University of Michigan - Flint

Imagining Possibilities

The history of the University of Michigan-Flint began in 1944, when the Flint Board of Education requested that a University of Michigan Extension Office open in Flint. Key area citizens, already planning the cultural center, were interested in the idea of higher education in the community. Three years later, the Regents of the University funded a study exploring the possibilities for higher education in Flint.

The community responded enthusiastically to the study, which called for the establishment of a four-year liberal arts college in Flint comparable to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts on the Ann Arbor campus.

The city assisted the university by supplying buildings and land. Local philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott donated money to build a classroom and office building, and the Sponsors Fund of Flint donated funds for operating expenses.

First Day of School

Cooperation between the community and the University of Michigan brought about the opening of a two-year senior college (located on the land now occupied by Mott Community College) in 1956, which offered baccalaureate degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences and in the professional fields of education and business administration. Approximately 167 junior students enrolled the first semester.

As time passed, there was a call for major changes in the college. The Flint Board of Education proposed that the University of Michigan expand the senior college to a four-year institution. The Board of Regents adopted the proposal in 1964. The first freshman class was admitted the next year making the Flint College the first four-year University of Michigan program offered outside of Ann Arbor.

In 1970, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accredited the Flint College. In 1971, the Regents officially changed the name of the institution to the University of Michigan-Flint. That same year, University of Michigan President Robben Fleming appointed the first Chancellor of the University of Michigan-Flint, William E. Moran.

Chancellor Moran commissioned an Academic Planning Board to develop a master plan for the university. Responding to the needs of the community, the Board identified major areas of program development for the University, including professional and career-oriented programs. Subsequent chancellors continued planning for the future growth of the university.

These plans led to the establishment of graduate degrees, new academic units, service units, WFUM-TV, and the expansion of the campus into downtown Flint. Through the combined efforts of Flint citizens and city government, the university acquired 42 acres along the Flint River in 1971. The campus occupied its first building in 1977. The general classroom-office building (named the David M. French Hall in 2000) housed a theatre and library. The University Center opened in 1979 and the Recreation Building opened in 1982. Funds for the buildings were derived entirely from substantial private gifts from the community and a limited amount of borrowing to be repaid from future student fee revenues.

As a result of continued growth and strong support from community and state officials, the university has undertaken several major construction projects. In 1988, a student parking area opened and the William R. Murchie Science Building was dedicated.

The University of Michigan-Flint took possession of the University Pavilion (formerly Waterstreet Pavilion) from the city in 1991. Many administrative and student services offices moved from locations in French Hall and the University Center, to the upper level of the Pavilion; the University Bookstore relocated to the lower level. As a result of generous donations, the Frances Willson Thompson Library opened in 1994.

In 1997, the campus acquired an additional 25 acres immediately north of the Flint River, where the William S. White Building was completed in 2002. A grant from the Mott Foundation provided the University with funds to assist with the construction and programming of new facilities on the north site. The White Building houses the School of Management, the School of Health Professions and Studies, the Early Childhood development Center, the Urban Health and Wellness Center, WFUM-TV, Art, and Communications.