The Year in Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But at Leaders & Best, 13 pictures are worth 365 days. Last year, L&B photographers Marc-Grégor Campredon and Kaley Joy captured the countless people and places that make the University of Michigan so special.

Check out their best photos of 2024!

A panoramic view of Rose Bowl stadium at night, with palm trees and mountains surrounding it.

A faraway view of Rose Bowl Stadium, surrounded by palm trees, at dawn, where Michigan defeated Alabama on Jan. 1, 2024 in Pasadena, Calif.

A view of the Hill Auditorium stage from above. The stage is lit with maize and blue spotlights with a large block M as the backdrop and a speaker at the podium.

President Ono speaks on the maize and blue stage at Hill Auditorium during the kickoff event for the Look to Michigan fundraising campaign on Oct. 25, 2024, where he announced a goal of $7 billion, the largest known campaign goal of any public university.

In focus, a person with a prosthetic robotic leg walks across the floor. In between that person's legs, in the background, a second person is kneeling on the floor. To the left, a third person is standing, watching the demonstration.

Alongside Associate Professor Elliott Rouse (center), the Michigan Robotics team tests the Open-Source Leg, a first-of-its-kind artificially intelligent platform that aims to advance prosthetics, improve patient outcomes, and accelerate research.

Rocks on the Mackinac shore are in focus. Out of focus in the background is the Mackinac Bridge.

A view of the Mackinac Bridge from the rocky shores Up North.

A person sitting in front of a chessboard is looking out the window.

A student sits in front of a sun-drenched chessboard in the library at the U-M Biological Station, a research facility on Douglas Lake that explores limnology, ornithology, ecology, systematics, taxonomy, and natural history.

A shadowed view of a mother and daughter looking at fossils.

Mother and daughter delight in the prehistoric whale fossils on display at the U-M Museum of Natural History. The museum features exhibits and educational programs that put U-M’s world-class natural science collections and innovative research on display.

Two students on the steps of the Union give each other a high-five with a trophy between them.

Michigan Debate team members celebrate their first-place victory at the 78th annual National Debate Tournament with a high-five in front of the Michigan Union. Founded in 1890, Michigan Debate is a national leader in teaching critical thinking skills and persuasive communication techniques.

A ground-level, shadowed view of a person working on the beams at a construction site.

A structural beam signed by members of the U-M community is built into the upcoming Hadley Family Recreation & Well-Being Center. The new recreation center will provide greater opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to improve their overall health.

Michigan football players running out of the tunnel onto the field at the Big House, surrounded on both sides by bystanders in the stands.

Michigan football players exit the tunnel into the Big House to defend their victory over MSU on Oct. 26, 2024. Spoiler alert: We won!

A student wearing a cap and gown looks out of a window smiling.

A smiling student at the 2024 Native Student Graduation Celebration, held in partnership with the Native American Student Association, OAMI, and ODEI. An example of U-M’s commitment to diversity, the ceremony recognizes the uniqueness of the native student experience.

A squirrel in focus looking into the camera while eating a nut. The Cube is out of focus in the background.

A Diag squirrel munches on a midday snack in front of The Cube.

Two people with shovels smiling as they dig into the ground to plant trees in front of the library.

A student and the Michigan Warden plant a tree in front of Hatcher Graduate Library at Earthfest, a cross-campus celebration of sustainability that educates the Michigan community on ways to support initiatives in this area on campus and beyond.

A student smiling reaching out with a plastic box of tomatoes at a wooden farm stand.

A student worker at the U-M Farm Stand reaches out with a box full of fresh tomatoes. The Farm Stand is a weekly pop-up market that sells produce grown by students, for students.

A crowd of ROTC students in uniform entering the Big House. One student in the center is looking into the camera.

ROTC students walk out of the tunnel at the Big House for Spring Commencement, held on May 4, 2024.

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