Summer is typically a time when facilities teams are sprinting around campus, trying to complete a laundry list of projects and upgrades before the start of the busy fall semester. But Executive Director for Facilities Carol Glick says this summer had a little different rhythm. “We’ve actually been working on a few big projects rather than a lot of smaller ones. And these are projects that really represent a sort of culture change that’s happening at the university, so that makes it a lot more exciting,” Glick says.
The biggest of those projects is the ongoing first floor renovation of the Renick University Center, which, along with the Mardigian Library and the outdoor space between the two buildings, is being reimagined as a central hub for campus in the new comprehensive campus plan. This summer, crews tackled some of the unglamorous heavy lifting for the project, including ripping up floors, installing new underground plumbing and pouring new concrete. Glick says walls have also been demoed and new walls are going up to create the improved floor plan, which includes several changes to office footprints, a large meeting room for hosting orientation groups and a new public lounge area with a fireplace. Though the scene right now is a construction zone, Interior Designer Sally Hamilton is already working on some of the finishing touches for that space, including ordering furniture and fabrics. Hamilton says the challenge of the moment is “picking out the right maize” to match some of the interior finishes, which lean heavily on the university’s signature colors.
Glick says they haven’t run into major hurdles — a pleasant surprise in any renovation — and the project remains on track for a late-February reopening of the first floor. One area that’s already complete is the Bookstore, which now has a smaller footprint and a new manager, Lulu Owens-Berry, who started this summer. New features include a concierge textbook area, where students can ask about materials needed for their courses, and lots of new UM-Dearborn-themed merchandise.
