Urban & Environmental Studies (UES) focuses on the cultural issues of sustainability and climate change in institutional settings including universities and the impact of the built and natural environments on quality of life. In collaboration with U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute, UES initiated the Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program in 2012. This is a comprehensive study designed to assess sustainability knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes across U-M students, faculty, and staff over time.

The Education and Well-Being (EWB) program was established in 2008 to advance research focused on improving the teaching of reading and mathematics, particularly in schools serving high percentages of students in poverty. Contributions of EWB include the development of innovative methods for studying the “inner workings” of schools and strengthening the role of survey research in education.