The Ann Arbor Chronicle » UM Board of Regents

S. State near Oakbrook

Mary Morgan — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 21:55:49 +0000

Campaign sign for Kathy White, a University of Michigan regent. Her current 8-year term ends this year, as does the term for Julia Darlow. [photo]

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UM: Salaries

Chronicle Staff — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 17:47:49 +0000

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on a letter that University of Michigan faculty sent to UM regents on April 20, questioning the high salaries of university administrators. From the letter: “The University is in desperate and urgent need of fiscal reform. Arresting the steep increases in salaries to top administrators, reforming the secretive bonus culture of the Fleming administration building, terminating the toxic AST project, and refocusing the attention of the University on its core mission of teaching, research, and service should save the University many tens of millions of dollars per year. We urge you to work with incoming President-Elect Schlissel to introduce and implement these necessary reforms as soon as practically possible.” The 40-page document includes a detailed salary analysis and list of request from regents. The Chronicle of Higher Education article is behind a paywall. Here’s a full text of the letter: [.pdf of open letter to UM regents]

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UM: Tuition

Chronicle Staff — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:37:39 +0000

The University of Michigan board of regents will consider a proposal offering in-state tuition to undocumented students who meet certain qualifications, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press. If approved, the proposal would also offer in-state tuition to any member of the military currently serving or honorably discharged. [.pdf staff memo of proposed new qualifications for in-state tuition] The regents meet on Thursday, July 18 at 3 p.m. in the North Atrium of Building 18 at the North Campus Research Complex (former Pfizer complex). [Source]

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UM: Tuition

Chronicle Staff — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 00:40:23 +0000

The Detroit News reports on the University of Michigan’s decision to raise tuition by 1.1% for the 2013-14 academic year. It’s the lowest tuition increase in nearly 30 years. The increase was approved at the June 20 UM board of regents meeting, but was opposed by regents Andrea Fischer Newman and Denise Ilitch. The article quotes Ilitch, who has voted against tuition hikes in previous years: “The business model must change. The continuing raising of tuition is not sustainable. This is not a university problem. This is a national problem.” [Source]

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Michigan Union

Mary Morgan — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:55:25 +0000

Bonnie Halloran of the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) at the University of Michigan addresses the UM regents meeting on Thursday afternoon, advocating for better pay for lecturers. [photo] LEO is negotiating a new contract with the administration. [photo]

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UM’s West Quad Renovation OK’d

Chronicle Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:37:37 +0000

Another major dormitory renovation – this time for West Quad and the adjacent Cambridge House at the Michigan Union – was approved by University of Michigan regents at their Feb. 21, 2013 meeting. The project, estimated to cost $114.5 million, is part of the multi-year Residential Life Initiative, which has included “deep” renovations to Mosher-Jordan, Stockwell, Couzens and Alice Lloyd residence halls, as well as work that’s underway at East Quad and South Quad.

West Quad and Cambridge House, built in 1937 and located at 541 Thompson St., house about 1,100 students. The renovations will cover 370,000 square feet and include infrastructure upgrades as well as creation of new community spaces. In describing the project, Royster Harper – UM’s vice president for student affairs – noted that West Quad was dubbed “The Ship” by U.S. Navy troops that were housed there during World War II. “Well, The Ship is in need of renovations,” Harper said. Among other things, she said that students would rather not have to open their windows in the winter in order to regulate heat.

Also on Feb. 21, regents authorized hiring Integrated Design Solutions LLC as the project’s architect. The renovation work is expected to provide an average of 138 on-site construction jobs, according to a staff memo.

This brief was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union, where this month’s regents meeting was held.

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UM Regents OK South Quad Design

Chronicle Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:32:13 +0000

Moving ahead on a project initially authorized at their Sept. 20, 2012 meeting, University of Michigan regents approved a schematic design for a major $60 million renovation of South Quad, a nine-story dormitory located at 600 E. Madison. The unanimous vote was taken at the board’s Feb. 21, 2013 meeting.

The project entails renovating 106,700 square feet of the building’s first two floors, and includes expanded student dining facilities, updated bathrooms, refurbished student lounges, music practice rooms, group study spaces, and infrastructure upgrades. South Quad, built in 1951, houses about 1,180 students as well as the university’s honors program.

SmithGroupJJR is the project’s architect, and a representative from the firm was on hand to give a brief presentation. The major change will be a dramatically expanded dining facility. When completed, it will serve as a central dining hall for other dormitories on central campus, including West Quad, Helen Newberry Residence and Betsy Barbour Residence.

According to a staff memo, the renovation is expected to provide an average of 131 on-site construction jobs, with work to be completed by the summer of 2014.

This brief was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union, where this month’s regents meeting was held.

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UM Pharma Renovations Move Ahead

Chronicle Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:30:28 +0000

Taking another step on a project originally approved at a Nov. 15, 2012 meeting, University of Michigan regents have signed off on the schematic design for a $2.6 million renovation of the UM College of Pharmacy building. The action took place at the regents Feb. 21, 2013 meeting, when the board also authorized staff to issue the project for bids and award construction contracts.

The project will add more offices and cubicles to the basement and first floor, and create a small lobby entrance. It will cover about 12,000-square-feet in the building, located at 428 Church St. in Ann Arbor. The design work is being handled by the architectural firm SHW Group. Jim Luckey of SHW made a brief presentation to the board about the project, which is estimated to provide about nine on-site construction jobs during the work. The renovations are expected to be finished by this fall.

This brief was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union, where this month’s regents meeting was held.

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UM Regents OK 14 Conflict-of-Interest Items

Chronicle Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:28:18 +0000

Fourteen items disclosed under the state’s conflict-of-interest statute were authorized by the University of Michigan board of regents at its Feb.21, 2013 meeting. The law requires that regents vote on potential conflict-of-interest disclosures related to university staff, faculty or students.

The items often involve technology licensing agreements or leases. This month, all items were approved unanimously and without discussion. They related to the following businesses and organizations: ResolveAble Inc. (option agreement); Optimal Process Technologies LLC (license agreement); HiperNap LLC (option agreement); H3D Inc. (license agreement); Ektapharm Inc. (option agreement); Cardiavent Inc. (amendment to option agreement); Biocrede Inc. (option agreement); Armune BioScience Inc. (research agreement); Ambiq Micro Inc. (amendment to license agreement); Ascentage Pharma Group Corporation Ltd. (amendment to license agreement); Talley Photo+graphics (establishing a contract); A2 Laboratory (purchase agreement); Avicenna Medical Systems Inc. (authorization to transact for programming services); Exo Dynamics LLC and OncoFusion Therapeutics (lease agreements for Venture Accelerator firms at the North Campus Research Complex).

As an example of these items, disclosure of the lease agreements with Exo Dynamics and OncoFusion Therapeutics were triggered because university employees have ownership stakes in those firms. [.pdf of lease agreement spreadsheet] UM’s Venture Accelerator is a business incubator that opened in January 2011 at the North Campus Research Complex (NCRC), the former Pfizer site.

There was no discussion on any of these items, which were authorized with one unanimous vote.

This brief was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union, where this month’s regents meeting was held.

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UM Anthropology, Zoology Relocation Planned

Chronicle Staff — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:13:13 +0000

A $27.45 million project to move offices and “dry” research collections of the University of Michigan departments of anthropology, paleontology and zoology was approved by the UM board of regents on Feb. 21, 2013. The collections, labs and offices are now in three locations: at the Ruthven Museums building (1109 Geddes), Campus Safety Services building (1239 Kipke, near the Crisler Center) and the Clarence Cook Little Science building (1100 N. University Ave.).

The new location will be at the university’s Varsity Drive building (3600 Varsity Drive, off of Ellsworth Road), where about 71,000 square feet of space will be renovated to accommodate these departments and collections of bones and other objects. The project will be designed by SmithGroupJJR, and is expected to create an average of 63 on-site construction jobs, according to a staff memo.

In presenting the project for approval, Tim Slottow – UM’s chief financial officer – noted that the changes will improve access to the collection, and will include better parking.

This is the second relatively recent relocation to the former University Stores warehouse on Varsity Drive. In late 2008, regents approved a $17.6 million project that included renovating about 46,000 square feet at the Varsity Drive building. That space became home for about 6 million specimens – the majority of the “wet” collection, or specimens stored in glass jars filled with highly combustible ethyl alcohol – from UM’s Museum of Zoology. That collection also was previously housed at the Ruthven Museums building. The Varsity Drive building already houses the UM Herbarium.

This brief was filed from the Anderson Room at the Michigan Union, where this month’s regents meeting was held.

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