U-M becomes part of Solution

Updated 10:00 AM March 20, 2006

U-M becomes part of Solution

By Joel Seguine
Office of the Vice President for Communications

U-M is joining with the American Council on Education (ACE) and nearly 400 other colleges and universities across the country in a public outreach campaign designed to raise awareness about higher education's critical role in the future of the country.

Solutions for Our Future, announced March 14 in Washington, D.C., is a multi-year effort aimed at establishing a dialogue with local communities and policymakers about the broad societal benefits of higher education, says Julie Peterson, U-M associate vice president for media relations and public affairs and member of the campaign's national advisory board.

"The campaign will include national television, radio and newspaper advertisements and an interactive Web site (www.solutionsforourfuture.org)," Peterson says. "It will also encourage the grassroots participation of member campuses."

According to ACE, research conducted for the campaign shows that only 33 percent of respondents realize colleges and universities are a primary source of ideas for innovations and solutions in America.

"The campaign is intended to highlight evidence of higher education's contributions to society today and make it a public priority so colleges and universities can continue to meet the needs of our communities and nation tomorrow," Peterson says.

President Mary Sue Coleman says the Solutions campaign is consistent with the State of Michigan's goal to double the number of college graduates during the next decade.

In her recent testimony before the State Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, Coleman said, "As a nation, we are the best in the world at invention and scientific exploration. Our research universities—institutions like U-M, Wayne State and Michigan State—are places of deep exploration and bold experimentation. At the U-M alone, our scientists have discovered the genes for cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease, and our alumni are responsible for the iPod and Google. Of course, none of this activity—the collaborative research, the inventions and spin-offs, the outstanding undergraduate teaching—none of it is possible without the lifeblood of our university: great students."

The first visible sign of the Solutions campaign is appearing in public service announcements airing on CBS and ESPN—via time provided by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)—during coverage of the men's and women's Division I basketball championships. The 30-second spots will continue to run on ESPN's coverage of other NCAA championships throughout the remainder of the spring.

The humorous television ads, developed by Austin, Texas-based advertising agency GSD&M, conclude with the serious statement: "America's Colleges and Universities: we teach the people who solve the problems and change the world."

ACE has committed $1.5 million to the campaign for each of three years. Additional resources are coming from participating colleges and universities, and from community and business partners including Fox News, TIAA-CREF, Campus Compact and FirstWorthing/University Partners of Dallas.

U-M becomes part of Solution

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