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DETROITER March September 2017 2014
MICHIGAN COLLEGES: Unsung Drivers of Development
Region’s higher education institutions focus on smart growth to positively impact communities By Rachelle Damico
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n the battle for top talent and researchers, Southeast Michigan colleges and universities are playing an important role as drivers of development, maintaining and expanding their facilities to meet society’s changing needs. From artfully designed tech centers to dormitories and mixed outdoor use, this development often extends beyond traditional campus boundaries, positively impacting the surrounding community and the region as a whole. Ron Gantner, partner at Plante Moran CRESA, said colleges are quickly becoming the urban core of a community.
“The universities are now really understanding the importance of their architecture,” Gantner said. “It’s getting people engaged, and people are staying longer on campus, which generates revenue for the schools, developers, and surrounding retail.”
As an example, Gantner said activity around the University of Michigan alone generates about 60 to 70 percent of growth in Ann Arbor.
”The universities are now really understanding the importance of their architecture. It's getting people engaged, and people are staying longer on campus.” — Ron Gantner, Partner, Plante Moran CRESA “You have stability from an economic standpoint because students are going to be there every year,” Gantner said. “From the retail and office standpoint, it’s generating that foot traffic on the street in a dense location, which is something that developers love.”
ATTRACTING THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST Recognizing the need to accommodate a growing demand for engineering and computer science students, Oakland University opened its 127,000-square-foot Engineering Center in 2014. The awardwinning Center features state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories built by Detroitbased SmithGroupJJR. “Universities are the driving force of attracting people to the state of Michigan,” said Louay Chamra, dean of Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science. Chamra said the Center has attracted both national and international students, and will help keep STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students in the state. Since the building broke ground in 2010, enrollment numbers have gone up from 1,500 students in 2010 to 3,200 in 2016. Of those, 98 percent live and work in Michigan.