(WWJ) The University of Detroit Mercy is expanding with another 40,000 square feet in Novi, and more graduate and health care education programs.
The university says the new facility at 12 Mile and Meadowbrook will allow UDM to provide space for future offerings in healthcare and related fields.
This comes after earlier this year when the University of Detroit Mercy completed a fundraiser in which it raised more than $100 million and announced an expansion of its main campus along McNichols Road in northwest Detroit.
School officials said the new campus comes at an important time for the University and the community as demand for health care graduates grows. With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business, industry and education, Detroit Mercy's newest location will provide access to the institution's nationally ranked programs for students who wish to stay close to home and their employer.
Detroit Mercy is also in discussion with healthcare partners regarding prospective new graduate programs consistent with Detroit Mercy's history of providing care and services in metropolitan Detroit. The University also expects to offer professional development programs, including continuing dental education, at the new campus.
President Antoine M. Garibaldi believes this new campus offers another example of the institution's bright future as the state and country continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Detroit Mercy's acquisition of this new campus will allow the university to expand academic programs in the health professions and other fields in which we are strong and that are in demand," he said. "In addition to this campus's proximity to several medical centers, Detroit Mercy will now be able to expand its 14 decades-long and Detroit-based Jesuit and Mercy education to a larger population in the metropolitan area while simultaneously building on our three campuses in the city of Detroit."
This new campus is one of several important developments that have taken place at Detroit Mercy during 2020 in spite of the pandemic.
In February, just two months after completing the largest fundraising campaign in the University's history and exceeding its $100-million goal by $15 million, Detroit Mercy announced an expansive McNichols Campus Renovation Project that will significantly transform the McNichols Campus. A major anchor in northwest Detroit since the property was originally acquired in 1922 by Jesuit President Rev. John P. McNichols, this multi-year, multi-million-dollar renovation project will begin in mid-November with a revitalization and expansion of the Student Union, followed by the eventual demolition of the University's Fisher Administration Center and Reno Hall.
In August, following an 18-month renovation effort, the School of Dentistry's new entrance opened to patients as well. This upgrade features a three-story glass atrium, terrazzo floor and four stained glass panels from the chapel built in 1941 on Mercy College of Detroit's campus.
And in recent weeks, the University was ranked among the top 20% of all universities in the United States by both U.S. News & World Report and Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education for 2021. This is the second year in a row that both entities ranked Detroit Mercy among the top 20% of colleges and universities in the country.
The university completed these milestones while also resetting tuition in 2017 from $41,000 to $28,000 a year.
University of Detroit Mercy is Michigan's largest and most comprehensive Catholic university, sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). The two consolidated as University of Detroit Mercy in 1990. Detroit Mercy offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional academic degrees and programs through seven schools and colleges.
