Key Issues and Hot Topics
Recent News Releases
Monthly Highlights
News Clipping Service

Key Issues and Hot Topics

News Service provides background information on topics of current and continuing interest to members of the University community, alumni, the general public, and the media.

Lecturers’ Employee Organization ratifies new three-year contract
Members of the Lecturers' Employee Organization (LEO) have overwhelmingly ratified the bargaining unit's second contract with the University of Michigan. The three-year agreement, tentatively agreed to in June, will expire May 15, 2010.
View the press release »

THE CONSISTENT UNIVERSITY IDENTITY:
Tools for preserving and using a powerful image.
Lisa Rudgers hosted a Communicators’ Forum symposium addressing the importance of maintaining a consistent University identity, and she unveiled the new Identity Guidelines website, which was designed to help University communicators navigate the sometimes murky identity waters in this diverse environment. Among the topics covered were:

• How a consistent University image can strengthen your messages and save you money
• New policy guidelines for the use of the University name and images
• The new University word mark, available now for use
• A new web-based logo toolkit (Umich password required) with downloadable images and quick and easy answers to your usage questions
• Knowing when you need approvals—or not—to use logos and word marks
• A U-M PowerPoint template (448 KB) for use in University presentations

The following PowerPoint presentations are available for download:

• The University Identity—Building Consistency and Strength
• The Consistent University Identity—Lessons Learned at the U-M Health System
• Stephen M. Ross School of Business Brand
• Make Your Mark — Michigan Business Services
  (Easy online ordering of official um stationery, business cards, and more.)

Communications Process for U-M Campaign
Lisa Rudgers presented a special briefing for communications staff involved in the U-M campaign. Among the topics covered were:

• A new, coordinated approach to publicity for major gifts
• Gathering information to help tell a compelling story
• Setting the right expectations with donors
• The approvals needed before going to press
• Guidelines on site dedications and groundbreakings

A letter from Lisa Rudgers and three handouts that were provided in this session are available in HTML and downloadable formats:

• Message from Lisa Rudgers (HTML | PDF | MS Word)
• Major Gift Announcement Guide (HTML | PDF | MS Word)
• Guidelines on Site Dedications, Groundbreakings and Related Donor Events
  (HTML | PDF | MS Word)
• Process for Regental Approval of Capital Projects (HTML | PDF | MS Word)

Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) website
The LEO began negotiations with the University of Michigan on August 19, 2003. LEO represents some 1,500 non-tenure-track instructional staff working on the University’s Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses. Visitors to the LEO website will find a historical record of the bargaining process now underway, facts and figures about lecturers on all U-M campuses, and periodic updates on negotiations and outcomes.

New U-M undergraduate admissions process to involve more information, individual review
A new process for undergraduate admissions at the University of Michigan will gather more information about student applicants and will include multiple levels of highly individualized review.
View the press release >>
View talking points (MS Word, UMICH password required) >>

Michigan Today News-e makes its debut
News-e is a monthly e-mail newsletter (and corresponding website), an offshoot of Michigan Today, that is edited by John Woodford and designed by Lenny Zenith. It offers a package of news and features, much of it generated by writers at the News Service, and some of it original to News-e. Especially now that the budget situation has reduced Michigan Today to two issues a year, News-e gives the University a much-needed vehicle for more frequent communication with alumni and friends.

News-e goes out on a request-only basis to those who sign up for a subscription.

U.S. Supreme Court rules on University of Michigan cases
The Supreme Court of the United States today (June 23) upheld University of Michigan Law School admissions policies and reversed, in part, its undergraduate policies.
Read President Coleman’s letter to the U-M campus community >>
View the News Service page >>
View the Admissions Lawsuits home page >>

Recent News Releases

• Press releases from News Service
• Press releases from U-M Health System

Monthly Highlights

View brief descriptions of items of interest that we’ve collected on a monthly basis. We have highlights in MS Word format for:

• July 2008
• June 2008
• May 2008
• February 2008
• January 2008
• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• June–July 2007
• May 2007
• April 2007
• March 2007
• February 2007
• January 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• August–September 2006
• June–July 2006
• May 2006
• April 2006
• March 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006
• December 2005
• November 2005
• October 2005
• September 2005
• August 2005
• July 2005
• June 2005
• May 2005
• April 2005
• March 2005
• February 2005
• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004
• October 2004
• September 2004
• August 2004
• July 2004
• June 2004
• May 2004
• April 2004
• March 2004
• February 2004
• January 2004
• December 2003
• November 2003
• October 2003
• September 2003
• August 2003
• July 2003
• June 2003
• May 2003
• March/April 2003
• July 2002
• June 2002
• May 2002
• April 2002
• March 2002
• February 2002
• January 2002
• December 2001
• November 2001
• October 2001
• September 2001

News Clipping Service

We are pleased to offer a new electronic news clipping service for campus constituents. If you are a U-M communicator, you can sign up for the service at no charge by sending e-mail to kelger@umich.edu. You will receive a daily e-mail message, giving highlights of the day’s news related to the University and to higher education, along with clickable links to the complete stories.

Clips are also logged at the newsclip website. There you can choose a browsable, printable page with the day’s clips, or you can search for specific clips in the archive. Because of copyright concerns the clips are not viewable by the general public. You will be asked for an ID and password. Eventually we will use your uniqname and password but for now we have a temporary login (guest) and a temporary password (clips).

Looking for More Information?

If you’re looking for news, commentaries, or stories you don't see here, please contact us at communicators.forum@umich.edu.