Michigan

Unions, Education, and Entertainment

The United Auto Workers (UAW) is a formal organization that contains important social networks and is a product of the state of Michigan. Founded in Detroit in 1935, the UAW originally sought to represent workers manufacturing automobiles and has since branched out to include those working in such diverse fields as healthcare and higher education. The UAW includes over 750 local unions, with more than 390,000 active members. The UAW is known for being one of the first unions willing to organize African American workers, leading to the diverse network in the union that exists today.

Michigan has several social networks stemming from educational institutions, both public and private, including Michigan State University, which, after being founded under the Morrill Act in 1862, served as the blueprint for land-grant colleges in the United States. Beginning with Michigan State University, the Morrill Land Grants Act granted each eligible state a total of 30,000 acres of land for agricultural studies purposes. Michigan State had expanded its curriculum far beyond agriculture, eventually becoming the eighth-largest university in the United States. The University of Michigan, whose flagship campus is in Ann Arbor, is the oldest of the state's universities, being founded in 1817. The University of Michigan's student union was the site of President John F. Kennedy's impromptu October 1960 speech, leading to the creation of a new student union that would eventually lead to the creation of the Peace Corps, a formidable social network. Both of these universities have extensive alumni networks in all 50 states and throughout the world. Other notable Michigan universities include Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, and Wayne State University.

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