The University of Michigan-Flint today announced plans for a new building on campus called the Innovation and Technology Center. The center will serve as a hub for the university's newest College of Innovation & Technology. (Rendering provided by UM-Flint)
FLINT, MI – The University of Michigan-Flint broke ground on an Innovation and Technology Complex that’ll house existing STEM pathways and new academic degrees in artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, and more.
UM-Flint Interim Chancellor Donna Fry, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, University of Michigan Regent Michael Behm, College of Innovation & Technology Dean Christopher Pearson and Mott Foundation program Director Kimberly Roberson were in attendance at the Thursday, June 13, groundbreaking.
The 14,000-square-foot, $10 million complex was approved by the University of Michigan Board of Regents in March.
It will feature “state-of-the-art instructional laboratories and areas designed to encourage collaboration and interdisciplinary research,” according to a release from the university.
Ground was broken for the first phase of the project, which will cost approximately $10 million. In the second phase, a separate 50,000-square-foot, $40 million building will be constructed.
“UM-Flint’s College of Innovation & Technology was launched during the pandemic and incubated using existing campus resources, but its size and anticipated future growth would quickly constrain its ability to meet programmatic needs,” said Christopher Pearson, dean of the CIT.
The innovation and technology program targets high-demand fields for a “technology-driven future,” including cybersecurity, software engineering, machining and automation and sustainable and renewable energy.
The building will be north of the William S. White Building in the downtown Flint campus.
Donna Fry, UM-Flint interim president, said the new building will be used by UM-Flint and the surrounding community.
“As the CIT becomes a transformative leader in the polytechnic experience, it will drive economic development in Flint, the Genesee County region, and the state of Michigan by engaging with champions of industry to create a sustainable next-generation community through innovation and partnerships in research and education,” Fry said.
New UM-Flint Chancellor Laurence Alexander will begin his appointment on July 1.
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