Look to Michigan: The ‘defining public university of the future’

President Ono bends down to shake the hand of a student seated with a study group. Casual, fun interaction.

U-M’s blueprint for the next decade — Vision 2034 — leverages the community’s excellence at scale to confront the future’s most significant challenges, from AI and precision medicine to campus well-being and carbon neutrality. 

  1. U-M teach-out Aug. 18: What’s next for abortion access?

    Experts on abortion access and legal challenges present a free, online teach-out to help foster thoughtful discourse on the issue of abortion, its history of litigation, and what could be expected in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling.

  2. Regents appoint Santa Ono as University of Michigan’s next president

    Santa J. Ono, an accomplished biomedical researcher and the president and vice chancellor of the University of British Columbia, has been named the 15th president of the University of Michigan.

  3. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: U-M experts discuss

    The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24 has far-reaching implications for women’s health and other related issues.

  4. Invitation to a Nazi

    In 1964, U-M students invited George Lincoln Rockwell, self-declared ‘commander’ of the American Nazi Party, to speak at Hill Auditorium, setting off a heated campus contest over the limits of free speech.

  5. A peony by any other name…

    A century after a medical school alumnus gifted U-M with a collection of herbaceous peonies, the garden finally bears his name (not to mention 350 varieties of the flower). Donor W.E. Upjohn considered these blooms his ‘salvation.’ This June, they’re making music.

  6. Composing the nation’s future

    ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is not an antique fixed in time, but a living allegory that inspires us to realize democracy’s potential, says historian/musicologist Mark Clague. The song’s enduring resilience mirrors the nation’s experience, he says.

‘Gateway for innovation’

The University of Michigan Center for Innovation (UMCI) in Detroit is expected to open in spring 2027. The building broke ground in December and preliminary site work has been ongoing. “The UMCI is a catalyst for positive change and, as such, presents itself along Grand River Avenue as a ‘gateway for innovation,’” said Hana Kassem, FAIA, Design Principal, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). The first two floors will house public programs, a cafe, and shared office space for the U-M Detroit Center, Admissions Office, School of Environment and Sustainability Clinic, and others. Levels three through six are planned for multidisciplinary graduate research. Watch: UMCI design approved, construction ramps up. (All images by Kohn Pedersen Fox.)

  • Engaging the passerby

    “The UMCI design proudly bears the University of Michigan spirit focusing on progress and inclusivity, which is embodied in its dynamic forward-leaning form and the portal that cuts through it, inviting access to all,” said KPF’s Kassem. “Its transparent facade at street level engages the passerby, showcasing innovation, by putting making and research on display.”

     

    Modern office building
  • Ground breaking

    The project broke ground in December at the intersection of Grand River Avenue and West Columbia Street. The proposed 200,000-gross-square-foot building will be the first of three buildings to be constructed on the site, with the other two — an incubator space and a residential building — developed at a future date.

    Aerial view of proposed UMCI
  • Mixed models

    UMCI will be a world-class research, education, and entrepreneurship center designed to advance innovation and community development that will propel  job creation and inclusive economic growth. Programming at the UMCI will offer a mixed-model approach that includes both master’s degrees and workforce development programs that focus on technology and innovation.

    People sit at tables in modern courtyard
  • Open doors

    UMCI also will host a multitude of community engagement activities for the residents of Detroit, ranging from K-12 programs like the Michigan Engineering Zone to the Detroit Neighborhood Entrepreneurs Project and many more.

    Interactive, creative lab
  • Catalyst for growth

    “UMCI will bring together the best of the University of Michigan to catalyze economic development in the city of Detroit,” said U-M Provost Laurie McCauley. “It will house a robust portfolio of academic programs, including new interdisciplinary graduate degrees and certificate programs aligned to the skills of the future.” The ultimate goal is to attract startups as well as major employers to the region, she said. Read more about the UMCI.

    Atrium filled with people in a modern office building