Have meaningful intergroup dialogues, develop leadership skills, learn from others, and form authentic, communitycentered relationships.
Join us to grow as an empowered leader, build your toolkit, and graduate from Michigan prepared to make a lasting impact in creating a more just and equitable world.
“The one thing I’m most certain about is that IGR changed my life.”
ELISE JAYAKAR (BA ‘16)
At IGR, there is something for everyone. Skills you grow here enhance all majors and programs—and you keep them for life.
Accounting executive
AmeriCorps service
Artist / performer
Attorney / lawyer
Bank senior VP
Business owner
Chief of staff
• Critical analysis
• Problem-solving in groups
• Intercultural leadership
Fabrick (BA ‘25)
“The friends I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the ability to think critically will follow me wherever I go.”
ANDREW RENO (BA ‘25)
Community organizer
Consultant
Counselor
DEI practitioner
Engineer
K-12 teacher
Legislative director
Marketer / publicist
Medical professional
Neuroscientist
Nonprofit director
Policy analyst
Professor
Program manager
Researcher
Social worker
State senator
University executive
Writer / author
A rich blend of classroom learning and real-world practice in social justice education prepares you to make an impact in any field.
The peer-to-peer model empowers you as an active co-leader, enhancing your ability to collaborate and influence change.
Intergroup dialogue fosters meaningful conversations, encourages connection across difference, and promotes understanding.
We emphasize holistic well-being and authentic expression to help you form strong connections and community.
“My involvement in IGR has been one of the most transformative parts of my journey here at Michigan.”
ZAHRRIA SMITH (BA ‘25)
Our engaged, interdisciplinary approach blends classroom learning with real-world applications in social justice, dialogue, social group identity and intergroup relations education. We guide students in growing skills in critical analysis, problem-solving in groups, and intercultural leadership—preparing them to live and work in a diverse world and educating them in making choices that advance equity and justice.
This is possible through a powerful joint partnership between Student Life and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts Established in 1988, IGR is a leader in intergroup relations education and pioneer of the Michigan Model of Intergroup Dialogue.
TOPICS INCLUDE
Intergroup dialogues
Facilitation
Social justice, social identity, and inequality
Conflict and coexistence
PLUS first-year seminars like “Making the Most of Michigan”
Minor in intergroup relations education
Joint certificate in dialogue for community change
Co-curricular ACTIVITIES
CommonGround team and workshops
Summer Youth Dialogues fellows
Job opportunities and research internships
Student events
1214 S. University Ave, 2nd Floor, Suite B
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2592
igr.info@umich.edu | (734) 936-1875