University of Michigan History Site

Introduction The challenge of capturing the rich history of a complex, consequential, and enduring institution such as the University of Michigan is considerable indeed. To be sure, there are numerous scholarly tomes and popular histories of the institution, its leaders, and its programs. Yet the history of the University requires much more. In fact, Michigan's history, those characteristics evolving over time that have determined its distinctiveness and shaped its impact on society assume the form of a saga requiring many forms of narrative-words, images, music, and even digital simulations!

This web portal leads to many such descriptions of the University of Michigan's history, compiled in support of several recent publications. It also presents several new ways to understand the nature and impact of the institution, its past, present, and its future possibilities utilizing emerging digital technology.

The resources contained in the website are organized to facilitate browsing by those curious about the University and its history. But many of its assets-descriptions, images, videos, etc.-are also designed to be of use in coursework by students and faculty with appropriate search engines. Some of the material may even be of interest to scholars.

Elements of the site design are briefly described below:

Campus History: A Historical Map of the University of Michigan (Mort's) The historical photographs illustrating the evolution of the Michigan campus have been arranged according to a very comprehensive map developed by Myron Mortenson, chief draftsman of the University during the 1960s. The website has digitized "Mort's Map" of the chronological development of the Michigan campus to provide the web linkages to various buildings and programs of the University.

Publications and Narratives Although the Bentley Historical Library serves primary location of publications concerning the history of the University of Michigan, several unique publications are contained on this website, including histories of the University's College of Engineering, particular facilities such as the President's House and the Inglis House estate, and The University of Michigan: A Photographic Saga-the primary volume that stimulated the development of this website. All of these materials are provided in both readable and downloadable (pdf) forms.

Digital Campus One of the purposes of the Millennium Project, the sponsor of this web portal, was to explore the use of emerging digital technologies in the development of new approaches to instruction. The history of the University of Michigan was used to explore several of these approaches, including a comprehensive three-dimensional digital simulation of the campus and its evolution, virtual reality simulations, digital video and DVD-based materials, and sophisticated database methods for organizing and searching through scholarly materials. Several of these digital resources are provided on this website.

Videos & Slideshows This weblink contains a number of historical motion pictures and slideshows illustrating the Michigan Campus at various times in its history. In addition, a collection of videos, slideshows and virtual reality panoramas are provided to illustrate various elements of the contemporary campus such as the President's House, Inglis House, and several of the newer buildings.

The University of Michigan Millennium Project