Reginald M. Turner, Jr.

The University of Michigan, founded in 1817, celebrates a long and distinguished history. It was in 1787 that the Northwest Territorial Ordinance provided public land for this and other Midwestern universities and established a tradition of respect for excellence in higher education. Three Native American nations—the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewadini (Potawatomi)—subsequently granted certain lands for use of the University of Michigan and by the end of the 19th century, Michigan was the largest and most generously supported public university in America and already a leader in graduate education. The University of Michigan Law School, one of the oldest law schools in the nation, was founded in 1859. But unlike other highly selective law schools established in that era, admission was never restricted to the privileged. When Gabriel Hargo graduated from the Law School in 1870, Michigan—then the largest law school in the country—became the second American university to confer a law degree on an African American. That same year, Michigan was the first major law school to admit a woman, and in 1871, graduate Sarah Killgore became the first woman with a law degree in the nation to be admitted to the bar; by 1890, Michigan had graduated more women than any other law school. That commitment to access and diversity joined an equally powerful commitment to excellence, which continues to this day.

Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District and Wayne State University Buildings Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering 370 programs to nearly 28,000 graduate and undergraduate students. It is currently Michigan's fourth-largest university and one of the 100 largest universities in the United States. The WSU main campus encompasses 203 acres (822,000 m²) linking more than 100 education and research buildings in the heart of Detroit. It also has six extension centers in the metro Detroit area providing access to a limited selection of courses. The institution is a notable engine in metro Detroit's educational, cultural and economic landscape, as manifested through efforts such as its thriving research and technology park and hosting of the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival.