Duderstadt Center

The James and Anne Duderstadt Center: A Hub for Creativity on Campus

by Hesham Baalawi

The Duderstadt Center. Photo Courtesy: UM-Student Life

The James and Anne Duderstadt Center, known as "The Dude" to University of Michigan students, is a state-of-the-art facility on North Campus that supports study and instruction in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and the arts. The center was granted the name James and Anne Duderstadt Center in honor of the former UM president (1988 to 1996) and his wife, who is also a prominent member of the university’s community (“James Duderstadt”). The Dude is much more than a campus library. It's been a sweet spot for academic advancements for decades.

The Dude is an impressive 250,000-square-foot building that houses a variety of tools and resources to help with study, instruction, and creative projects in a range of industries (“James Duderstadt”). Additionally, it has a range of classrooms and seminar rooms equipped with the latest technology to support collaborative learning and research. In addition to its physical resources, the Duderstadt Center offers access to a variety of software tools and platforms created to support study and creativity. These tools consist of a collection of video authoring tools, simulation and modeling software, and data visualization tools.

The Duderstadt Center. Photo Courtesy of DC-UM.

Dr. James Duderstadt. Photo Courtesy UM College of Engineering

Dr. James Duderstadt, currently a professor in the College of Engineering's Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science Department, has had a long, honorable academic and professional career. According to the U-M President Emirius Page, he received his Bachelor of Science and Engineering Degree from Yale in 1964. He then went on to attend the California Institute of Technology where he would attain his Master in Engineering Science in 1965 and his Ph.D. in Engineering Science, and Physics in 1967. “He joined the University of Michigan faculty in 1968 in the Department of Nuclear Engineering” and rose through the ranks until he attained full professor status in 1975 and became the Dean of the College of Engineering in 1981 (“James Duderstadt”). Five years later he was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs. He held this position for two years before being elected as the President of the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1996 (“James Duderstadt”).

Anne & James Duderstadt. Photo from the cover of their 2020 book Partners in Academic Leadership.

Anne Duderstadt has been actively involved in numerous clubs and organizations aimed to preserve university history and traditions during her more than 45 years in the UM community ("Anne Marie Duderstadt"). In addition to serving as "'deanette,' 'provostess,' and 'first lady'" of UM, as the couple phrased it in their 2020 book Partners in Academic Leadership, she was an advocate for the University Musical Society as well as the president of the Faculty Women’s Club. Anne has helped create campus maps and historical archives, as well as memoirs for faculty members and research databases for student research purposes ("Anne Marie Duderstadt").

The last name Duderstadt is a German identifier for a place near Göttingen Lower Saxony (“Duderstadt Family History”). The name James means supplanter or substitute and stems from the Hebrew word for Jacob (Bradley). Anne's name has “Hebrew origin and means grace or God has favored me” (Pacheco). The Duderstadts were given honorable names, names which they have lived up to. In honor of their legacy, the University of Michigan named a popular campus building after them.

The Duderstadt Center has had a major influence on teaching and learning at the University of Michigan and has had its effects on research and creative work. The community benefits from the James and Anne Duderstadt Center, which offers a variety of tools, initiatives, and programs to foster research, innovation, and creativity in a broad range of fields. Through the “Dude,” students have gained expertise in majors like game design, data visualization, and digital media production. The center’s dedication to interdisciplinary innovation and cooperation makes it a role model, honoring James and Anne Duderstadt for their contributions to the University of Michigan’s excellence.

Work Cited

"Anne Marie Duderstadt." University of Michigan. 2016. http://milproj.dc.umich.edu/pdfs/2016/2016%20Anne%20Duderstadt%20Bio%20Summary.pdf. Accessed 19 April 2023.

Bradley, Sarah. “What Does the Name James Mean?” Verywell Family, Verywell Family, 8 Mar. 2023, https://www.verywellfamily.com/james-name-meaning-origin-popularity-5186145#:~:text=Origin%3A%20James%20comes%20from%20the,as%20a%20girl%27s%20name%2C%20too. Accessed 3 April 2023.

“Duderstadt Center.” University of Michigan Student Life: Campus Map: Campus Information, https://maps.studentlife.umich.edu/building/james-and-anne-duderstadt-center. Accessed 3 April 2023.

“Duderstadt Family History.” Duderstadt Name Meaning & Duderstadt Family History at Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=duderstadt. Accessed 3 April 2023.

Duderstadt, James. A Case Study in University Transformation: Positioning the University of Michigan for the New Millennium. University of Michigan. June 1999. http://milproj.dc.umich.edu/pdfs/Michigan_Strategy.pdf. Accessed 3 April 2023.

“Facility Services.” University of Michigan: The James and Anne Duderstadt Center, https://www.dc.umich.edu/about-the-dc/facilities-services/. Accessed 3 April 2023.

“History of the Duderstadt Center” University of Michigan: The James and Anne Duderstadt Center, https://www.dc.umich.edu/about-the-dc/history/. Accessed 3 April 2023.

“James Duderstadt.” Nuclear Engineering Radiological Sciences, U-M President Emeritus, https://ners.engin.umich.edu/people/duderstadt-james/. Accessed 3 April 2023.

Pacheco, Adriana. “Anne, Spelled with an e.” Anne of Green Gables: Official Site for the Original Series, https://www.anneofgreengables.com/blog/anne-spelled-with-an-e. Accessed 3 April 2023.

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