A technology store and repair center will be just steps away from your classroom.
A collaboration between UM-Dearborn and U-M Information and Technology Services departments is bringing a Tech Shop to campus this fall.
Located in the University Center, a 700-square-foot storefront space will sell items like laptops, iPads and technology equipment at academic pricing, which is often the most discounted price available. It will also have certified Apple, Dell, and HP repair. The construction, which will affect a portion of the Bookstore, will begin in May. A grand opening will take place this fall.
The U-M system currently offers technology equipment through stores on the Ann Arbor campus and on the U-M Computer Showcase website — which will soon be rebranded to have the U-M Tech Shop name — where the UM-Dearborn community can shop.
However, the Dearborn ITS group wanted to bring a physical shop to campus so UM-Dearborn students, faculty and staff had access to a convenient, more immediate and personalized place to go for their technology needs. Departments also order items at the Tech Shop at the same prices as M-Marketsite and have same-day or next-day delivery for in-stock items.
“We saw there was a hole in tech support and proposed a way to fill it. We hear that many students, faculty and staff are going to Ann Arbor or Novi to have someone they trust repair their computers. It’s a big deal when you have something break and you need to drive an hour to get help. We want people to be able to stop in on their way to class or to their office,” said Carrie Shumaker, director of information technology, strategy and operations and chief information officer. Shumaker says the store will also serve Henry Ford College students, faculty, and staff.
Shumaker says the UM-Dearborn Tech Shop will have a similar layout to an Apple store — Apple recently approved the store’s design — and will have staff on hand to answer questions; in addition to a U-M staff member, there will be part-time employment opportunities for UM-Dearborn students to work in the store. The team is also working to make it possible for students to charge items to their student account and for faculty/staff to make installment payments through payroll deduction.
For more information about the UM-Dearborn Tech Shop, contact Shumaker.
