Universities flocked to Detroit after the Great Recession with every major Michigan university setting up a Detroit center of sorts. Today some of those universities are rapidly expanding and others are selling off their assets. Wayne State University (WSU) remains the top land holding institution of higher education in the city with a considerably larger footprint in the last 10 years while the University of Michigan (UM) has made big moves at the former Marygrove College campus and with a modern innovation center Downtown. There is a new knowledge corridor growing along 6 Mile that stretches from MSU’s urban agriculture experiments at the Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation (MSU DPFLI) all the way to the anchor at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM).

A standout oddity was that UM Credit Union is listed as the taxpayer at the historic First Congregational Church, but no other land holdings in the city. Michigan State University (MSU) secured a long-term health and research agreement with Henry Ford Health and has significant new land holdings in the city, including majority ownership of the Fisher Building, although those don’t reflect clearly in the property records.

Wayne State University (WSU)

• 2015: Repurposed TechTown Two building as the Integrative Biosciences Building, but has largely remained empty since opening. Most recent addition was a brain research group.
• 2018: Opened Ilitch School of Business in the empty lots along Woodward
• 2022: Hilberry Gateway Performing Arts Center opens
• 2025: Groundbreaking for new Health Sciences Research Building in parking lot near School of Medicine

Michigan State University (MSU)

• 2017: Launched Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation (DPFLI) on city-owned land
• 2021: Launched Apple Developer Academy
• 2023: Became majority owner of the Fisher Building (taxpayer still listed as DPS)
• 2024: Invested in Piquette Flats affordable housing
• 2025: Innovation Hub launches as part of 30-year partnership with Henry Ford Health, new building in former HFH parking lot

University of Michigan (UM)

• 2017: Final third of ownership purchased of Rackham Building (WSU lease ended 2019)
• 2022: Detroit Center moves, but remains in same building
• 2023: LEAPS program at Marygrove campus, expanding into Madame Cadillac Building
• 2025: Center for Innovation broke ground Downtown
• *BONUS: UM Credit Union holds the land where the historic First Congregational Church is located

Marygrove College

• 2018: College shuts down after years of decline, many students move to WSU and UDM programs

University of Detroit Mercy (UDM)

• 2022: Opening of new student union
• 2023: Fisher Administration Building demolished

Lawrence Technological University (LTU)

• 2021: Detroit Center for Design and Technology space closes up after consolidating LTU’s Detroit programs in one building, space is now used by AECOM

Grand Valley State University (GVSU)

• 2026: Selling Downtown building next to Comerica Park to the adjacent Detroit Athletic Club, for a DAC future expansion

Central Michigan University (CMU)

• Maintaining Downtown outreach center mostly for alumni and partnership events

Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD)

• 2018: Downtown campus expansion, addition of health and wellness building

There is a lot in motion with some major projects still in progress. Who or what did I miss? I’m still waiting for MSU and UM to build rapid train lines between their main campuses and the city of Detroit.