ABSTRACT
On a cold, overcast day in May 1974, federal, state, and local government officials, as well as representatives of almost every special-interest group in Flint, sat on uncomfortable wooden seats in Willson Park listening to the words of Robben Fleming, president of the University of Michigan. President Fleming was thanking all the citizens of Flint for converting a beautiful dream into what promised to be an even more beautiful reality. The occasion was the ground-breaking for the first building of the University of Michigan’s new urban campus in Flint. This campus would be located along the Flint River in the heart of downtown. It would cost more than $60 million to construct and would consist of nine major buildings located on nearly forty-two acres of land. When completed, it would provide approximately 10,000 full-time students with the opportunity to pursue their educational goals.
