Dear Center for Academic Innovation Community,
At the Center for Academic Innovation, we often ask ourselves: How can we make a Michigan education more accessible, relevant, and impactful to learners worldwide? How can we leverage innovation to extend our public mission and empower lifelong learners? How can we harness technology in a way that allows schools and colleges to meet our learners where they are? These questions are also frequently shared by innovators throughout the University of Michigan.
Today, I’m thrilled to share an exciting opportunity that will allow us to answer those questions together and create new pathways into the life-changing education found at U-M.
The Center for Academic Innovation recently announced a new call for proposals for online certificate programs. These programs are designed to support U-M schools and colleges in creating rigorous, accessible, and aligned online opportunities that are aligned with market needs. We want to work with campus leaders to design learning opportunities that cater to learners’ needs. They can be non-credit, for-credit, or stackable toward a degree.
These certificates will live on Michigan Online, helping learners develop targeted skills and demonstrate their knowledge in ways that matter—to them and to potential employers.
This initiative represents a unique opportunity for U-M’s world-renowned schools and colleges to expand the reach of their programs while shaping the future of online and lifelong learning. These programs are an opportunity for campus partners to collaboratively build tailored online programs to engage learners on campus and around the world in new ways.
We are especially interested in proposals that provide practical applications of artificial intelligence, human skills, industry applications, and technology skills. These areas are the backbone of in-demand skills for the modern workforce.
Importantly, this work aligns directly with U-M’s Vision 2034 and its bold aspiration to deliver life-changing education. Our university has committed to offering personalized, inclusive, and future-oriented learning pathways that prepare learners to thrive in a rapidly changing world. This new call is one way we are putting that vision into practice—supporting partner innovation, creating new opportunities for learners, and designing education that changes with the evolving needs of society.
I invite faculty with ideas for compelling, interdisciplinary, and skill-building learning experiences to submit a proposal. I encourage campus leaders to talk within their schools and colleges about ways online certificate programs align with their strategic priorities. Learn more about the call, key deadlines, and proposal criteria on the call for proposals page.
Together, we can build a new generation of learning opportunities—ones that extend the power of a Michigan education far beyond the classroom.
Go Blue!
James DeVaney
Special Advisor to the President
Associate Vice Provost for Academic Innovation
Founding Executive Director of the Center for Academic Innovation