiences at partner organizations, as well as their own self-identified internships. Rackham Adjusts for the COVID-19 Pandemic In light of the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rackham initiates numerous adjustments to help students navigate disruptions and continue making progress in their programs. This includes encouraging programs and faculty to embrace flexible approaches to research methods, exams, and dissertation scope and supporting extended time to degree completion.
2021 Rackham Supports Graduate Anti-Racism Grants Rackham, alongside the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy’s Center for Racial Justice, begins cosponsoring the Graduate Anti-Racism Grants administered through the Phillip J. Bowman Center for Scholarship to Practice. The grants aim to support engagement in research projects focused on racial inequality, racial equity, and racial justice while advancing graduate student progress toward degree. Rackham Creates Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being Following the recommendations of its Graduate Student Mental Health Task Force, Rackham creates a standing Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being in order to provide continuous support for graduate students, programs, and mentors around this critical issue. Central to the committee’s mission is the establishment of a mental health and well-being advocate program, which sees mental health advocates embedded in graduate programs across the university.
2022 Rackham Begins 12-Month Funding for Ph.D. Students To better support Ph.D. students throughout the year, Rackham adopts a new funding model in which all Rackham Ph.D. students on the Ann Arbor campus receive 12 months of stipend support for the duration of the funding packages outlined in their offers of admission.
2023 Engaged Pedagogy Initiative Becomes Community Engaged Course Design Workshop The Engaged Pedagogy Initiative is renamed the Community Engaged Course Design Workshop to better reflect its mission and content. First Predoctoral Fellowships Awarded to U-M Dearborn Students Nada Lachtar and Dania Ammar, both Ph.D. students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, become the first students at the University of Michigan-Dearborn to receive Rackham Predoctoral Fellowships. Rackham Adopts Statement of Graduate Faculty Values, Privileges, and Responsibilities After consultation with the Rackham community, the Rackham Executive Board adopts into its bylaws a statement of values, privileges, and responsibilities of the Rackham graduate faculty to serve as a positive expression of their professional standards and complement the professional and academic standards that have already been established for Rackham graduate students.
2025 Rackham Launches GradWell Podcast Hosted by Sam Hobson, a Ph.D. candidate and graduate student assistant in Rackham’s Professional Development and Engagement Office, Rackham launches the GradWell podcast as a way to explore the different dimensions of well-being, their effect on graduate students, and the various ways the University of Michigan can support its graduate students in their journey to greater well-being in their everyday lives. Rackham Graduate Exercises Move to Crisler Center Due to the growing size of Rackham’s student population, Rackham Graduate Exercises are moved from Hill Auditorium to the Crisler Center.
