Chapter 14
Community Engagement & Public Service
Goals
The University of Michigan stands as a model of how public institutions can deeply and positively influence the communities they serve. With a combination of teaching, research, and public service, U-M extends its impact well beyond campus boundaries, making meaningful contributions to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the state at large. From supporting local economies through employment and procurement to fostering vibrant civic life through cultural and educational events, U-M’s commitment to community engagement is woven into the fabric of its mission.
Overview
Education at U-M is not confined to the classroom; it is a lived experience that includes civic engagement, democratic participation, and lifelong learning. The university embraces its role in preparing students to become thoughtful, active citizens capable of engaging in civil discourse and effecting positive change. By addressing accessibility and reimagining educational models, U-M ensures that all students have the opportunity to develop the skills and values necessary for public service and leadership in a rapidly changing world.
With more than 278,000 alumni and over 51,000 employees living and working across Michigan, U-M’s influence is felt statewide. Its public service ethos is evident in its healthcare reach, economic partnerships, and broad educational initiatives that touch millions of residents each year. Its cultural activities attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Ann Arbor each year, boosting the local economy and fostering a sense of connectedness within the campus community.
In 2024, the university announced its strategic vision for the next decade of educational leadership called Look to Michigan. One of the five core pillars of this vision is “Democracy, Civic and Global Engagement”. As democratic institutions face increasing challenges, U-M remains more committed than ever to fostering informed, engaged, and empowered communities—locally and globally—through bold leadership, inclusive dialogue, and innovative public service.
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U-M Expenditures by Michigan County
U-M has a large impact on the Michigan economy, with the university directly purchasing nearly $1.4 billion in goods and services from Michigan companies in fiscal year 2024.
County,Total Spend us-mi-001,3678 us-mi-003,3491 us-mi-005,3426708 us-mi-007,117951 us-mi-009,65825 us-mi-011,17984 us-mi-013,2557 us-mi-015,78911 us-mi-017,237278 us-mi-019,14112 us-mi-021,236929 us-mi-023,31018 us-mi-025,361807 us-mi-027,3377 us-mi-029,498252 us-mi-031,111413 us-mi-033,70553 us-mi-035,33578 us-mi-037,75472 us-mi-039,8953 us-mi-041,8278 us-mi-043,6186 us-mi-045,345314192 us-mi-047,452029 us-mi-049,18720754 us-mi-051,11596 us-mi-053,986 us-mi-055,1019408 us-mi-057,118391 us-mi-059,63702 us-mi-061,1195178 us-mi-063,25635 us-mi-065,175873291 us-mi-067,192150 us-mi-069,6248 us-mi-073,1570801 us-mi-075,7592053 us-mi-077,7007457 us-mi-079,765 us-mi-081,29574831 us-mi-085,380 us-mi-087,76920 us-mi-089,66365 us-mi-091,665355 us-mi-093,24840430 us-mi-095,467 us-mi-097,462956 us-mi-099,20860085 us-mi-101,3933 us-mi-103,172339 us-mi-105,428817 us-mi-107,305567 us-mi-109,1402 us-mi-111,259139 us-mi-113,0 us-mi-115,12410104 us-mi-117,2586 us-mi-119,49664 us-mi-121,1064608 us-mi-123,4010 us-mi-125,425284478 us-mi-127,5680 us-mi-129,26722 us-mi-131,856 us-mi-133,27330 us-mi-135,4000 us-mi-137,58126 us-mi-139,2377001 us-mi-141,1756 us-mi-143,19393 us-mi-145,1224941 us-mi-151,21603 us-mi-153,7847 us-mi-155,171373 us-mi-157,102637 us-mi-159,173841 us-mi-161,350271182 us-mi-163,550430336 us-mi-165,117710 us-mi-071,702
SOURCE: Research Universities for Michigan (RU4M) Economic Impact Study
U-M spent more than $100 million each on goods and services in five Michigan counties in FY2024: Wayne, Eaton, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Ingham. Some expenses that are not included are salaries, financial aid, and employee retirement. The majority of spending was on services (including contracts and subcontracts, payments to non-employees, insurance, rentals, etc.) and construction/maintenance. The products and services were purchased from over 39,000 Michigan-based vendors.
Public Service Expenditures, U-M and Peers
Compared to public peers, U-M spends the second most on public service, according to the most recently available IPEDS data.
,Public Service,Public Service Wisconsin-Madison,387, MICHIGAN,,295.9 UCLA,245.9, UC-San Francisco,229.6, Illinois,204.3, UNC-Chapel Hill,200.6, Texas-Austin,173.2, Ohio State,172.2, Washington,166.2, UC-Berkeley,114.5, Georgia Tech,81.3, Virginia,51.5,
SOURCE: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
Public service expenditures include expenses for activities established primarily to provide noninstructional services beneficial to individuals and groups external to the institution. Examples are conferences, institutes, general advisory services, reference bureaus, and similar services provided to particular sectors of the community. This function includes expenses for community services, cooperative extension services, and public broadcasting services.
Private university peers are excluded from this graphic because they have different reporting requirements which make it difficult to compare expenditures by category.
U-M Public Service Expenditures
The University of Michigan has increased its commitment to community engagement over time, with its public service expenditures increasing 20% compared to a decade ago.
Year,Public Service Expenditures 2015,248 2016,235 2017,236 2018,250 2019,240 2020,233 2021,296 2022,267 2023,308 2024,299
SOURCE: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
Alumni by State
Two-thirds of U-M students who graduated in the last five years still live in-state. 42% of the 668,000 living U-M alumni live in Michigan.
State,"Number of Current, Living U of M Alumni" us-al,1438 us-ak,644 us-az,7462 us-ar,642 us-ca,52339 us-co,11093 us-ct,5405 us-de,730 us-dc,4847 us-fl,21430 us-ga,8127 us-hi,1441 us-id,911 us-il,31711 us-in,6002 us-ia,1507 us-ks,1340 us-ky,1899 us-la,1091 us-me,1555 us-md,11281 us-ma,13014 us-mi,278095 us-mn,6198 us-ms,466 us-mo,3389 us-mt,778 us-ne,710 us-nv,2178 us-nh,1507 us-nj,11181 us-nm,2194 us-ny,30715 us-nc,9466 us-nd,200 us-oh,15411 us-ok,858 us-or,5377 us-pa,10712 us-ri,968 us-sc,3214 us-sd,298 us-tn,4391 us-tx,16313 us-ut,1917 us-vt,1187 us-va,11772 us-wa,12452 us-wv,485 us-wi,5885 us-wy,370
SOURCE: U-M Government Relations
Graduates who remain in Michigan contribute to the state’s skilled workforce across diverse sectors. Engineering graduates often join Michigan’s automotive and manufacturing industries, helping drive innovation in electric vehicles, autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing. Business school graduates frequently take leadership roles in Michigan corporations or launch their own ventures, while medical school graduates staff the state’s hospitals and healthcare systems. Many students also stay in Ann Arbor to pursue a graduate degree.
A recent analysis by Steppingblocks, Inc., a national consulting firm, found that over 116,000 alumni currently work in Michigan, with the largest Michigan-based employers indicated as General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Michigan Medicine, Corewell Health, and the Henry Ford Health System. More broadly, our alumni are also well represented in Fortune 500 companies with Amazon, General Motors, Ford, Dow Chemical, and DTE indicated most frequently.
U-M graduates typically earn higher salaries than the state average, contributing more in income taxes and consumer spending (see Chapter 4: Undergraduate Student Success). They’re also more likely to purchase homes, start families, and become civically engaged in their communities, creating stable foundations for local economic growth.
United Way Campaign Donations
The university’s annual United Way giving campaign consistently raises more than $1 million to support health, education, and financial stability programs and services facilitated by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
Campaign Year,Total (in Millions) 2008,1.1 2009,1.18 2010,1.22 2011,1.33 2012,1.43 2013,1.43 2014,1.39 2015,1.37 2016,1.33 2017,1.3 2018,1.24 2019,1.27 2020,1.35 2021,1.21 2022,1.21 2023,1.14 2024,1.14
SOURCE: U-M Government Relations
According to the United Way nearly 40% of families in southeastern Michigan struggle to meet their basic needs. Each fall, the University of Michigan launches a workplace giving campaign in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to fund local and regional programs and services to support vital community services in Washtenaw County and beyond. Donors have the flexibility to direct their funds to specific causes or to the general fund, ensuring their support has the maximum impact where it is most needed.
For more than 50 years, United Way has been the university’s sole non-profit campus-wide partner. Throughout this long standing partnership between the University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, and United Way for Southeastern Michigan, employees have raised over $35 million dollars.
Ginsberg Center Engagement
There are many ways students engage with the community at U-M. The university’s Ginsberg Center provides many opportunities for students to prepare for civic engagement.
,Unique students,Total engagement Workshops,1927,2197 Programs,201,1885 Outreach Events,506,506 Advising,238,783
SOURCE: U-M Ginsberg Center Annual Report
The Ginsberg Center is a community and civic engagement center with a mission to cultivate and steward equitable partnerships between communities and the University of Michigan in order to advance social change for the public good. The institute cultivates a network of community partners (nonprofits, local governments, and K-12 schools) and connects them with students, faculty, and staff who are invested in positive social change. The center’s initiatives include programs, advising sessions, grants for student organizations, and various course-based and co-curricular workshops aimed at preparing students for community engagement.
The Office of the Vice President for Student Life facilitates transformational student experiences by advancing student learning and development, fostering well-being, and cultivating an inclusive and equitable campus community. Many students also participate in Alternative Spring Break, which has small teams of students complete projects onsite at nonprofit, civic, cultural or social impact institutions outside of Ann Arbor during University of Michigan’s spring break.
Local Economic & Cultural Impact
The university has a substantial economic and cultural influence on both the Ann Arbor community and the broader state of Michigan.
14.7 University Economic and Cultural Impact, FY2024
SOURCE: U-M Government Relations
The University of Michigan strives to contribute positively to the culture of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and the broader state of Michigan. Every day, there are dozens of events that are free and open to the public, drawing visitors to the area. The University of Michigan Museum of Art hosted over 140,000 visitors in 2023, including 1,120 Title 1 students from 46 different K-12 schools. The U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance has over 900 student performances per year and connects the School and its resources to the community through Youth Programs, Adult Programs and Community Outreach Programs.
The university also takes pride in its positive social and economic impact. Michigan Wolverines football games generate millions in economic activity with visitors coming from around the nation during the fall season. Ann Arbor restaurants and businesses benefit from the thousands of students who eat and shop around campus. U-M preserves 841 acres of land in the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, which draw over 500,000 visitors every year. The university also hosts dozens of K-12 summer camps every year to engage young students in academic and social-emotional growth, provide a chance to explore potential college majors, and offer hands-on learning experiences.
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