Partnerships are essential for UMSocial and Public Engagement to achieve success while amplifying a diverse array of informational, insightful, and impactful information. In 2022, there have been countless events and opportunities for engagement ranging from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s annual DEI Summit to messaging about ways to celebrate responsibly during the rivalry Michigan vs. Michigan State football game, and from resources for voting to the activism efforts of Expect Respect.
This breadth of collaborations allows UMSocial and Public Engagement to connect with the entire campus community. Whether it’s providing well-being resources, elevating safety tips, or sharing details of upcoming events, UMSocial and Public engagement proactively work with units and leadership across campus to consistently educate and communicate with our many audiences.
There are so many partnerships that we could never highlight each collaboration, but here are a few that we are proud to have continued throughout 2022:
OFFICE OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
To aid in the prospective student admissions process, and showcase the experiences of current U-M students, the collaboration between UMSocial and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions provided information on how to apply to the university, financial aid information, and elevated opportunities that admitted students have when they come to campus. With this information, we created a consistent posting schedule for tweets and blog posts, and strategically timed takeovers of student admissions staff on the @UMichStudents Instagram account to reach the designated target audience.
CAMPUS CLIMATE
A healthy campus climate starts with all Wolverines, which is why throughout 2022 content related to creating an inclusive campus environment has continued to be a main focus of UMSocial and Public Engagement’s efforts. To elevate the steps community members can take and resources available to the campus community, content shared strategically throughout the year has helped elevate this important information.
CAMPUS VOTING
In order to inform, increase access to, and engage our student and community voters in the democratic process, civic engagement organizations and University of Michigan programs formed the nonpartisan initiative UMICH votes. The joint efforts to increase student voting in the midterm elections in 2022 through the use of video and voting information on all platforms encouraging individuals to vote made U-M one of the most active campuses in the nation for college students.
DEMOCRACY + DEBATE
Democracy & Debate, a university-wide educational program, encourages students, faculty, staff, and the Michigan community to examine democracy from a local to a global perspective as well as the freedom of speech and the exchange of ideas. It also explores structural inequalities in our democratic systems and the importance of the voice of the individual voter. This year, UMSocial and Public Engagement once again worked with Democracy + Debate to increase student participation in candid conversations about politics by not only promoting GoVote to strengthen knowledge of democratic affairs as the next generation of leaders in our nation, state, and communities, but also by serving as a core team member of the program.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
UMSocial and Public Engagement continuously collaborate closely with the office of DEI to elevate new DEI initiatives that are being incorporated into many aspects of the university’s mission and operations in an effort to create a space where all members of the U-M community can feel safe and supported. Over the past year, we have worked to raise awareness of the Annual DEI Summit and to recognize seven individuals with The Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Awards for their contributions to the growth of a multiethnic and culturally diverse community at the University of Michigan
DPSS
The U-M Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) conducts all police and security operations at the University of Michigan and are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. As part of the partnership with UMSocial, not only does a DPSS communications team member join weekly team meetings, we also work diligently and collaboratively to elevate daily information to ensure campus safety. From nike locks to game day tips to safety drills, helping everyone in the U-M community to take charge of their own safety offering a truly integrated approach to safety and security is one of our most important tasks each year.
EXPECT RESPECT
A large portion of creating an inclusive environment for all comes from the work of Expect Respect in the Dean of Students Office. Through student account takeovers with UMSocial, Expect Respect promoted resources and information about activism and advocacy, mental health, Native American Heritage Month, and more. Social media posts were also strategically developed around important topics such as choosing respectful Halloween costumes to reduce and eliminate cultural appropriation and workshops for student organizations.
HIGH-RISK PLANNING 
In an effort to elevate safety and health information, UMSocial has integrated high-risk planning collaborations into strategic content planning. To amplify this crucial messaging, our office works with leaders from myriad departments on campus to highlight resources such as Stay in the Blue strategies, hydration stations, and testing for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
MICHIGAN NEWS
Our collaboration with Michigan News plays an important role in how we promote and communicate innovative projects, research findings, community engagement efforts at U-M. By elevating articles from Michigan News, along with creative videos and graphics designed to convey information in a concise and informative manner for all audiences, UMsocial distributes timely and educational university-related news across all social media platforms.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The UMSocial and Public Affairs teams work together every day to address concerns, mitigate risk, and inform the campus community of all necessary, helpful, and beneficial information. Through our coordinated partnership, we are able to proactively create impactful resources, foster internal collaborations and unified messaging, and actively monitor for emerging issues.
RIVALRY GAME SAFETY MESSAGING
As the Wolverines prepared to take on their rival Spartans from Michigan State University in October, we partnered with MSU leadership, staff, and students to elevate important safety information. Through a video featuring fans, staff, and students of both universities and filmed at both stadiums, the importance of cheering respectfully and celebrating safety were emphasized and demonstrated by fans of all ages. In addition to being featured on U-M and MSU social media channels, the video was also shared with local media outlets in the Ann Arbor and East Lansing areas, displayed on the Michigan Stadium scoreboards, and featured in campus-wide emails and greek life emails.
SAPAC
UMSocial and Public Engagement continued the immensely valuable partnership with the U-M Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center to coordinate student account takeovers and elevate content sharing resources, education, and general information for all community members.
