Dear Alumni and Friends:

Renewal. Every great institution periodically moves through a cycle of expansion, followed by stabilization and consolidation, followed by another period of growth and renewal. The University of Michigan Medical School is no exception. In the 1960s the construction of Medical Science buildings I and II, leaving behind the East and West Medical buildings on central campus, completed the basic structure of the medical campus. The late 1960s also saw the opening of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

The 1970s were a period of modest growth at best, but the 1980s witnessed a great revitalization of the medical campus. The centerpiece of this particular renewal was the new University Hospital. Opened in 1986, it represented our commitment to remain a world-class health system. In the late 1980s, we added the Medical Science Research buildings, the first new research space added to the Medical School since the 1960s, as well as the Kellogg Eye Center. The Cancer and Geriatrics Center opened in 1997, our latest facility addition to the medical campus.

We are now poised for our next wave of renewal as we continue to invest in the success of our organization. The Biomedical Science Research Building now rises from the ground and will be completed in December 2005. Together with the University’s Life Sciences Institute, we will have an extraordinary biomedical research infrastructure at Michigan. Four additional buildings are in various stages of development. In September, we will break ground for our new Cardiovascular Center, which will proudly occupy the site where “Old Main” Hospital once stood. The entrance arch from “Old Main” will be incorporated into this building, thanks to the generous support of our alumni. A new building to house Department of Psychiatry outpatient activity will also be the home of our Depression Center, placing us in the forefront of mental health research and therapy. Two other building projects are under intense study. Fund raising and planning are in progress for an expansion of the Kellogg Eye Center. We are also making progress on a proposal that will result in the construction of a new Children’s and Women’s Hospital. You will be hearing more about these important projects in the months ahead.

Renewal is also occurring in our leadership ranks. Robert Kelch, M.D., formerly chair of pediatrics at our school, and for the past nine years dean of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, will join us as executive vice president for medical affairs. Bob returns at one of the most exciting times in our history, and we warmly welcome him back to Ann Arbor.

Our university and its health system continue to occupy an important place in American higher education and in American medicine. We are proud of our legacy and will continue to work hard at being good stewards of our tradition of outstanding medical education, research and patient care. Come back for a visit and witness the ongoing renewal of our campus.

Sincerely,

Allen S. Lichter (M.D. 1972)
Dean