• (May 12, 2025) Construction perimeter for phase two will be implemented. A portion of the P-18 parking lot will be taken offline and a temporary road for excavation will be placed at the south end of O'Dowd Hall. Second-floor entrances will close with the exception of the farthest northwest entrance. This phase of the project is expected to last 4-5 weeks. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in September 2025. The target to complete work on the building interior is August 1, 2025. This will provide 16 additional medical student study booths on the first-floor hallway outside of classrooms 162-164.

• Addition of a new gateway entrance at the northeast corner of O’Dowd Hall.
• A reception area inside the new entrance, informal seating, and an open stairway to the second floor.
• An entrance into the OUWB medical student lounge conveniently located near the new stairway and O’Dowd rooms 203 and 204.
• Five additional student study rooms and 16 informal student study spaces along the new southwest corridor.
• Ten new small classrooms (that will double as student study space similar to how room 110 is currently utilized) with the ability to expand eight of the classrooms into four medium-size classrooms that can accommodate 25-30 people.
• Additional offices to house medical education staff in close proximity to the classroom spaces.
• Updates of existing restrooms.
• Two additional single-stall, gender-neutral restrooms.
• A private wellness/lactation room.
• Outdoor seating near the new gateway entrance.
• Sitework and parking lot restoration.

O'Dowd Hall under construction in 1981. Photo courtesy Oakland University Alumni Association.

O'Dowd Hall is named for Donald O'Dowd and his wife Jan O'Dowd. Donald O'Dowd joined OU in 1960 as a founding faculty member of the university's psychology department. He was appointed as dean of the university in 1961 and served as OU's president from 1970 to 1979. Jan O'Dowd was heavily involved in OU, too, assisting in recruiting faculty and fostering a community including faculty and their families, staff and students.

The 105,000-square-foot building is located in the center of Oakland University's campus and consists of five floors. OUWB currently occupies parts of the first, third, and fifth floors, and all of the second and fourth floors. Other spaces in the building are used by the following departments: English; Graduate Program Leadership; Global Management; Modern Languages & Literature; Genetics; and Archeology.

More on the building's past, present, and future:

Nov. 2, 1978 - Groundbreaking ceremony held for O'Dowd Hall.

July 17, 1981 - Building dedication ceremony held. 

2003 - A large 440-seat classroom is converted into three smaller classrooms, each equipped with the latest in AV instructional technology. The classrooms are now lecture halls 202, 203, and 204.

2012 - O'Dowd Hall undergoes a $5.3 million renovation project that includes upgrading the exterior, creation of new breakout rooms, construction of a new student lounge, and room 110 -- a large flexible classroom that can be partitioned into smaller learning spaces. 

Early 2020 - Liaison Committee on Medical Education grants reaccreditation to OUWB. As part of the process, LCME issues OUWB a citation for not having enough space for mid-sized classrooms. A citation does not mean that a medical school is at risk of losing accreditation. Rather, it is an issue that a school is made aware of so it has an opportunity to take corrective actions.

2020-21 - OUWB officials work with architectural firm Fishbeck (one of OU's approved architectural vendors) to perform an abbreviated building infrastructure evaluation and code assessment to identify systems that will require upgrades to support a proposed renovation. An enhanced entrance referred to as a "gateway" to improve visible access to the school also is developed. 

June 13, 2022 - Oakland University Board of Trustees approves the $9.7 million renovation project.

July 6, 2022 - OUWB issues request for proposals (RFP) on renovation project.

July 20, 2022 - RFP period closes.

March 2023 - Construction start expected.

Email [email protected].

Email Steve Collard, vice dean for Business and Administration, OUWB, at [email protected].