Welcome Back! The Michigan Union is open!
The Michigan Union is open! After a 20-month closure to accommodate an $85.2 million renovation, hundreds of students, faculty, staff and guests walked through the doors of the refreshed and upgraded Michigan Union on January 13 for a reopening celebration. See video and read more...
University Unions staff members, Xavier Wilson and Nick Smith, welcome visitors to the reopened Michigan Union.
An expression felt by staff and students alike.
Maize and blue cookies to mark the special occasion.
Students enter the front doors after a 20-month renovation project.
First visitors after the doors opened.
Visitors stop at the relocated Campus Information desk for celebratory giveaways.
Students happy to be in the new Union.
The remodeled Willis Ward Lounge features a new two-sided fireplace.
A packed courtyard and standing room only on the balcony await the start of the formal program.
Student representatives from Student Life units served as ambassadors to open doors.
President Mark S. Schlissel speaks about the significance of the Michigan Union on campus.
Vice President for Student Life, E. Royster Harper, remarks about how the Union builds community.
The newly enclosed courtyard served as the center point for the opening program.
Michigan Union Board of Representatives Chair Nick Schmidt shares how student voices have been welcomed and instrumental throughout the renovation project.
Program attendees watch the live streaming of the Michigan flag raising on the roof of the Union to officially commemorate the opening.
Streamers launch from the balcony after the flag raising.
The Michigan Marching Band drum major marches in as the Victors begins to play.
Drum Major, Kelly Bertoni, leads the Michigan Marching Band and the visitors in the singing of the Victors to commemorate the opening.
Visitors make their way around the building.
A key new space is the IdeaHub for student organizations to meet and collaborate.
Students color, write their names and messages to make their mark on a writable wall.
Architectural features that were preserved and uncovered are highlighted.
Student Life offices participate in an Open House following the program.
Fritz Swanson, manager of Wolverine Press, along with student assistants help visitors hand print a commemorative architectural drawing of the Union.
Center for Campus Involvement staff members share information about the IdeaHub.
Tables in the IdeaHub were made from original Michigan Union bowling lanes.
A student tries out a massage chair in the CAPS Wellness Zone.
Two new movement studios provide mirrored walls, a built-in sound system, and special flooring suitable for dance practice.
Campus Information students are ready to help visitors get to know the Union.
Videos
Step into the future with us in this 3D tour of the Michigan Union, 2020. See for yourself just how beautifully the old and the new will complement one another in the Union's second century.
There are a thousand reasons why "The Union" is the heart of the Michigan campus -- reasons as diverse as the thousands who've passed through its doors each day for a century.