Founded at U-M, Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) is a partnership of over 30 institutions committed to transforming research universities in order to ensure the greatest possible institutional support for interdisciplinary research, curricula, programs and creative practice between the arts, sciences and other disciplines.

The mission of a2ru is to ensure the highest standard of institutional support for arts-integrative interdisciplinary efforts that engage the whole university and beyond.

a2ru unifies interdisciplinary efforts by:

• Researching best practices for arts-integrative interdisciplinary research, curricula and creative practice in research universities
• Providing venues for presentation, leadership and faculty networking, and dissemination of research and creative scholarship
• Creating a common lexicon—a consolidation of meanings and terms—that allows already-established research and practice to travel beyond the bounds of specific campuses
• Advocating for and promoting arts and design practices as fundamental forms of knowledge production applicable to all disciplines

a2ru challenges institutional barriers to interdisciplinary research, curricula and creative practice by:

• Conducting research to inform public conversation and influence relevant policy
• Supporting academic leadership at partner institutions through consultation on the structural and organizational dynamics required to launch and/or sustain innovative interdisciplinary efforts
• Building revolutionary mechanisms to assess arts-integrative interdisciplinary research and curricular impacts