The Challenge

The University of Michigan Alumni Association is a storied, international organization of over 630,000 alumni from around the globe. This diverse and accomplished alumni body—from Nobel Prize winners to the top achievers and innovators across a multitude of fields—finds its connecting point in The University of Michigan Alumni Center, the Association’s on-campus home. 

Despite being the hub of this impressive network, the Alumni Center facility struggled to attract visiting graduates, making it difficult to connect them with the services the Alumni Association provides and the global network of alums it supports. Furthermore, the building’s experience and graphics did not accurately reflect the values, goals, and vision of the Michigan brand.

A long-awaited renovation to the University of Michigan Alumni Center provided the opportunity to transform the building into a must-visit destination that inspires pride, invites nostalgia, and—most importantly—encourages connection.

Gateway to Connect with the Michigan Family

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The Alumni Center serves as the the home and connecting point or over 630,000 alumni around the globe.

SERVICES
Experiential Master Planning

Branded Environments

Content Strategy & Creation

Recruiting Environments

Technology Integration

Interactive Content

Wayfinding + Signage

Exhibition Design

Donor Recognition

The Strategy

Jack Porter partnered with the University of Michigan Alumni Association and architect iDS Michigan to transform their facility into an experience that would engage and inspire Michigan alumni, students, and staff.  

Throughout the remodeled hospitality spaces, our team designed experiences that celebrate University of Michigan’s accomplished alumni body and bring the iconic presence of the University to life. Each experience invites social interaction, shares a depth of content, and allows for future transformation as the alumni family continues to grow.

Explore, Connect and Leave Your Mark

“Hail to the Victors,” University of Michigan’s fight song, inspired the shape of the 2-story wooden wall sculpture that is the showpiece of the Alumni Center experience. Projected lights bring the wall to life, reflecting either data-driven art based on the alumni body or a visitor’s interactions on the interactive touch table.

Explore

The interactive table allows users to explore the alumni network. Pulling data from the alumni database, users can explore time, growth of the network, expanse of the network, fun facts tied to graduation years, and more. Beautiful data visualizations bring the information to life.

Search

Search the network of over 600,000 Michigan University alumni and see each member's unique connection to the university.

Play

Draw on the table and leave your mark. Test your Michigan spirit and celebrate to "The Victors."

Be Immersed in the Story of the University

The Immersion Room’s 180 degree curved video display showcases a large amount of content in a relatively small space. Stepping inside, visitors are greeted by a motion activated welcome video, followed by a menu of videos capturing the essence of the organization. This space is able to transform into whatever stories AAUM desires, so what may live there today may be different next Homecoming.

Celebrate Achievements

From Nobel Prize winners to the top achievers and innovators across a multitude of fields, the “Pride Display” captures some of the Leaders and Best from Michigan. The display, layered in multiple depths, appears permanent but is fully updatable, leaving room to add stories from the next generation of alumni.

From Rendering to Reality

Over the course of 3 years, the design for the space was developed and refined. The end result was a true reflection of the vision that was articulated along the way.

The Impact

Now a stunning gateway to connect and deepen belonging to the Michigan family, the University of Michigan Alumni Center showcases the breadth and depth of the expansive network of graduates and provides an inviting destination for its 630,000+ alumni.