About the Detroit Center

Mission Statement

The mission of the University of Michigan's Detroit Center is to offer instruction, provide a central base to support on-going research activities, as well as, encourage and sustain partnerships between the university, civic leaders, and community organizations to improve the quality of the city and the life of its residents.

It will embody the university's commitment to the city, serving as a visible and accessible information gateway to the University for the city's residents and institutions. Detroit provides a rich urban context and location for education and scholarship.

More on the Detroit Center

The University of Michigan's Detroit Center is located in the heart of Detroit Cultural Arts area.

The notion of the University of Michigan offering instruction, conducting research, and providing service in Detroit dates back to the University's 1817 founding in a single building in the city's center. That work continues today in dozens of Detroit locations, as students and faculty members join city residents and leaders in mutual attempts to improve the quality of the city and the life of its residents. At any given time, over half of the University's schools and colleges are involved in as many as 100 projects with community-based organizations, government offices, schools, and service agencies.

The Detroit Center's mission will be to provide a central base to support on-going activities, as well as encouraging new University initiatives in and with Detroit. It will be especially helpful for small projects that have historically been unable to afford dedicated sites. It will support research studies, meetings, and conferences with partners in Detroit. Equally important, it will embody the University's commitment to the city, serving as a visible and accessible information gateway to the University for the city's residents and institutions. Detroit provides a rich urban context and location for learning.

This interdisciplinary facility along with collaborative strategy will provide the University's faculty, staff, and students with the emotional, organizational, and logistical support associated with having a common “home away from home”, as well as a more convenient and accessible portal to the University for residents of Detroit.

University Cultural Center Association

The Detroit Center is a proud member of the local organization, the University Cultural Center Association. Founded in 1976, the UCCA "was organized to support the physical maintenance and development of the area and to enhance public awareness, appreciation and use of Midtown Detroit."