Welcome to the first newsletter of The Program on Intergroup Relations at the University of Michigan (IGR)!
If you're not familiar with IGR, we are a social justice education program at U-M that has been engaging students, faculty, and staff for over 25 years to proactively learn about the complexities of living in a multicultural society. Through academic courses, workshops, research, resources and outreach, we provide opportunities for the U-M campus and the general community to explore issues of intergroup relations, with an explicit focus on the relationship between social conflict and social justice. IGR is jointly sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and the Division of Student Affairs.
Our program was founded in 1988, at a time of heightened racial and ethnic tensions on the Ann Arbor campus. In 1989, the program established intergroup dialogue as its signature focus and contribution to the University undergraduate community. In 1994, IGR was instituted as a unit in the Division of Student Affairs and in 1996 began collaboration with the Department of Psychology to provide permanent academic courses. Since 2000, IGR has operated as a unit in both the Division of Student Affairs and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. We are proud to be celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year!
In addition to our work on the U-M campus, we have helped more than 100 institutions with creating and building Intergroup Dialogue programs within their own institutions. We are growing rapidly and looking forward to more great years of empowerment, awareness and social justice at the U-M.
We look forward to connecting with you and sharing our work.
Sincerely,
Kelly Maxwell and Monita Thompson
Co-Directors
The Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR)