About This Page

This webpage is the first step in coordinating and keeping you informed about the Galleria relocation and the efforts to co-locate additional departments in a larger, contemporary new workspace. It marks the beginning of our project planning and provides initial information to help us transition to a workspace designed for modern needs and greater collaboration. We are committed to maintaining open communication to keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the process, and we will continue to share more information via this page and in different formats as we move forward.

Welcome & Background

Welcome message from Tom Finholt

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OCTOBER 2024

SUBJECT: Welcome: 2024-2025 Lease Strategy and Relocation Project

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Dear colleagues,

As many of you have heard through your vice provost leadership or recent updates about the Galleria redevelopment, we are excited to formally kick off an effort to bring various provost-reporting units and other central units into a high-quality, modern workspace. I’m writing today to share with you the broad goals and our overall approach.

Guided by the goals of Vision 2034 and Campus Plan 2050, we are planning to create a vibrant, contemporary space that responds to our new ways of working, accommodates the diversity within your units’ portfolios, and includes state-of-the-art amenities that many of our current smaller spaces lack. By having units side-by-side, this workspace will enable more interdisciplinarity and enhance our efforts to build connections across DEI, environmental sustainability, and faculty development. Our intent is also to accommodate future units stemming from emerging campus initiatives, and the space will be designed with growth and flexibility in mind.

At this time, we do not know the exact timelines for these moves, but we anticipate that we will be working at an accelerated pace to align with the redevelopment of the Galleria Building. I recognize that the speed of this move and the work and changes ahead will be challenging. So to help us meet our timelines, we will be working with an expert property and project management firm, an external architectural and design team, and a change management team. I will chair an internal steering group to guide design decisions and operational improvements, and we will soon establish a companion working group, composed of many of you, to directly work with our project management team. We are committed to maintaining open communication to keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the process.

The following departments will be relocating to our new collaborative space:

  • Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI)
    • Center for Educational Outreach (CEO)
    • National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID)
    • Business Office, Evaluations and Assessments, and Communications and Marketing
  • Office of the Vice President for Research
    • Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation (M-PACT)
  • Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs & Arts and Humanities
    • ADVANCE Program
  • Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action
    • Graham Sustainability Institute

Please review this website, which provides more details on the objectives, design philosophy, and structure of this initiative. Feel free to share this information with your teams as appropriate to ensure everyone is prepared for the changes ahead. Once you review this, please begin thinking about who from your unit should participate in future ongoing workgroup meetings. Ideally, this would be you as the director and/or the person in your office who serves as your business operations lead. We anticipate formally kicking off engagement with you in November, starting with tours of your current spaces with our new external team, and we will be reaching out soon to schedule these.

We will continue to communicate any updates directly in the coming weeks as we finalize negotiations with the prospective landlord and have a better sense of timelines. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Fadi Musleh, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs, at [email protected].

Tom

Thomas A. Finholt, Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs
Office of the Provost, University of Michigan
Alexander G. Ruthven Building
1109 Geddes Avenue, Room 4366
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

Project Structure

Steering Group & Working Group Overview

STEERING GROUP

The Steering Group oversees the strategic direction, design decisions, operational improvements, and staffing needs for the new workspace. This group ensures the initiative aligns with leadership goals and stakeholder needs.

  • Chair
    • Tom Finholt, Senior Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs
  • Members:
    • Tammy Bimer, Associate Vice Provost for Academic and Budgetary Affairs and Executive Director, Office of Budget and Planning
    • Erin Fluharty, Chief of Staff and Senior HR Advisor
    • JD Jordan, Desktop Support Manager – Neighborhood IT, Information and Technology Services (ITS)
    • Fadi Musleh, Assistant Vice Provost and Chief Strategist for Integrated Space, Academic, and Capital Planning
    • Lauren Plews, Project Senior Manager
    • Jamie Zawistowski, Business Administrator Senior, Academic & Faculty Affairs
    • CBRE (expert property and project management firm assisting in design management, construction project management, moves planning and coordination, and activation and set-up)
    • External architectural and design service team (external firm to aid in the creation of a modern and functional workspace design)

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WORKING GROUP

The Working Group provides valuable input and insights to inform the design and operational decisions. Contributions are crucial for ensuring the facility accommodates the diverse needs of all groups involved. Members will include:

  • 1-2 representatives from each department
  • CBRE
  • Key members from Steering Group
Departments

The following departments relocating to our new collaborative space:

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI)

Office of the Vice President for Research

Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Arts and Humanities

Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action

Design Philosophy & Goals

Our design philosophy focuses on creating a contemporary work environment that responds to hybrid work and our various work styles, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, respects personal space, and promotes wellness and sustainability. This adaptable workspace aligns with Vision 2034 and Campus Plan 2050. We plan to achieve this by focusing on the following areas:

  • Natural Light and Well-Being: Our new spaces will maximize natural light to enhance mood and productivity while ensuring more equitable access to natural light for all staff.
  • Inclusive Amenities: We will include spaces that support the broader needs of our staff, such as personal rooms for nursing parents or accommodating medical needs, gender-inclusive single-occupancy restrooms, and other necessary facilities.
  • Enhanced Accessibility: Much of our new space will be newly built to ensure adherence to appropriate building codes. Wherever possible, we will also aim to include items above and beyond code for a more inclusive environment.
  • Ergonomics and Well-Being: The space will feature new, ergonomic furniture to support health and comfort, reducing strain/fatigue, and promoting well-being while being more accommodating and inclusive.
  • Modern Meeting Rooms and Conference Rooms: We will include a larger variety of meeting rooms that support small meetings of 2-3 people to larger gatherings and events. Hybrid meeting formats will also be considered as part of our design for these spaces.
  • Technology and AV Integration: We will equip the building with state-of-the-art technology and AV systems to enable hybrid meetings and more efficient and accessible technology.
  • Collaborative Areas to Support Group Work: The design will create open environments designed to encourage cross-disciplinary interaction and the exchange of ideas with other campus partners.
  • Future of Work and Private Offices and Open Workspaces: While private offices will still be available, their ratio will shift to align with modern hybrid work practices. We will incorporate more open workstyles and private bookable spaces to enhance both collaboration and privacy. By moving away from the dated layouts of our current leases that were designed decades ago, we promote sustainability, control costs, and optimize workspace efficiency. We understand this change is significant, which is why thoughtful design, engagement, and change management support will be very important.
  • Acoustics and Privacy: Moving into a new space with other departments means that we will need to pay special attention to acoustics and privacy. Our designers will balance open areas with private spaces to minimize noise disruption and ensure a conducive environment for all work styles.
  • Departmental Visibility and Branding: We recognize the importance of maintaining each unit’s identity in a shared space. Our design will feature each department’s identity while balancing customization with space efficiency. Our designers will ensure that your presence is respected and visible.
  • Improved Security: Through new, intentional construction, we will be able to improve security, especially when compared to current leases, where we have experienced many challenges in recent years. We are also seeking buildings with fewer entrances after building hours to enhance safety.

Space Efficiency, Sustainability, & Reinvestment in Shared Operations

Our future designs will maximize space efficiency, promote sharing, and offer more amenities than we currently have in our smaller, separate leases. By consolidating five existing leases into a single, larger space, we also create an opportunity for significant savings on rent, utilities, and energy use. The new workspace emphasizes sustainability through a reduced overall footprint, more efficient mechanical systems, and the use of sustainable materials, aligning with U-M’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Optimizing space usage translates to both sustainability and cost savings, enabling us to reinvest in important U-M programs and support models. This transition also opens the potential for new resources and staff support within this new space. We are excited to collaborate with you to enhance support and shared operations, exploring opportunities to work together in new ways.

More Information To Come

  • Detailed Timelines
  • Property Address
  • Visuals, Images, and Renderings
  • Change Management Plans and Resources
  • Move Planning Resources
  • Key Contacts and New MCommunity Groups