Updated Mission, Vision and Values Statements
Vision
To be the leading field research station in the world.
Mission
University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.
Values
- Inclusive: UMBS is a place where everyone is welcome. We design our programs and spaces to foster a deep sense of community, life-long relationships, and a feeling of belonging.
- Immersive: Our vast campus (the largest of U-M’s campuses!) engages all of the senses. Its remote, natural setting nurtures deep thought and scientific discovery.
- Stewardly: Our shared experiences strengthen our resolve to responsibly manage our data and facilities, the land and the environment.
2025-2030 Goals and Strategies
Goal 1: To become a field station that operates year round and leads by example by becoming more environmentally sustainable and accessible.
Strategies
- Implement the Campus Plan, which includes:
i. Building to increase year-round capacity to 95+ individuals
ii. Replacing/updating all utility infrastructure
iii. Winterizing the cafeteria and classrooms
iv. Building infrastructure needed to improve accessibility
v. Necessary upgrades to achieve a 30% reduction in our carbon use by 2030 in alignment with the University of Michigan’s 30x30 plan. - Develop and fund a staffing model to manage the Pellston campus facilities and programming.
- Create a plan for the design and construction of a new research and education center, The Collaboratory, to be built in 5+ years.
Goal 2: Increase scientific discovery, and identify core areas of research excellence.
Strategies
- Identify research core areas, and if established, communicate them broadly and recruit new researchers in the core areas.
- Increase the number of scientific researchers by 30%.
- Initiate and facilitate connections among researchers.
- Develop a strategy for large collaborative grant proposals and facilitate submissions.
- Increase the number of graduate students at UMBS through targeted recruitment strategies, including the creation of a graduate student researcher ambassador program.
- Continue to build baseline knowledge about place – including biodiversity collections, climate, and weather within the Biological Station and northern Michigan.
- Connect UMBS specimens to U-M collections via specimen management and engagement plans for both new and ongoing research.
Goal 3: Grow the number and diversity of student changemakers with hands-on experience in the environment.
Strategies
- Develop fall and winter semester “Up North” student programming as year-round facilities come online.
- Expand academic offerings beyond biology to provide more interdisciplinary field courses.
- Document a student recruitment strategy with a focus on varied degree programs and including students from other institutions.
- Increase bridge programs participation at UMBS to increase transfer and high school student success in college.
- Develop an innovative undergraduate research program, and increase undergraduate research fellowship funding.
Goal 4: Generate and share FAIR data to advance thinking and increase discovery. (FAIR stands for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable.)
Strategies
- Lead collaborative effort with other field stations to develop research and data platforms.
- Establish open data sharing as part of the Biological Station norms.
- Make acknowledging the Biological Station in manuscripts and on talks part of the Biological Station culture.
- Understand priorities within our community and beyond for digitizing and sharing historical UMBS data.
- Increase publicly available datasets by 45% across new and historic UMBS data.
Goal 5: Broaden and deepen relationships across northern Michigan communities with an emphasis on science and the environment.
Strategies
- Increase awareness of UMBS - who we are and what we do - across the northern Michigan community through marketing and communication.
- Continue to build relationships with local Indigenous communities to plan and define expectations for project co-development.
- Expand the UMBS Stewards volunteer program to include research.
- Develop relationships with key local, regional, and state decision-makers by hosting them at UMBS.
- Maintain our relationship with the Obtawaing Biosphere Region as it develops.
