MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A ribbon cutting and rededication ceremony was held for the newly renovated Jacobetti Complex on Northern Michigan University’s campus Friday afternoon.
The $28.6 million renovation of the Jacobetti Complex at NMU was recently completed, and the ceremony was crowded as members of the community, faculty, and student body showed up to hear the opening remarks.
The facility still houses NMU’s College of Technology and Occupational Sciences, as well as the Department of Engineering Technology, but the new facility is designed to be able to adapt to the future of courses and demands for the workforce.
“We built this space in such a way where there are plenty of open areas where you can chop it in half, you can take down walls in some areas, and reconfigure depending on the programs that you’re offering,” said Dr. Steve VandenAvond, Dean of the College of Technology and Occupational Sciences.
The building was first built in 1980, but in 2023 the facility was out of date and wasn’t as efficient for the ever changing technology and workforce demands. While the new facility means more flexibility for programs in the future, VandenAvond says that won’t change the bedrock of courses offered in the complex.
“The approach that we’re trying to take now, is we have what we call our foundational programs, that we’re always going to have,” said VandenAvond. “We’re always going to have welding, we’re always going to have HVAC, because the region needs those types of professionals. But we also have experimental programs, for example we have a program in Cannabis and Plant-based Wellness Operations. It’s really popular right now, but in five years from now it might not be so popular, so we are open to the possibility that we might have academic programs that are only around for a decade, and then we replace them with something else that’s more relevant.”
The facility was rededicated to Dominic J. Jacobetti, who was the longest serving member of the State House of Representatives. He served from 1955 until his death in 1994, where he represented the 108th and 109th districts, winning the seat 21 total times. In the late 1970’s, Jacobetti advocated for the complex at NMU and helped bring $16.5 million to NMU for it’s construction.
