Flint-based Baker College, Michigan’s largest private not-for-profit college and the state’s top private transfer school, announced Monday it is building a new facility in downtown Royal Oak that will become the school’s flagship metro Detroit campus.
The planned $51 million, 86,000-square-foot, seven-story Baker College Royal Oak campus will be located at 420 S. Lafayette Ave., at the intersection of S. Lafayette and 5th Avenue.
The new location, which will be designed to accommodate approximately 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students, will incorporate flexible and connected classrooms and laboratories, foster interactive and collaborative study and feature gathering spaces for students, faculty, and employees. The site also will include on-site parking.
Students are expected to arrive on-campus for the start of the 2022 academic year.
“We have spent a great deal of time and effort on our journey to find the perfect new home for Baker College in Oakland County, and are confident that downtown Royal Oak offers everything we need, want and more,” says Jacqui Spicer, COO of Baker College. “We are thrilled to be joining Royal Oak’s vibrant and diverse community, and look forward to contributing to its continued growth and reputation as a premier place to live, work, play, and learn.”
The new facility’s modern design will feature sustainable materials equivalent to LEED-Silver, a brick and glass exterior façade, providing plenty of natural light, and spacious outdoor terrace spaces. The project team partners include architecture firm Edge Design Associates of Ann Arbor and Colasanti Construction Services Inc. of Macomb Township.
“We applaud Baker College’s investment in our downtown and look forward to welcoming its staff and students for many years to come,” says Mike Fournier, mayor of Royal Oak.
Baker College will offer students at the new downtown Royal Oak campus an opportunity to pursue degrees from nine of its most popular programs, including: business, information technology, nursing, education, occupational therapy, physical therapy, criminal justice, psychology, and liberal arts.
In addition to the future Royal Oak location, Baker College currently has on-ground campus locations in Auburn Hills, Cadillac, Jackson, Muskegon, and Owosso, as well as its Culinary Institute of Michigan locations in Port Huron and Muskegon, and the Auto Diesel Institute in Owosso. Additionally, Baker College’s online campus offers more than 40 academic program options for students globally.
More information on Baker College’s Royal Oak campus is available here.
