Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D. began his appointment in June 2011 as the 25^th president of University of Detroit Mercy. He is the first lay president of the University. He will be formally installed as president on April 13, 2012.

University of Detroit Mercy broke ground on a new 40,000 square-foot Student Fitness Center on the McNichols Campus on Sept. 22. The Center will feature a two-court gymnasium for recreation and intramural sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and floor hockey; an elevated three-lane track; a group exercise room; men's and women's lockers rooms and restrooms; a lobby and student lounge and snack bar.

At the Sept. 23 groundbreaking, from left: Student Senate President Alvin Ford, Jr.,
UDM President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Associate Vice President for Facilities
Management Tamara Batcheller, and UDM Trustee William C. Young.

Located on the east side of the Engineering Building, the Fitness Center will offer easy access and will echo the collegiate Spanish architectural theme, similar to other University buildings. The Center will face the Kassab Mall, in close proximity to the University's new tennis complex and pavilion, practice fields, residence halls and historic Calihan Hall. The Student Fitness Center is expected to open next fall.

More than 69 courses across the University incorporate Service Learning in classes, resulting in course-related, direct services to the poor and marginalized in our community. Throughout the school year, approximately 1,200 UDM student volunteers provide service in conjunction with approximately 140 community service agencies.

Alternative Spring Break allows students the opportunity to participate in community service during spring break. In March 2011, teams of students traveled to seven locations in the U.S. to repair homes, assist individuals related to immigration issues, work in a homeless shelter and food bank, and assist Detroit–area agencies. For more information, visit the University Ministry web site.

UDM's McNichols Library is designated a literary landmark in honor of Dudley Randall, the former Detroit poet laureate and University librarian.

Acceptance rates of UDM graduates to medical and dental schools are approximately double the national average.

UDM is Michigan's largest Catholic institution of higher education and is sponsored by two religious orders: the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas West Midwest Community.

During FY 2010-2011, approximately 80% of UDM students received some form of financial assistance, totaling more than $129 million.

The McNichols Library hosts two historically significant archives: the James Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive, which houses the papers of Fr. James Carney, S.J., a missionary whose life was dedicated to social justice for the poor and landless in Honduras; and the Black Abolitionists Archives, which houses a collection of materials documenting the efforts of more than 300 men and women involved in the abolitionist movement from 1760-1829.