Raoul Wallenberg graduated from the University of Michigan in 1935 with a degree in architecture. By 1945, at age 32, he’d saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from deportation to the Auschwitz death camp. When the Soviets captured Hungary, they arrested Wallenberg, and he was never heard from again.
Born to a prominent and wealthy banking family in Sweden, Wallenberg came to the University of Michigan at the behest of his grandfather, Gustaf, a Swedish ambassador who wanted young Raoul to experience “the lessons of living and learning in a new environment,” to get to know and study alongside ordinary American students, and to work hard for his success. Raoul Wallenberg’s four years in Ann Arbor, far removed from his family’s influence and privilege in Europe, were formative. Here, he lived in a modest campus house, helped plan his senior college dance, canoed on Michigan lakes, and adventurously hitchhiked all the way from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles. He also excelled in his studies, graduating with honors and winning the American Institute of Architects’ silver medal, awarded to the student with the highest scholastic standing.
“It’s at the University of Michigan that Raoul Wallenberg learned that there are ordinary people out there,” said Professor Jeffrey Veidlinger, director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute at the University of Michigan. “He was raised in elite European circles, but here he experienced what it was like not to live as one of the elites, to mingle with regular people. I think it’s that experience that led him to have this empathy for other people who were being killed for no reason other than their ethnicity.”
“We’re trying to show that there’s a middle ground—and that disagreement doesn’t have to be divisive.”
—Prof. Jeffrey Veidlinger
Connecting the Dots
Empathy is one of four values that the institute has identified as exemplified by Raoul Wallenberg, and upon which the Wallenberg Institute is built, along with tolerance, courage, and leadership. Respectful and informed communication across differences, said Veidlinger, plays a crucial role in building empathy and is central to the institute’s mission of continuing Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy by combating discrimination, antisemitism, and divisiveness.
For undergraduate students at the University of Michigan, the institute’s mission comes to life through ALA 259, LSA’s “Religious and Ethnic Tolerance” course, an applied liberal arts course designed in partnership with the institute, centered around the Samantha Woll Dialogues, and co-led by Veidlinger. Samantha Woll (A.B. '05) had a unique gift for bridging deep divides with individuals who held vastly different beliefs. Established through a gift from the Woll family, the Samantha Woll Dialogues honor her conviction that true connection is formed through open communication.
“We’re not trying to pit two extremes against each other, like you might see on cable news,” he said. “We’re trying to show that there’s a middle ground—and that disagreement doesn’t have to be divisive. For many students who’ve grown up with social media, it’s the first time they’ve seen what that looks like.”
The key, Veidlinger noted, is to model constructive dialogue, not provoke confrontation. “Hosting conversations for the community between people who are experts in their fields, on challenging topics and contemporary issues, is an important way to achieve that goal,” said Veidlinger.
The same spirit animates the “Religious and Ethnic Tolerance” course. Over the semester, students attend four of the public events, having already read and discussed relevant materials to prepare. They then return to class for post-event discussions, reflecting on what they’ve heard, how the speakers posed arguments, and what respectful disagreement looks like in practice.
“It’s a productive format for students,” said Veidlinger. “After the event, they can express themselves more freely and think critically together about what they’ve seen—without feeling intimidated by the experts on stage.”
By connecting the Samantha Woll Dialogues and the “Religious and Ethnic Tolerance” course, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute offers students a vital lesson: that conversation—grounded in knowledge, respect, and empathy—remains one of the most powerful tools we have to build understanding across difference.
Morgan Cook, a senior in the College of LSA and the School of Public Health, took the course in Winter 2025 and called it transformative. “Not just academically but also personally, as we have grappled with questions that shape both societies and also individual identities. Throughout this course, we’ve deepened our appreciation for the complexities of human interaction. Especially our appreciation when discussing deeply held beliefs and historical wounds.”
Life-Changing Education in LSA
In the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, life-changing education in the liberal arts and sciences extends beyond the classroom, where collaborative and interdisciplinary centers and institutes bring complex, real-world issues into focus for students. Through research, teaching, events, access to experts and thought leaders, and experiential learning, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute makes global challenges tangible and inspires students to lead positive change in their communities and beyond.
Look to Michigan for the foundational knowledge and experience to ignite purposeful change.
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