U-M Arts Honors Cords allow grads to mark arts’ importance in their studies

This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, the University of Michigan Arts Initiative, and the University Musical Society.

A University of Michigan (U-M) program established last year allows graduating students to show off the importance of arts studies and activities in their academic careers through an Arts Honors Cord to wear with their caps and gowns.

The magenta cords “are awarded and distributed by the [U-M] Arts Initiative to recognize any student who has meaningfully integrated the arts into their Michigan experience,” says Joe Levickas, director of student engagement for the Arts Initiative.

Both undergraduate and graduate students from U-M’s Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses are eligible to apply for the cords. As they approach graduation, students may apply through an online form, where they’re awarded points for participating in a variety of arts-related activities or experiences, “from taking a dance class to being a member of a student arts organization to being a designer or a model for a campus fashion show,” says Levickas.

Students who’ve earned 15 points or more qualify for the Arts Honors Cords. Many of the activities, like attending a specific arts event, earn students one or two points, while more complicated or extended activities — like earning an arts degree, which results in seven points — lead to more.

As a whole, the program is intended “to recognize that the breadth of experience that students have in the arts at Michigan is pretty broad,” Levickas says.

Crucially, he points out, the cords are not solely meant for students who’ve majored in the arts.

“We think that the arts are meant for everyone,” Levickas says. “… One of our themes is ‘arts for all,’ which is the idea that every student is going to have an opportunity to have a meaningful arts experience.”

In fact, Levickas estimates that only about 30% of Arts Honors Cord applicants to date are arts majors.

That means that about 70% of applicants are non-arts majors who are still “participating in [art] in meaningful ways,” according to Levickas — which might include “everything from taking a class to joining a student organization, to performing onstage, attending an arts workshop, or going to see an exhibition, or having your [own] work exhibited.”

The cords are meant as a reward for meaningful work completed at U-M. But Levickas says the Arts Initiative is also making a considerable effort to inform students of the cords’ existence when they first arrive at U-M.

“Promoting this opportunity early on also offers a roadmap to the wealth of experiences that are available,” he says.

Levickas says many students arrive on campus “thinking that as engineering or business or dentistry students, their focus will need to be exclusively on their studies and that they won’t have the room to continue playing an instrument or learning cultural dance … but the Arts Initiative really wants them to continue exploring and growing through the arts.”

He adds that the Arts Honors Cords are intended to be “a recognition of that commitment to growth and exploration that they’ve really contributed to.”

When the Arts Initiative began handing out the cords in spring of 2025, Levickas says about 600-650 students applied from nearly every school on campus. This year, that number had nearly doubled by the first week of April.

“The opportunity to earn something and claim ownership of that experience is really something that Michigan students respond to,” Levickas says.

The Arts Initiative has already received positive feedback on the honors cords from arts majors and non-arts majors alike.

“In my opinion, getting involved in [the] arts at Michigan is critical to experience the University to its fullest,” said Vivek Nukala, who graduated in May 2025 from the Ross School of Business, in feedback submitted to the Arts Initiative.

Ian Steigerwald, who graduated in May 2025 with an engineering degree, also shared feedback on the program.

“Being involved at the arts at [U-M] has been my favorite part of college,” he said.

Along with everything else, the Arts Honors Cords provide students “an opportunity to reflect a little bit on their experience,” Levickas says. 

“It comes down to memories, you know?” he says.