Student Publications Renovations

420 Maynard

For many a University of Michigan student - or at least for the ones who choose to spend an unlikely number of hours there, day and night, it will always have a special meaning. In the sense that place matters - place as a definer of memories, place as a marker of life events - 420 Maynard was one of those places for so many of us and for generations of Michigan students before us.

It still is.

But 420 Maynard needs some work. A lot has happened since 1926 when the regents first had the insight that a separate structure to house student publications was a very good idea, and dedicated funds for the site and the building. It was truly a long time ago: When the building was first built, the AP's main news wire operated on Morse code; they had just started sending photos - by U.S. mail. the ballpoint pen had yet to be invented. Since then, extraordinary changes have transpired in every facet of American life, including journalism and the technologies of communication.

The main goals of a planned renovation are to reconfigure spaces for this era of computers and digital photography, to install an elevator and modify doorways to make them wheelchair-accessible, to install fire sprinklers and enclosed stairways, to put in new heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems. As much as possible of 420 Maynard's old personality will be retained: its historical character, the stained glass,the arched ceiling in the newsroom, the tiled roof, the Pewabic tiles. But the real heart of the building is still what goes on inside it, and for today's students to have the same great experiences we did, the renovation is sorely needed.

The building at 420 Maynard continues to play a vibrant role in students' lives. In fact, Student Publications is the oldest, most sustained,and currently, the only opportunity on campus to learn the skills and practice of journalism and publishing. Your gift can help make the renovation a reality - and also help create a new tradition of philanthropy. Private gifts play a key role in today's public universities; the support of alumni/ae and friends of student journalism at the University of Michigan will play an important role in keeping student journalism strong at Michigan.