Advancing U-M’s mission, vision, and values includes the management and strategic planning of capital investments through its physical footprint. U-M undertakes significant financial planning for its capital projects, ensuring the appropriate allocation of resources is available for maintaining and operating its facilities. This process balances limited resources with strategic, mission-driven investments and requires partnership between all university units.
The Capital Council, with representation from UM-Ann Arbor, UM-Dearborn, UM-Flint, and Michigan Medicine, drives impact assessment of capital projects by leveraging qualitative and quantitative metrics to ensure key impact areas and university commitments are embedded in the delivery of all major capital projects. This unified approach and standardized evaluation of the capital portfolio will inform and drive additional clarity into longer-term capital planning at U-M. Through this process, the university ensures long-term investments are directed toward the highest-priority needs furthering what it means to be U-M. The Capital Council strategy approach is continuously refined based on stakeholder feedback and will evolve as needed to fully align with Campus Plan 2050 and Look to Michigan.
Read more about the Capital Council
This website is a starting point for capital project development and resource planning. University stakeholders can find helpful information and links to support capital planning efforts. The primary purpose of this website is to provide consistent and transparent information to enhance stakeholder experience and to ensure that units develop successful capital projects to advance U-M’s mission, vision, and values. By including major capital projects in the university-wide capital plan, units guarantee that their projects are reviewed and considered for Capital Council endorsement. If capital projects are not included in the university-wide capital plan, the project—and any necessary endorsements—may be delayed.
During monthly Capital Council meetings, members review the long-term capital plan, evaluate and endorse projects for regental consideration, and establish university capital planning priorities.
The capital project pipeline review ensures alignment with U-M’s strategic priorities and commitments, campus planning efforts, and available funding sources. This process enables robust discussion about project/portfolio management and provides a top-down roadmap for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction, Finance, and other units to ensure effective resource planning.
All capital projects requiring regental approval will be reviewed two months prior to the anticipated regental approval date utilizing a standardized scorecard; however, there may be exceptions to this procedure, as detailed in Exemptions from Project Scoring. The impact assessment leverages qualitative and quantitative metrics to ensure key impact areas and university commitments are embedded in the delivery of all major capital projects.
The Capital Council also ensures proper strategic planning and consistent evaluation of capital needs. Its monthly meetings allow regular conversations about U-M’s capital planning strategies (e.g., the intersection of campus planning and capital planning, sustainability standards, space standards, use/creation of strategic funds to accomplish capital goals, ADA requirements, etc.). These regular meetings facilitate discussion of our current processes, enabling us to adapt as we undertake major planning efforts, such as Campus Plan 2050 and Look to Michigan, which shape our thinking about the university's future.
Capital Council
The Capital Council consists of 14 formal members with the option to invite additional participants on an as-needed basis (e.g., vice president for student life for major Student Life projects). The voting members of the council are the president, executive vice president and chief financial officer (EVPCFO), provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and executive vice president for medical affairs.
Voting members
Domenico Grasso
Robert Hewlett III
Laurie McCauley
David Miller
Members
Tom Baird
Jeff Evans
Tom Finholt
Kimberly Kiernan
Jon Kinsey
Arthur Lupia
Timothy Lynch
Keaten North
Drew Smith
Eric Strucko
Steve Yaros
Capital Council Working Group
The Capital Council is supported by the Capital Council Working Group. This team, in conjunction with units, reviews the university capital plan for concurrence on capital project status, funding source assumptions, approval timing, and unit support. The working group also creates project review materials and supplemental capital-related topics to support Capital Council discussions. The Capital Council Working Group meets monthly and may invite additional guests on an as-needed basis (e.g., the UM-Dearborn CFO for major projects on the Dearborn campus).