The University of Michigan launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its history, “Look to Michigan,” six months ago, with a focus on leveraging the university’s expertise to address global challenges. As part of the university-wide campaign, the School of Information aims to raise $20 million to prepare the next generation of information leaders, support world-changing research and expand educational access. 

The school’s campaign mantra — “Look to Michigan for tech solutions that put people first” — reflects a commitment to addressing urgent societal challenges through a human-centered approach to technology. 

“At UMSI, we don’t just assume that technology makes the world a better place,” said Dean Andrea Forte. “We believe that technologies need to be carefully designed, built and deployed in ways that benefit people.” 

Funds raised through the campaign will help equip UMSI students with advanced skills in emerging technologies and support faculty in developing innovative solutions within health care, government policy, artificial intelligence, data privacy, cultural heritage and beyond.  

The school’s newly released campaign landing page outlines the vision driving its multi-year campaign. This vision was shaped by a strategic planning process the school completed this spring, which incorporated the perspectives of faculty, staff, students, alumni and advisory board members. 

The campaign focuses on three priorities: 

• Preparing students through hands-on experience: Supporting internships, global experiences and engaged learning opportunities that give students competitive skills for evolving industries. 
   
• Delivering solutions for a complex world: Investing in faculty research that tackles societal challenges and enhancing learning through state-of-the-art facilities and technology.
   
• Making a UMSI education possible for more people: Increasing scholarship support to remove financial barriers for low-income students and expanding educational outreach to K-12 and community college students. 

Supporters of UMSI can contribute to the campaign by making a gift of any size to a priority fund, starting their own fund, leaving an estate gift, or directly engaging with students as a mentor or project client.

Fundraising campaigns enable non-profit universities to raise crucial support through donations from individuals, foundations and corporate partners whose passions and goals align with the university’s mission. U-M’s previous campaign ran from 2013-18 and raised $5.3 billion. The “Look to Michigan” campaign, which aims to raise $7 billion, began with a silent phase before launching publicly in October 2024. 

Explore the campaign landing page for a closer look at the school’s priorities and to track progress toward reaching the campaign goal.