In recent months, Detroit Mercy has implemented a series of stunning upgrades to its McNichols Campus. From new signage including wayfinding kiosks, to multiple large-scale banners, to an upgraded Fisher Fountain and the fan-favorite, a Hollywood-like “TITANS” sign standing at 6 feet tall, the improvements are part of a broader effort to make campus more inviting and reinforce school pride. Most importantly, they are meant to be reflective of the University’s long-term visions and historical value within the greater Detroit community.
According to Dennis Carlesso, Vice President of University Advancement, in early 2023, the Enrollment Management division, including Vice President Debbie Stieffel and her team, obtained the assistance of a nationally recognized organization that performs a “secret shopper” program to help universities understand how prospective and current students, parents, alumni and guests view the McNichols Campus.
The organization engaged in several visits to UDM and developed recommendations to help improve the campus experience, which eventually led to these new enhancements.
“We knew we needed outside expertise on this [from] people that are good at helping you tell your story,” Carlesso said. “So, we contracted with a firm, and they came in, and they created lots of concepts for us.”
He described these concepts and reports as “eye-opening” for the University, whose main interest was to own its brand and understand the message it is sending to external parties, specifically to incoming students and soon-to-be Titan families.
“The fortunate thing is,” Carlesso added, “that we had a lot of alumni, including many of our trustees, put their money behind us.”
Addressing some social media speculation, Carlesso stressed that “no student tuition dollars were used for this [project],” and that student tuition money is never placed into branding or marketing efforts.
“This is all fundraised dollars,” Carlesso said, “[from] people that want to support us and want to be [a] part of our success.”
While a great deal of emphasis is being placed on aligning the University’s physical campus with its evolving identity, the upgrades go beyond just aesthetics.
“I want [students] to know that we have a plan,” Carlesso said. “We did not wake up one day and said ‘hey, let’s throw some banners up.’ Everything we have done was strategically planned.”
Carlesso specifically mentioned that during the planning process of such investments, several things are considered including inquiry into the impact, ROI and future effects of the project at-hand.
“And if it doesn’t lead to Titan pride, if it doesn’t help spur prospective student interest, build pride and aid in student retention, we’re probably not interested in doing it,” Carlesso said.
Currently, the University is redoing its strategic plan, an organizational direction mission that most universities map out and reconsider every five to seven years.
“Especially now with new leadership with President Taylor, it’s a very appropriate time that the old strategic plan is lapsing,” Carlesso said. “We’re going to be bringing a new strategic plan that we’ve been working on for over a year.”
The strategic plan is set to be reviewed by the Board of Trustees sometime this fall season.
“And once the strategic plan is set for the next five, six years, then comes the master plan, including the campus master plan,” Carlesso added.
Big things are ahead, as both of these plans are meant to be all-comprehensive. The plans include strategies to address academic aspirations, secure scholarship money for students, allocate endowments for program support as well as building, classroom, and laboratory improvements. The university also aims tocontinue expanding community connections and involvement.
“We’re getting a lot of community input in what we’re doing right now,” Carlesso said.
As for students, the new signage has been received rather well. Students interviewed described the upgrades as “nice-looking,” “vibrant,” “exciting,” and “attractive.” Other students, however, were not as impressed and raised some concerns regarding campus functionality instead.
Carlesso recognized these problems, specifically ones surrounding the Livernois Gate, which continues to cause traffic troubles for commuter students and faculty on-campus.
“The Livernois entrance is something both employees and students always ask about,” he said. “We open it up for special events right now. But the thing to keep in mind is what you want your traffic pattern to be throughout the campus.”
He also added that sometimes, convenience is not the first factor looked at; rather, it is the safety of everyone within the gates that must be considered before any other discussion.
“The more entrances you have open, the more chance somebody that doesn’t belong here would have a way to come onto campus,” he said.
Discussions to permanently re-open the Livernois Gate have been held, although decisions are yet to be made.
“We are eventually going to be re-imagining that entrance,” Carlesso said. “I would say probably sometime next year, it’ll come more into focus.”
Despite most beautification efforts appearing only on the outside with the new signage, there is certainly much that is being done internally.
And as the upgrades continue to take shape, the underlying message is that these upgrades are part of a larger effort to position the University of Detroit Mercy for long-term success, both on campus and in the community.
