The last time U–M built a new residence, Bursley Hall in 1967, Lyndon Johnson was president and FM radio represented the cutting edge of electronic media. After its completion in May, the North Quadrangle Residential and Academic Complex (North Quad) opened as a home to 450 undergraduates as well as six media–related U–M schools, units, and programs. U–M’s first new residence hall in more than four decades, North Quad also emerges as a hub for learning and collaboration.

A cornerstone of President Mary Sue Coleman’s Residential Life Initiative, North Quad combines residential and academic spaces to immerse its residents in a 24/7 learning environment, allowing a diverse group of students to connect with each other, with faculty, and with resources for intellectual and personal growth. The facility will feature high–tech classrooms and labs, faculty offices, a dining hall, and abundant common areas with wireless access and high–definition video monitors displaying everything from breaking news to works of art.

Located at the corner of State and Huron on the site of the old Frieze Building, the classic brick and stone exterior of North Quad blends easily into the U–M landscape. The project cost of $175 million was funded by University Housing, the Office of the Provost, LSA, and investment proceeds.

"The North Quad environment will combine state–of–the–art technology with tremendous opportunities for collaborative, hands–on learning," says LSA Dean Terrence J. McDonald. "The energetic exchange of ideas that it inspires will put Michigan squarely at the forefront of teaching for the 21st century."

To learn more about North Quad, visit www.housing.umich.edu.