Michigan’s Delta College is planning a new $7.4-million campus building under a partnership with Dow Chemical and the University of Michigan (UM).
Plans announced this week call for an “interdisciplinary innovation and education hub” in downtown Midland in part to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and to develop a qualified local workforce.
The project is supported by $4 million from the Dow Chemical Company Foundation, $2 million from the Dow Corning Foundation and $1.4 million from the Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Foundation. The grants over a three-year period will help build the new Midland facility. Construction could start in fall 2019.
The gift is the “largest ever made from the private sector to Delta and will truly make a difference to the economic growth of our area and in the lives of local citizens,” said Delta College President Jean Goodnow.
“We are bringing together UM’s recognized leadership in higher education in sustainability, technology and innovation with Delta’s regional expertise and teaching excellence – and uniting these education innovators with Dow’s ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world,” Jim Fitterling, CEO-elect of Dow, said in a press release. “This collaboration will empower teachers and students to develop sustainable solutions to address local, regional and global challenges, while cultivating a robust manufacturing workforce pipeline – efforts that build on our commitment to the Great Lakes Bay Region.”
Delta College’s new facility will include science and computer labs, classrooms, advanced educational and training technology, special use training rooms, multi-purpose rooms and labs, student services and administrative space. The facility’s enrollment is expected to reach 700 students.
Developing teachers, too
Dow and UM also announced the Andrew N. Liveris Innovation Institute, a collaboration to provide Midland area teachers with an immersive learning environment of focused programming in the areas of advanced manufacturing, sustainable innovation and global citizenship. The Dow Chemical Company Foundation will provide $1.5 million to UM over a three-year period toward staffing and programming. Named in honor or Dow’s retiring CEO, the institute will be located at the new Delta Midland Center.
As part of the Innovation Institute, Dow and UM also will create Dow Innovation Fellows, a program designed to develop robust, applicable and educational experiences for Midland area teachers and high school students. Dow will share its expertise in manufacturing and sustainability and provide access to cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. UM will provide access to expertise on education topics such as curricular and instructional design and professional support for research-based teaching and learning.
