Facilities Planning

Environmental Health and Safety

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Mon, 08/26/2024 - 12:48

The renovation of the Renick University Center’s first floor is on track, while the plan to consolidate operations on the main campus took some early steps.

The Renick University Center is currently undergoing a major renovation of its first floor, including upgrades to the university Bookstore, which are now complete. The full renovation is expected to be finished early next year.

The new comprehensive campus plan is really taking shape

lblouin — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 11:54:50 +0000

The new comprehensive campus plan is really taking shape lblouin Mon, 06/24/2024 - 07:54

In summer 2023, the university announced it was creating a new comprehensive campus plan to help guide the near- and mid-term development of campus grounds and infrastructure in ways that complement its strategic plan. Participants who attended a recent presentation about the CCP saw the effort now has some real meat on the bones. The CCP is filled with dozens of projects that will reshape how we work, learn and power the university, ranging from solar and geothermal systems to a plan to bring all four colleges to the main campus by 2027. In case you weren’t able to attend the presentation, we’ve recapped some of the highlights below. You can also view the slide presentation from Executive Director for Facilities Operations Carol Glick.

Doing more in less space

A campus plan is most fundamentally, of course, about how we use space, and as part of the prep work for the CCP, SmithGroup, the university’s architectural partner on the project, conducted a deep analysis of current space utilization to identify opportunities for using campus spaces more effectively. One of the primary near-term goals of this analysis was to determine whether we had enough space to relocate the College of Business and the College of Education, Health and Human Services from the Fairlane Center to the main campus. SmithGroup found that there is plenty of room to accommodate the move, which will see CEHHS complete its relocation to the Administration Building by 2026 and COB to the Social Sciences Building by 2027. Moreover, there is enough space to accommodate enrollment up to 10,000 students (current enrollment is just over 8,000), as well as increased research activities. Optimizing scheduling for our instructional spaces is a big part of how we’ll be able to do more within a consolidated campus footprint. SmithGroup identified that, on average, classroom spaces are being used only about 60% of their available hours, with lab usage rates ranking a bit higher. Large format classrooms, in particular, are sitting empty much of the time, which is not a surprise given that 96% of ��-Dearborn classes are capped at 60 students or less. Classroom spaces are also, on average, only filled to 55% capacity with a target of 70%. The great news is this underutilization likely gives the university a path to avoid any capital-intensive new construction for some time, while providing ample opportunities to reduce our energy consumption and create a denser, more lively atmosphere on campus. Though staff occupy a smaller footprint, the post-COVID work environment, in which many units are using hybrid and remote work schedules, offers another opportunity to do more within our current physical footprint as buildings are renovated.

A new vision for outdoor (and some indoor) spaces

Some of the most exciting features of the CCP involve renovations of outdoor and indoor spaces, with campus grounds set to get the flashiest overhauls. The main entrance of campus is being reimagined to allow a more aesthetic, wide-open view into a new central quad between the Mardigian Library and Renick University Center. The vision for the quad calls for natural plantings, outdoor seating and an overhead canopy, giving it life as an everyday social space as well as a versatile outdoor event space. The long sidewalk running from HPEC to the CASL Building could also see some upgrades, with new plantings, seating areas and outdoor classrooms along its perimeter. Even the parking lots are being rethought, with new rain gardens that make these spaces both more aesthetically pleasing and transform them into valuable flood management tools. Indoors, the multi-year Renick University Center/Mardigian Library renovation is the flagship project, which will consolidate core student and academic services in the central part of campus. The initial phase — a renovation of the RUC’s first floor — is currently underway with work scheduled to be completed in early 2025. Projects will be completed as funds become available.

The revamped main entrance. (Image courtesy Smith Group)

New spaces, like outdoor classrooms, will border the main campus walkway. (Image courtesy Smith Group)

The CCP calls for rooftop, ground-mounted and parking lot solar arrays. (Image courtesy Smith Group)

Decarbonization takes center stage

We’ve been bringing you stories for a few years about ��-Dearborn’s efforts to minimize its carbon footprint through energy efficiency projects, like the ongoing LED lighting retrofit. But if you’ve been waiting for news of some larger-scale projects that go beyond the lower-hanging fruit, you’ll be pretty jazzed about some of the ideas in the CCP. The plan includes large installations of carport, rooftop and/or ground-mounted solar that could reduce the university’s current climate-warming emissions by 30%. On the heating and cooling side, the parking lots could host wells for new ground-source heat pumps — a highly efficient technology that provides both heating and cooling in a single system. To reach our goal of net-zero carbon emissions, Glick estimates the university can achieve a 40% reduction through improvements to existing buildings, another 20% from the new geothermal system, 30% from solar and the remaining 10% from purchasing renewable-based electricity.

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Want more details from the comprehensive campus plan? Check out Glick’s full CCP presentation. Story by Lou Blouin

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Mon, 06/24/2024 - 10:52

Moving everyone to the main campus, a major overhaul of outdoor spaces and on-site renewable energy are some of the notable features in ��-Dearborn’s comprehensive campus plan.

The 10-year comprehensive campus plan calls for a new central quad between the Renick University Center and Mardigian Library. Image courtesy Smith Group

Coming to campus: bike-friendly changes

stuxbury — Mon, 20 May 2024 16:26:26 +0000

Coming to campus: bike-friendly changes stuxbury Mon, 05/20/2024 - 12:26

Nearly all of the ��-Dearborn community is committed to sustainability efforts and energy conservation, according to a U-M Sustainable Cultural Indicators Program survey. In the same report, respondents indicated that they knew very little about alternative transportation modes like biking. So ��-Dearborn’s Bikeable Campus Task Force looked into ways to support biking across ��-Dearborn to help bridge these two areas. “People indicated in the survey, which was from 2021, that they want to support environmental sustainability. We want to help them. But it's important to note that sustainability considers more than just the environment — it connects to human health, mental wellness and safety,” said Sustainability Programs Coordinator Grace Maves, who led the task force.

Campus bike-related changes coming this summer include:

Wayfinding signage and safety reminders will be placed on multi-use pathways and roadways that the task force identified as the safest campus bike routes
Sharrows, which help riders with wayfinding and safe positioning on roads, will be placed on areas of Fair Lane Drive and Monteith Boulevard to indicate shared roads
Bike racks will be redistributed to better serve often-used gathering spaces and stops along the recommended bike routes. For example, bike racks will be placed in the Chancellor’s Pond area.

The task force also made recommendations for the future, including adding a designated bike lane crossing through campus and along the campus portion of the Rouge River Gateway Trail.“Our leadership is committed to being a bike-friendly campus, and that kind of support is what makes sustainability achievable,” Maves says. “Yes, we are a commuter campus. But there are still ways to utilize alternative transportation methods, and make those modes accessible and safe. We want to create changes that support our campus’ needs.” She said a new survey will be sent to the ��-Dearborn community in fall 2024 to track changes in ridership and campus sustainability culture.

Maves hopes these changes will boost ridership on campus, better support the bike-riding events on campus, like the Chancellor’s Town and Gown bike ride and walk, and add safety features for the riders who currently bike to and from campus for classes and work.

Bike routes map

Human Resources Coordinator Jessica Calderón, who is also a student, said she is looking forward to seeing these changes on campus. To save money, reduce the carbon footprint and exercise, Calderón occasionally bikes to campus.

Coming from Oakwood Boulevard near Southfield, it takes Calderón nearly an hour on the days she’s commuted on her bright blue Aggressor Pro GT. She said she is thankful for the opportunity to ride — attending the Chancellor’s Town and Gown annual bike ride in the fall showed her how to navigate the city and end up on campus — and appreciates the work the task force has done to continue the biking education and momentum on campus.

“Sometimes you feel planted in your seat while in class or at work. It feels good to get up and explore our beautiful campus,” she says. “There’s shade from the trees. It’s scenic. And the people are friendly. It’s another great neighborhood to ride my bike in. I appreciate the efforts leadership is making to be more bike friendly. These safety routes will benefit faculty, staff and our students. Some people in our community don’t have the funds set aside for a vehicle — but they do have a bike.”

In addition to helping mobility, Maves says the changes this summer are a step in the right direction to reduce ��-Dearborn’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions — which include actions like business travel and commuting — and support a culture of sustainability.

“If there is not a demand, changes often don’t happen. I’m glad the ��-Dearborn community shared that they wanted to be involved in sustainable efforts — that helped move this forward,” Maves says. “Our goal is to create a culture of sustainability on campus, and if individuals continue to express interest, more initiatives like the Bikeable Campus Project will come out of that. As a starting point, I encourage everyone to become Planet Blue Ambassadors, to build a foundation for taking action on campus and beyond.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury. ��-Dearborn’s Bikeable Campus Task Force members include Landscape and Grounds Manager Steve Bernard, Lead Business Officer for Business Affairs Marc Brigolin, Police Sergeant Kaitlin Deslatte, Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick, Maves, Police Officer Marty Morales General Services Manager Bonnie Southerland and Bike Dearborn founder Tracy Besek.

Sustainability

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Mon, 05/20/2024 - 16:25

To support sustainability efforts and promote bike safety, sharrows and new signage will appear this summer.

Bikers travel paths to and from campus. Photo/Grace Maves

The Renick University Center renovation is kicking off next month

lblouin — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:20:21 +0000

The Renick University Center renovation is kicking off next month lblouin Mon, 03/18/2024 - 09:20

Last summer, the university announced a new comprehensive campus planning effort to rethink how we use physical spaces on campus. The centerpiece of that plan is a vision for making the renovated Renick University Center, Mardigian Library and the outdoor space between the two buildings a new central hub for campus, particularly for student-focused activities and services. Executive Director for Facilities Operations Carol Glick says this will be a multi-year, multi-phase project, but she’s excited that the first stage — a major renovation of the RUC’s first floor — will begin next month.

The renovation will focus on the east (parking lot) side of the building, where several core student-facing offices will be getting new or updated spaces. Director of Planning and Construction Emily Hamilton says one of the fun parts about this renovation is working with staff to design around their specific needs, many of which have changed substantially post-pandemic. For example, staff in the One-Stop, the student-facing hub for enrollment-focused services, have embraced hybrid scheduling and office sharing. Hamilton says this, along with new, recently adopted guidelines for more compact offices, enabled the facilities team to create additional spaces within the same physical office footprint. “By having smaller offices and shared offices, along with more efficient furniture styles, we were able to create a whole new flexible workroom space that has a TV on the wall, and you can push the tables together for meetings, or break them apart to eat lunch or have a conversation,” Hamilton says. “So they’re getting more useful space in the One-Stop without adding any square footage.”

University Unions and Events is also getting a new suite on the first floor, which gives staff a location nearer the meeting rooms that UUE manages, like Kochoff Hall. The renovated first floor will gain several smaller meeting rooms, as well as a large meeting room for hosting tour and orientation groups. The Student Advising and Resource Team, or START, will be moving down to a new first floor location and will be sharing a suite with Career Services, which is moving over from the Fairlane campus.

One of the biggest transformations is happening along the east end of the building, where the bank of transaction counters will be removed and replaced with a large open lounge area. Furnished with cozy furniture and a multi-sided, walk-around fireplace, this space is intended to create the welcoming living room the campus has never really had. “This building is the center of the campus, right? So this is prime real estate,” Hamilton says. “We realized having rooms that store years and years of student documents wasn’t the best use of that space. We want every inch of that prime space to be focused on serving students.”

The renovated One-Stop office will feature a much more open floor plan. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

Another view of the new open One-Stop office. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

A more efficient office design made this new flexible work space in the One-Stop possible. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

University Unions and Events' new flexible workspace. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

The new work room in the suite shared by START and Career Services. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

The renovation project is currently out for bid, and Project Manager Kal Haddad expects construction crews will start prep work in early April. Starting March 18, offices impacted by the renovation began temporarily moving to various locations. The One-Stop will relocate to the SSB building. The UUE info desk will shift to the northwest corner of the RUC, outside Kochoff Hall. The Office of International Affairs will move to the second floor of the RUC. Kochoff Hall and meeting rooms 1225 and 1227 will remain open for scheduling. Picasso and the credit union will be unaffected by the renovation. The Bookstore will be downsized and renovated. Glick expects the first floor to fully reopen sometime during the first quarter of 2025.

Work on the Mardigian Library, as well as the outdoor space between the RUC and library, is not part of this initial round of design and construction but is expected to begin in the next few years. Work on the larger comprehensive campus plan is also ongoing and scheduled to be finalized in May. A forum will be held to review the data collection and evaluation process, share findings and address questions from the campus community.

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Learn more about the comprehensive campus plan. Story by Lou Blouin

Campus Life

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Mon, 03/18/2024 - 13:11

The plan to make a renovated Renick University Center and Mardigian Library the new central hub of campus is taking some big steps.

This artist rendering is the inspiration for the renovated east side of the Renick University Center. Credit: Neumann Smith Architecture

��-Dearborn is developing a new comprehensive campus plan

lblouin — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 09:54:05 +0000

��-Dearborn is developing a new comprehensive campus plan lblouin Tue, 07/11/2023 - 05:54

Executive Director for Facilities Operations Carol Glick says developing a new 10-year plan for the ��-Dearborn campus, sometimes referred to as a master plan, has been on her team’s radar for the past seven years. But a series of events prompted them to hit the pause button a few times. Back in 2017, Dan Little announced his retirement as chancellor, so Glick said it made sense to wait until the new chancellor, Domenico Grasso, could weigh in. Soon after starting at ��-Dearborn, Grasso spearheaded a campuswide strategic planning effort, so again, it was advantageous to wait on the comprehensive campus plan so we could build around the strategic plan’s core themes. Then COVID hit. Then the University of Michigan got a new president — who is now overseeing a strategic planning and campus planning effort in Ann Arbor, with hopes that we can sync our campuses’ visions, especially when it comes to sustainability goals.

Now, though, all the stars have finally aligned for Glick to dig into a task that’s a “dream project” for her and her team’s architects, designers and project managers. In the end, she says all the delays were fortuitous, because so much of the broader visioning that informs how we design spaces has already been completed as a result of ��-Dearborn’s strategic planning process. “We’re really looking at this campus planning as an outcome of the strategic plan,” Glick says. “Our campus community has come up with all these ideas and goals and now it’s a question of how we can best design our physical spaces to achieve those goals. And because we engaged extensively with our campus stakeholders in the strategic planning effort, we can build the plan around their vision and their voices.”

So what can you expect in the new campus plan? Glick says look for two themes to take center stage. First, her team will be focusing on establishing a new center of gravity for campus around the Renick University Center and the Mardigian Library, which will both get extensive renovations in the coming years. The goal for both buildings is to consolidate core student services that are currently somewhat scattered across campus. Continuing a theme we’ve seen emerge over the past few years, the RUC will become the hub for everything related to student life, university events and enrollment services, including the One-Stop, student organizations, the food pantry, Student Government, Global Engagement, International Affairs, Veterans Affairs and Experience+. The library will become the center for core academic services, including Academic Success, Disability and Accessibility Services, ITS, as well as typical library access services. Both buildings will get several new social spaces that Glick calls “living rooms,” where students, faculty, and staff can hang out, work and collaborate.

One of the other cool parts of this project is a plan to transform the underutilized space between the buildings into a parklike setting for studying, socializing, relaxing, eating, tabling and community events. Glick says this outdoor renovation — plus a brand new main library entrance facing the RUC — will help connect the two buildings, giving the campus a central hub it’s never really had before.

The second major theme of the campus plan revolves around the changing nature of work and education. With more hybrid and online classes, as well as hybrid and remote work, Glick says we’re simply not using as much space as we used to, and the general approach for the plan is to consolidate uses into a denser footprint. Glick says this has two major payoffs. First, half-empty buildings still demand full-time heating, cooling and maintenance, so consolidating spaces helps the university’s fiscal and sustainability goals. “Also, when we spread our population around a larger space than we’re occupying, our campus loses that sense of vibrancy and activity,” Glick says. “And I think all of us want a place that feels engaged and energized by a community.”

Glick is plenty aware that talk of consolidating spaces can be a tricky subject for a workplace. “What we’re talking about really is a massive cultural shift. How we work and learn is changing dramatically,” she says. In general, Glick says they’re planning to develop space in ways that align to current and future needs rather than history. If you’re a staff member whose role demands being on campus every day, then you might not see anything change. But if you only come in three times a week, you might expect to share an office and coordinate schedules with a coworker. If you only come in once a week, your “office” might be a pack-in, pack-out hoteling space. In addition, she says buildings that house multiple units will have more shared communal and meeting spaces, to accommodate days when a supervisor wants everybody in the office on the same day. “The idea is that we’d have space so units could ‘peak’ on certain days, but not all units in the same building would peak on the same day,” Glick says.

One thing that’s a little different about this campus plan is that it’s being developed in a time of uncertainty. COVID taught us new ways to work, but what work looks like now is still something universities and workplaces are sorting out. Appetites for hybrid, remote, asynchronous and project-based courses continue to evolve too. And, of course, most Michigan universities are expecting to face enrollment challenges for many years due to a variety of factors, including shrinking classes of graduating high school seniors. As a result, Glick says her team is building the plan with more flexibility than they might otherwise. “We’re actually planning for multiple scenarios. So if we get a few years down the road, and we’re seeing more of a trend in a certain direction, we can adjust as needed,” she says.

"Campus planning is an essential process for any campus to examine the physical footprint, identify priorities and strategies, and develop long-term plans,” says Bryan Dadey, ��-Dearborn’s chief financial officer and vice chancellor of business affairs. “The campus plan is a key component for long-term financial management of the university to understand the campus needs balanced against our financial resources.”

Glick says the planning process is now in the data-gathering phase. There’s also a new campus planning website that will keep the campus community informed about the progress of the planning efforts and provide opportunities for community input. The goal is to have a final, regents-approved version by spring 2024.

Sustainability

Mardigian Library

Off

Tue, 07/11/2023 - 09:53

The changing nature of work and education are prompting the university to rethink ways to optimize its physical spaces.

Recent renovations in the Renick University Center are a preview of what's coming in the new comprehensive master plan.

A cross-campus team is reimagining spaces in two key buildings

lblouin — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 17:18:29 +0000

A cross-campus team is reimagining spaces in two key buildings lblouin Mon, 01/23/2023 - 12:18

If you had visited the student organization space on the second floor of the University Center on an average day in 2018, Dean of Students Amy Finley expects the head count would have been “about two.” It’s not that we didn’t have lots of energetic students planning events, activities and service projects. They were just doing it elsewhere. The problem was the space. Tightly packed with gray cubicles and a few work tables, the student organization area looked more like the drab setting from the movie “Office Space” than a place where students could get together, discuss ideas, laugh and organize. Not surprisingly, when Finley and her team began rethinking how to better tailor some areas in the UC to student needs, this space was at the top of the renovation list. Based on student feedback, the student organization space was reborn in summer 2022 as the Wolverine Commons — a student lounge with an open floor plan, cozy and flexible seating, and lots of places to spread out. Visit during lunchtime today and Finley says you’d see the average headcount has surged to about 50 students.

The Wolverine Commons example provides insight into a key socio-architectural truth: Our spaces can either be a hindrance to how we work, live and communicate or they can facilitate exactly what we want. The tricky part for planners and designers is that our needs often change more quickly than our spaces. Indeed, how we work, study and communicate has changed radically in just the past three years due to the pandemic experience. To cite an obvious example: We have more hybrid classes, so students and faculty are coming to campus less frequently — as are staff, who are more likely to have hybrid work schedules. This creates new opportunities to redesign our rooms, buildings and offices to best match today’s needs. (By the way, this is also a hot topic for our Future of Work working group, which we hope to cover later this semester.)

Updating spaces at a university is a nearly continual effort, but two of our most important communal campus buildings are about to get a big rethink. In order to better serve the needs of today’s students, faculty and staff, a new cross-campus team is leading an effort to revamp key spaces in the Renick University Center and Mardigian Library, as well as the outdoor space between the two buildings. As a first step, a design firm is helping organize focus groups to collect up-to-date information about what students, faculty and staff need and want. They’ll then organize that feedback into a phased renovation plan that includes options for improvements ranging from “minor to major.” “You’re always trying to make the most of student tuition dollars, so ideally, we want to identify things that will make a big impact without a lot of cost,” says Executive Director for Facilities Operations Carol Glick. “For example, if you look at some of the recent changes we’ve made to outdoor spaces, Adirondack chairs and outdoor games do not take a big capital investment, but they can make a big difference in terms of quality of campus life. Moreover, we want to identify different phases of projects, so that as funds become available, including for capital projects, we have a blueprint for how we would want to proceed.”

What improvements the plan will include depends a lot on feedback from the campus community, but Finley and Jean Song, the new director of the Mardigian Library, say some needs are already apparent. In the library, Song says access to power is a big issue. “We have an older building that has electrical outlets that were basically designed to be able to vacuum the space,” Song says. “We’ve jury-rigged a lot of things to make power more available where people need it, but our students and faculty would definitely benefit from a space that’s designed for the ways people want to power their devices.” Another observation: With the rising ubiquity of Zoom and hybrid classes, Song has noticed people doing something that would have once been taboo in a library: talking openly on their phones. “How much sound leakage is now considered OK? If I’m taking a hybrid class and I’m doing it in the library for whatever reason, is it OK to just be blaring it off my device? So our norms and behaviors are changing, and we don’t really have spaces that are set up for these new needs.” Song says Zoom rooms could really help address this challenge. Another area on her radar: specially tailored spaces that serve students with unique needs. For example, she thinks a family study area, where children could play or do homework alongside a caregiver, could be a huge help for multitasking students.

Next door in the University Center, the revamp is already underway. In addition to the Wolverine Commons renovation, Enrollment Services is staffing a new One Stop in the UC, a sort of in-person triage center for handling common student questions. In 2021, Finley's team also launched the new Campus Involvement Hub, where students can do everything from check out board games to get information about student organizations. They’ll also be creating a vision for the outdoor space between the buildings — as well as the “prime real estate” of the UC’s east-facing first-floor corridor.

As mentioned above, the team will be collecting lots of feedback to make sure the improvements best match the current needs of students, faculty and staff. They’ve already been dialoguing with student government, and starting this month, they’ll be sending out surveys and holding focus groups with all three key constituencies, as well as prospective students. They also plan to hold meetings specifically with library and UC staff, to better tune workspaces to today’s needs. After that, the design firm will put together different options, eventually yielding an exciting new adaptation plan for some of our most well-trafficked spaces.

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Want to help with the UC-Library renovation project? The team would love to hear your ideas for how we can make these spaces better. Please fill out the faculty-staff survey. Story by Lou Blouin

Enrollment

Student Success

Mardigian Library

Off

Mon, 01/23/2023 - 17:18

Times change, and our spaces often have a hard time keeping up with us. The Mardigian Library and Renick University Center could soon be seeing important transformations to adapt to the needs of today’s students, faculty and staff.

Be prepared to see more changes like the Wolverine Commons, a lounge area on the second floor of the Renick University Center that reinvented a relatively unused space. Photo by Sarah Tuxbury

Campus building debuts new name: the James C. Renick University Center

stuxbury — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 18:13:10 +0000

Campus building debuts new name: the James C. Renick University Center stuxbury Mon, 11/21/2022 - 13:13

There’s a name across the top of the wall when you walk into ��-Dearborn’s most frequented building: James C. Renick University Center.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso recommended this honor for the university’s fourth chancellor, James C. Renick, and his lasting impact on campus as a way to outwardly celebrate Renick’s legacy. Renick, who passed away at age 72 in 2021, served ��-Dearborn from 1993 through 1999.

“This is the first honorific named building on our campus. It’s fitting for it to be named for James C. Renick because he lived up to our moniker of ‘Leaders and Best.’ He was committed to helping people gain access to earning a quality education like a Michigan degree,” Grasso said during a Nov. 17 naming ceremony, which was attended by Renick’s wife of 43 years, Peggy, daughter Karinda, son-in-law Nicholas and grandchildren Kasch, 11, and Kruz, 8.

Under Renick’s guidance, Grasso said the university experienced record enrollment growth and completed its first capital campaign. The Management, Engineering and the Center for Corporate and Professional Development buildings were completed. And construction on the Environmental Interpretive Center, the Wellness Center, and the new College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters buildings were started.

But, most importantly, Renick laid important groundwork to be inclusive in practice and responsive to community needs. There is already a nearly 30-year tribute in the UC to Renick’s contributions to campus — although his name isn’t on it — the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service T-shirt display, which is prominently visible on the wall near the Bookstore.

With a focus on building relationships with business, political leaders, local schools and social communities, Renick initiated a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the university. Now an annual campus tradition, students, faculty, staff and alumni work together to make an impact in Detroit, Dearborn and other Southeastern Michigan communities in positive ways.

“Chancellor Renick held a strong commitment to student success while positioning the campus to be more responsive to the cultural, social, economic and intellectual issues of southeast Michigan,” Grasso said.

Humanities Professor Deborah Smith Pollard, an internationally renowned researcher on the origins and evolution of Gospel music, said Renick’s time on campus profoundly impacted her career. She said his support of Black artists — sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, poet Nikki Giovanni, artist Jacob Lawrence and novelist Margaret Walker came to campus — and inclusive practices lifted the ��-Dearborn community up and provided an environment where people could thrive.

After I applied to be an assistant professor of English and Humanities and then was offered the position here at University of Michigan-Dearborn (in 1995), a friend of mine told me not to take the job because she did not think it would be a safe city to work in for someone who looks like me," Smith Pollard said. "Well, things have worked out fairly well for this full professor in part because an African American chancellor was in charge when I came in, and he had several things in place that made me feel welcomed and seen."

As well-connected as Renick was — even President Bill Clinton made a stop on campus while Renick was here — his family shared another side of the chancellor with people gathered at the celebration: the polished professional let loose a bit when it came to his grandsons. He took them golfing and “spoiled them,” said Peggy Renick.

As a tribute video played, grandson Kruz laid his head on his dad’s shoulder. Daughter Karinda Renick took photos of Kasch — who said he misses his “Chacho” — next to her father’s engraved image, which is prominently displayed in the Renick UC hall.

At the conclusion of the naming ceremony, Peggy Renick gave hugs and thanks to people in attendance who she hasn’t seen in years, including Smith Pollard, Custodian Vanessa Maxwell, Renick’s former Administrative Assistant Adele Henry and retired Athletics and Recreation Director Peggy Foss.

"Dr. Renick was one of a kind. He made a difference in the campus atmosphere,” Foss said in video-recorded comments. “Knowing him, he would have been very humbled. It’s well deserved. I’m so excited that this is happening for him.”

Peggy Renick said the time spent at ��-Dearborn and in the Dearborn community felt like a return home. "It’s been so wonderful seeing everyone. It’s like we never left,” she said. “I’m so thankful to the Board of Regents and Chancellor Grasso for honoring Jim in this way. I can’t even express how much I wish he was here to see it.”

Grasso said the Renick UC is the heart of the campus. And it's a fitting tribute for a leader who made such a strong impact — still felt decades later — in the university community.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

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Mon, 11/21/2022 - 18:12

The fourth chancellor’s legacy of campus growth, inclusive strides and community partnerships is recognized through naming the “heart of campus” in his honor.

Check out these six big summer campus improvements

rudmehta — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 22:54:49 +0000

Check out these six big summer campus improvements rudmehta Sat, 11/05/2022 - 18:54

If you’re feeling like it was a particularly busy summer for campus construction, upgrades and renovations, your instincts are spot on.

In fact, both Kate Pepin and Gary Taylor, who between them have 40 years of experience looking after ��-Dearborn facilities and grounds, said they can’t remember a more frenetic June, July and August. From additional parking to a new native plant garden, here are a few of the big projects our facilities teams hustled to complete in time for the fall semester.

Pedestrian bridges

Located in the heart of campus on key thruways, several totally rebuilt pedestrian bridges are one of the campus updates you’ll use every day. The new composite decks, which replace the old treated lumber planks, are made from recycled plastic that’s both more durable and sustainable.

ELB update

A ton of work on the new $90-million Engineering Lab Building has been completed since the first shovels of ceremonial dirt were flipped back in April. But you may have noticed the summer’s worth of steady activity lacked a dramatic wrecking ball moment for the old ELB. That’s actually because only a smaller part of the old structure on the southside is getting totally removed, according to project manager Emily Hamilton. The rest is being carefully deconstructed down to its concrete and steel skeleton, with a goal of recycling as much as 80 percent of the old material. (So far, the team has recycled more than 2200 tons of concrete and 15 tons of scrap metal; plus, the new building is shooting for a LEED Silver certification). Hamilton told us by the time the ELB is reskinned and fully renovated, it will basically be “unrecognizable” — except for a few industrial architectural references that pay homage to the original concrete frame. Look for construction on the all-new part of the ELB — a dramatic three-story “tower” on the south flank — to begin around October. And with basically a nonstop construction schedule, expect Richard Drive to remain closed for the foreseeable future. You can find safe alternative pedestrian routes and ways to access additional parking lots on the university's website.

New parking

For commuter campuses, parking is a key lifeline, and ��-Dearborn starts the new school year some notable upgrades. An expansion of Lot E4 off Richard Drive between the Mardigian Library and the University Center adds 60 new spots of surface parking. And the horror-movie-esque sounds coming from the Monteith Parking Structure all summer were also part of that cause: That was actually the noise of chains being dragged across the decks on levels 4 and 5, which generated acoustic vibrations that helped crews detect hollow areas in the surface. Those weak spots were then jackhammered out and replaced with fresh concrete. The top levels are now back in action.

Native plant garden

When plans for the Lot E4 parking expansion took shape, it meant that dozens of native trees — many of which were planted just a few years ago — were going to have to be removed at the site. Removed, or moved. Veteran grounds manager Keith Sudak hatched a plan to dig up 38 trees — some of which stood 25 feet tall — and replant them in an area along the western edge of the library where flooding had killed some of the campus’ oldest trees. Sudak and his team then complemented the newly transplanted forest with an understory of other Michigan grasses and wildflowers. This understory will attract all kinds of wildlife, including important pollinators like bees and butterflies. Grab a spot on the bench Sudak repurposed and installed at the northeast edge of the garden and take in the serene new surrounds.

Contemplative garden

Another garden on the south end of campus was actually designed with serenity in mind. The “contemplative garden” on the far side of the CASL Building was originally built back in 2001 with a gift from retired ��-Dearborn Linguistics Professor Randee Sorscher. Her vision then was to provide a space to quietly enjoy nature — and honor her two grandmothers. “She wanted the garden done in blue, apricot and white,” says master gardener Jeanette Whiting, who helped install the original garden. “It was blue for one of her grandmother’s eyes, apricot for the other’s hair, and then white to tie the unusual colors together.” In the 17 years since the garden was built, though, Whiting told us it had become overrun with things that weren't supposed to be there. So this summer, with funds from Sorscher's original endowment, the garden got a major rehab to restore the original color palette. Surround yourself with the new salmon-colored roses, the violet-blue of butterfly bush and some late-blooming white daisies — and contemplate away.

Hockey boards

The ��-Fieldhouse got all new dasher boards and glass for the 2018-19 ice hockey season, which may not sound like a real game changer — until you realize that not all hockey boards are created equal. When a puck comes crashing into them, some boards act like brick walls, others, like trampolines; and hockey players have been known to use their insider knowledge of home boards to their advantage. Luckily, the men’s and women’s teams still have a few weeks to get acquainted with all the quirks of the new boards before the ice hockey season kicks off with the men’s home opener on Oct. 5.

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Mon, 09/10/2018 - 05:00

New gardens, parking and major progress on the new ELB top the list of campus updates.

��-Dearborn celebrates ribbon cutting at its new Engineering Lab Building

rudmehta — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:27:05 +0000

��-Dearborn celebrates ribbon cutting at its new Engineering Lab Building rudmehta Thu, 06/23/2022 - 15:27

For health and safety reasons, campus leaders decided to forgo a traditional grand opening for its new Engineering Lab Building when it opened to a small number of faculty and students in January. But, with activity in the building in full swing this fall, it was the right time for members of the campus community to officially celebrate the ELB’s opening at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

With student-operated robots greeting the small crowd, excitement for the new building was apparent as U-M leadership, industry partners, the campus community and others listened as Chancellor Domenico Grasso shared his remarks. He reflected on what the new facility means for ��-Dearborn, the region and beyond.

“We will be designing the health, happiness and prosperity of the future. What a magnificent facility for us to do that in,” said Grasso, who is an environmental engineer. “I’ve worked in and I’ve been in many engineering facilities throughout my career. This building is among the top facilities in the United States. You will not go to any campus and find a facility better than this.”

The ELB is a fitting home for ��-Dearborn’s engineering and computer science programs, which have seen explosive growth in the past decade. The new ELB features 45 instructional and research labs in core disciplines like mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as emerging subjects like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and game design.

Architecturally, it’s also a real showpiece. Huge windows flood the building with natural light. And glass interior walls let you see directly into many labs, as the work is happening. The huge 2,400-square-foot atrium is the largest campus gathering space outside of the Fieldhouse and features a 29-foot digital display that was used during the event to premiere a video about the project.

Inside the new ELB

The building is also packed with informal gathering spaces for students, something which was lacking in the old ELB. Moveable furniture and LED displays in these spaces allow teams to quickly set-up, plug-in and share ideas. Classrooms are also easily reconfigurable for either lecture or small-group formats and are wired with video capture technology, so faculty can easily record material for hybrid and online courses.

CECS Dean Ghassan Kridli said the ELB was designed for the delivery of modern engineering and computer science education that integrates theory with practice, in laboratories and classrooms equipped with advanced tools that mimic those used in industry.

“The ELB promotes the development of applied knowledge. We want to take what happens here — both the learning and research — and develop solutions that impact society by improving lives, growing our economy, and contributing to building a better future,” he said.

Standing in front of the attendees, Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Assistant Professor DeLean Tolbert Smith shared her memories of ��-Dearborn engineering — from her childhood as an alumna’s daughter to her undergraduate years as a campus engineering student, through today as an educator.

She said faculty support and knowledge shared on campus was always exceptional. And now there’s a building that resembles the engineering expertise inside of it.

“I look forward to students being proud of not only the culture they experience here and the camaraderie with their peers and professors, but also proud of the resources available to them...Go Blue!”

The $90 million project was supported by a $30 million capital outlay from the state of Michigan, bond financing, and individual, corporate and university support. The new ELB was designed by SmithGroupJJR Detroit.

Campus Life

Engineering Lab Building