The Office of Federal Relations

444 N.Capitol Street, NW Suite 820, Washington, D.C. 20001

The University of Michigan’s Office of Federal Relations was established in January 1990 to represent and advocate for the university’s higher education and research interests, and to safeguard the university’s ability to educate students and support the nation’s leadership in innovation through research excellence. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Government Relations and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the office works with campus leadership to set the agenda for, and execute a strategy around, the university’s higher education and research advocacy and outreach objectives. The federal relations team is responsible for cultivating and growing key relationships with internal and external stakeholders who support the advancement of these priorities; provide national leadership in policies impacting higher education and research; identifying and addressing opportunities and vulnerabilities with federal partners (Congress, White House and federal agencies), including providing feedback on legislation or regulations; facilitate, support and manage campus relationships and interactions with policymakers and their staff, including witness testimony and formal engagement participation with the Congress, White House, and federal agencies; and, upholding the mission of the University “to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.”

The Office of Federal Relations also supports the activities of the U-M Alumni Association and the local Washington, D.C. Alumni Club, Central Development Office and individual schools’ alumni and development offices to further the University’s outreach in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The Office of Federal Relations is conveniently located on Capitol Hill, near Union Station, and often serves as a temporary meeting space for visiting U-M faculty and staff. If you are close by, be sure to come by and say, “Hello!”