Renaming the University Center (July 22, 2022)

Dear Faculty, Staff and Students, 

It is my pleasure to announce that the University Center will be renamed the James C. Renick University Center. This name change is to honor former Chancellor Renick’s commitment to student success while positioning the university to be more responsive to the cultural, social, economic, and intellectual opportunities and challenges of the region.

Chancellor Renick led the university from January 1993 to July 1999. During his tenure, he focused on building relationships with business, political leaders, local schools and social communities; he described Dearborn as an “interactive university.” Renick served on the boards of New Detroit and the Detroit Urban League.

During his tenure, the Management, Engineering, and the Center for Corporate and Professional Development buildings were completed. Construction on the Environmental Interpretive Center, the Wellness Center, and the new College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters buildings were started. He also initiated a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the university nearly 30 years ago, a day that we now cherish as one of our great annual traditions where we work together to make an impact on our community in positive ways. 

Most importantly, Renick laid the foundation that today allows our university to practice inclusivity. In 1999 Renick commented, “There is a range of talented students with different talents, different backgrounds, and different ideas. That diversity is part of the education universities should offer. Education has a liberating effect, and we need to use education and our intellectual ability. That is what will help us to move beyond some of society's problems.”

Those words remain true today and that belief serves as our lodestar.

Under his leadership, the university experienced record enrollment growth and completed its first capital campaign. A remarkable leader, Chancellor Renick exemplified our ideals. That the UC, a central gathering spot for our diverse and inclusive community, should bear his name is truly fitting.

You may read more about Chancellor Renick and his impact on our university on our news site. 

Details regarding a renaming ceremony, and related communications guidelines, will be shared in September. 

Go Blue - Go Dearborn!

Domenico Grasso
Chancellor