Michigan faculty and students topped the lists for two prestigious academic awards during the 2016–2017 academic year.

For the 12th year in a row, U-M students earned the most Fulbright grants among their public school counterparts in the research institution category. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program — sponsored by the U.S. Department of State — provides grants to support individually designed study/research projects or English teaching assistant assignments. During the grant period, scholars meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences over the course of six months to a year. Projects this year ranged from studying the relationships of Bengali women in India to examining piracy between Spanish and British America in Jamaica.

Fulbrights were also awarded to nine U-M faculty members with research interests that included investigating doctor communication about cancer in China and studying the environment of St. Lucia Lake in South Africa.

U-M also finished first on the the list of recipients of Sloan Research Fellowships, awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The university received seven honors for fellowships among 126 total recipients — the most in school history and enough to share first place overall with Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The fellowships, granted yearly since 1955, honor early-career scholars “whose achievements mark them as the next generation of scientific leaders.” Awardees receive a $60,000 stipend to be used as they wish to further their research.

In early 2017, Professor Heather Ann Thompson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book, “Blood in the the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy.” Thompson, who holds appointments in the departments of Afroamerican and African studies and history and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts’ Residential College, won for “a narrative history that sets high standards for scholarly judgment and tenacity of inquiry in seeking the truth about the 1971 Attica prison riots,” according to a statement on the Pulitzer website.

Thompson spent more than a decade researching the Attica, New York uprising, in which nearly 1,300 prisoners took over the facility to protest years of mistreatment. Holding guards and civilian employees hostage, the inmates tried to negotiate for better living conditions. After four days, the state ended talks and sent in armed troopers and corrections officers to retake the prison by force. In the ensuing gunfire, 39 men were killed — hostages as well as prisoners — and more than 100 were severely wounded.

But the uprising comprises just one part of the book. Thompson also focused attention on the 45 years since, delivering a detailed account of a coordinated cover-up at the highest levels of government and chronicling the victims’ decades-long quest for justice.

“Blood in the Water” was named to 14 “Best Books of 2016” lists, including those compiled by The New York Times, Newsweek, Kirkus Review, the Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly and Bloomberg, among others.

In September 2016, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education released their annual college rankings, and named U-M the number one public university in the country.

The ranking criteria included numerical data tracking student outcomes such as salary and job placement after graduation, school resources, how well the school engages with students and diversity on campus. Also taken into account were the survey responses of more than 100,000 students. In a press release, the two ranking organizations called their system unique because it additionally considers how much a college spends on classroom instruction, awarding a higher ranking to those schools that place an emphasis on teaching and research excellence.

Michigan came in at number 24 in the overall ranking. The only other public universities that appeared in the top 100 were the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley.

U-M was also named the best public university during this period by QS World University Rankings and number 23 overall. The only other public institution to make the top 50 in these rankings was UCLA at number 31.

U-M among best college workplaces in U.S.

For the ninth consecutive year, The Chronicle of Higher Education recognized U-M as a “Great College to Work.” Positive feedback from faculty and staff secured the university’s selection.

U-M is lauded for campus sustainability excellence

The University of Michigan was one of eight institutions to be awarded the Sustainability Award in facilities management by APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities, the nation’s premier organization for the management of educational facilities.

Michigan Medicine receives highest score in patient safety

The Leapfrog Group, a health care watchdog organization, gave U-M an A in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors — a grade the health system has maintained since 2012.

Michigan Medicine earns nursing’s highest honor

In February, Michigan Medicine was awarded Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for meeting rigorous standards in patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice.

Two U-M faculty elected to prestigious National Academy of Medicine

Kathleen Collins, MD, PhD, an expert in virus infections, was joined by obesity researcher Roger Cone, PhD, in becoming U-M’s newest members of the National Academy of Medicine.

Nine scientists, engineers elected to AAAS

Nine U-M professors were recently recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are Lynn Conway, Steven Cundiff, Martin Myers Jr., Henry Paulson, Kamal Sarabandi, Santiago Schnell, Michael Solomon, Abigail Stewart and Donald R. Zak.

President names Larsen to 6th Circuit Court

Joan Larsen, an adjunct law professor at U-M and justice on the Michigan Supreme Court, was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Donald Trump.

Two U-M faculty welcomed into National Academy of Engineering

The NAE granted professors Ellen Arruda and Mark Daskin membership in its organization — one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to engineers. The two join 27 other members at U-M.

Tilbury to head NSF Engineering Directorate

The National Science Foundation selected U-M professor Dawn Tilbury to serve as head of its Directorate for Engineering. The Directorate supports engineering research and education critical to the nation’s future.

U-M’s Fishman named professor of the year

Barry Fishman, known for using video game concepts to teach undergraduate students, was named 2017’s Distinguished Professor of the Year by the Michigan Association of State Universities.

AAAS elects two Michigan faculty as fellows

U-M’s Frank Yates, who specializes in judgment and decision behavior, and Juanita Merchant, who researches the development of ulcers and gastric cancer, were named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Two faculty awarded Guggenheim fellowships

Adela Pinch, English professor, and Paolo Squatriti, professor of history and romance languages and literatures, recently received Guggenheim fellowships on the basis of “prior achievement and exceptional promise.”

U-M professor honored by the National Academy of Sciences

Donald Kinder’s pathbreaking contributions to the study of American politics have been recognized by his election to the National Academy of Sciences, bringing the number of U-M faculty associated with NAS to 28.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKINGS

The University of Michigan continues to be recognized nationally in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, with 97 graduate programs ranked in the top 10. The rankings that were released during FY 2017 are listed below.

Undergraduate:

• #28 National University (#4 Public University)

Graduate:

• #1 School of Social Work
• #3 College of Pharmacy
• #4 School of Public Health
• #5 Medical School (primary care)
• #5 College of Engineering
• #5 School of Information
• #8 Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
• #8 Law School
• #9 Medical School (research)
• #11 School of Nursing
• #11 Stephen M. Ross School of Business
• #15 School of Education

Health Care:

• #1 Best health system in Michigan, #6 in the U.S.
• #1 Best children’s hospital in Michigan, #3 in the U.S. for cardiology and heart surgery

Other:

• #9 Most innovative university

ADDITIONAL RANKINGS

• #1 U.S. public university, QS World University Rankings
• #2 Best college for the money, Money Magazine
• #4 All-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers
• #7 Top public school, Forbes

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Roger Cone — vice provost and director of the biosciences initiative

Kallie Bila Michels — vice president for communications

Robert Sellers — vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer

Kelli Trosvig — vice president for information technology and chief information officer

Effective 9/1/17

Martin Philbert — provost and executive vice president for academic affairs

ADMINISTRATORS

A. Oveta Miller — director of the African Studies Center

Matthew Vanbesien — president of the University Musical Society

DEANS

Elizabeth B. Moje — School of Education

Effective 8/1/17

Michael Barr — Ford School of Public Policy

Jonathan Massey — Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning

Effective 8/14/17

Jonathan Overpeck — School for Environment and Sustainability

Effective 8/16/17

Melody Lynn Racine (interim) — School of Music, Theatre & Dance