The first batch of graduates. In the following ten years, the school developed rapidly, with many departments, and the number of students and graduates also increased. In the early years of development, the University of Michigan got rid of the traditional "classical" teaching concept of British universities, learned from others, introduced the essence of French and German educational concepts, and merged with British classical concepts, pushing the University of Michigan to the status of a first-class university. During the civil war, even the president of Harvard University had to admire the advanced teaching concept of the University of Michigan.
1855 or so, due to the popularization of agronomy in the whole country, the Michigan government plans to split the University of Michigan, only to retain and focus on the development of agricultural colleges, and other disciplines will be moved to other cities in the state or merged with other primary schools. At that time, the president of the University of Michigan thought: "For our state, it is much better to have a comprehensive university with full competitiveness than to have many specialized universities!" In the end, the principal's insistence made the state government change its mind: it kept the University of Michigan. At the same time, the state government found another land in Lansing, the capital, and opened a special agricultural college, the predecessor of Michigan State University. Because Michigan State University specialized in agriculture in the first 20 years, the College of Agriculture of the University of Michigan was greatly impacted. After the continuous loss of students, the University of Michigan was finally forced to cancel the Agricultural College. This history also explains why the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in the same state later became cultural enemies.
By 1866, the enrollment rate of the school has increased to 1205 students, most of whom are veterans after the civil war. 1870, the school enrolled girls for the first time. 187 1 to 1909 James Burrill angel actively expanded the school curriculum, including dentistry, architecture, engineering, government management and medical research. The University of Michigan also became the first American university to apply research methods to seminars.
1879, the Wolverine team of the University of Michigan established its first campus team, namely the University of Michigan football team. With the strong support of the school, this team quickly developed into a strong team, and forged hatred with the Irish Warriors of Notre Dame University and the Malone Team of the University of Chicago, which are both powerful in the Great Lakes region of the Midwest. The battle song "Winner" of the University of Michigan was written after defeating the University of Chicago. Subsequently, campus teams of ice hockey, basketball, baseball, football and other projects were established one after another, and finally 27 teams were formed. The University of Michigan has gradually developed into a first-class university in the field of sports. 1902, in the first Rose Bowl (the first of the four bowls in the NCAA series), the University of Michigan joined forces with Stanford University, a rising star on the west coast, and defeated the powerful enemy on the west coast 49-0 in the first half, which made Stanford University afraid to play in the second half and surrendered directly. The two universities were once enemies. The University of Michigan broke the monopoly of the Ivy League, especially Harvard, Yale and Princeton (the origin of HYP), and became the first very Ivy League school to win the national football championship.
1900, the University of Michigan established the association of american universities (AAU) with Harvard University, Yale University, University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University and other 14 schools. Later, this connection became one of the criteria for judging whether North American universities are first-class.
During the period from 1900 to 1920, the University of Michigan built many new infrastructures, including dental and pharmacy buildings, chemistry buildings, natural science buildings, Hill Auditorium, large hospitals and libraries, and two dormitory buildings. 1920, the engineering college and 100 industrialist Committee set up an advisory Committee to guide the academic research activities of the school. In the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ivy League imposed quotas on Jewish students, the University of Michigan became the favorite choice for smart Jewish students from new york. Therefore, the University of Michigan is also called "Harvard University of the West". Prior to this, President John F. Kennedy even modestly called his alma mater Harvard University "the University of Michigan in the East" in his speech announcing the establishment of the Peace Corps, and the Peace Corps Building was the predecessor of the Michigan Student Activity Center-the Michigan Union Building. During World War II, the research of the University of Michigan gradually expanded to US Navy projects, such as proximity fuze, torpedo speedboat and radar jamming. Similarly, at the turn of the19th century and the 20th century, Wolverine Team of the University of Michigan and Buckeye Team of Ohio State University also forged a hatred for historical reasons (see Buckeye Wolverine Derby for details). The two universities launched an arms race in sports, and the Michigan Stadium, which the University of Michigan is proud of, is the product of this period. This hatred of Ohio State University has also contributed to the strong campus cultural tradition of the University of Michigan and its loyalty and pride in blue and yellow. This tradition and pride have been preserved to this day.
During this period, the school has also been expanded, the most important of which is to expand the campus (Hill Community) to the northeast. But at the same time, as one of the spiritual symbols of students, the Cat Cave and its nearby hillside (hill) have been filled up, which makes many alumni feel very sad. Maochi is a small natural lake, and there is a swamp with reeds on the shore. This pool is a place where freshmen are "baptized" by senior students when they enter school to educate them to be loyal to the school, while the hillside is a place to celebrate after major events or competitions. This small lake and hillside only exist in the old map of the library and in the memory of old alumni.
By 1950, the enrollment of the University of Michigan reached 2 1000, of which more than one third, that is, 7700, were veterans supported by the American Civil Rights Act. With the Cold War and the space program, the University of Michigan has become the main undertaker of government-guaranteed strategic research and helped develop peaceful nuclear energy technology. A lot of work, as well as research on alternative energy sources, are carried out through the "Commemorative Phoenix Project".
At the opening ceremony of 1964 in the spring, President lyndon johnson outlined his "Great Social Plan" in his speech. In the 1960s, many people in the University of Michigan protested the Vietnam War and other related issues. On March 24th, 1965, a group of faculty and 3,000 students of the University of Michigan held their first teacher-led "lecture" in China to protest against the US Southeast Asia policy. 1966, in response to a series of sounds of sit-ins, the University of Michigan banned sit-ins. In response, 65,438+0,500 students waited for an hour in front of the LSA building where the school office is located.
Alden B. Dow, an early student of the University of Michigan and a famous architect, designed the Fleming Administration Building, which was completed in 1968. The plan of the building was made in the early 1960s, and the enthusiasm of early students caused security concerns. However, the narrow windows of Fleming Building are all located above the first floor, and the fortress-like appearance leads to rumors on campus that this is to be used as evidence of riots. Dow Jones denied these rumors, claiming that small windows were designed to save energy.
In 1970s, due to budget constraints, it brought great challenges to the development of school hardware facilities. However, in the 1980s, more and more social donations were given to the school's sociology and physics research. The university's participation in the anti-missile strategic defense plan and its investment in South Africa caused controversy on campus. In 1980s and 1990s, colleges and universities invested a lot of resources to transform their huge general hospitals and improve the teaching facilities in the north campus. In the annual financial report of 20 1 1, the school announced that in the past 10 years, the school had allocated 497 million dollars for renovating buildings and infrastructure on campus. The University of Michigan also attaches great importance to the development of computer network and information technology throughout the campus.
From 65438 to 0989, the Wolverine basketball team of the University of Michigan won the NCAA national championship. At this point, the University of Michigan became the first and only American university to win the NCAA national championship in the four most popular events in North America. The team of 27 different projects under the Wolverine Team of the University of Michigan has won 35 national championships, ranking among the top ten in the country. The audience and fans attracted by these competitions also brought high box office income to the school.
At the beginning of 2000, due to the shortage of funds in the national budget, the University of Michigan also faced a state of declining state financial support. At the same time, the school strives to maintain its high academic status and ensure that students can afford tuition. Disputes between the management of the University of Michigan and trade unions, especially between lecturers' employee organizations and graduates' employee organizations and graduates' employee union representatives. These conflicts led to a series of one-day strikes by trade unions and their supporters. The school is carrying out a $2.5 billion construction task.
Under the background of the decline of Detroit automobile industry, the scientific research and employment rate of the University of Michigan have been impacted to some extent. Michigan State University, which has risen rapidly in the same state, has also launched a strong challenge to the University of Michigan in terms of students and funds. However, with the continuous efforts of the school and alumni, the University of Michigan still maintains a leading position.