Ross to lease new location in Los Angeles

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved a $12 million lease to establish a Los Angeles campus for the Ross School of Business during their meeting on Sept. 19. The new campus will be housed on the third level of The Grand LA building, and construction is expected to be completed by fall 2025.

Matthew Trevor, senior public relations specialist at the Business School, said in an email to The Michigan Daily that The Grand LA was chosen for its advantageous location.

“The Grand LA is a fantastic space,” Trevor wrote. “The space itself is really vibrant and very much a center of the arts and creative community in Los Angeles. It’s also close to LA’s business district. We’re very excited about that because we think that puts us in just the right spot in terms of the technology trends of Los Angeles.” 

The lease will allow the Business School to build on their existing Los Angeles Executive MBA program, which was established in 2012, according to a press release. The Executive MBA program is designed for professionals who already have careers in business and are looking to strengthen their skills to prepare for advancement in their field. Currently, the program is run in an asynchronous format, with once-a-month in person meetings over the course of 21 months. In the press release, Business professor Sharon Matusik, Edward J. Frey dean of Business, expressed her excitement for the project.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to further expand the impact of the Ross School in a growing and thriving market known for innovation and as a place where new ideas, trends, and sectors emerge,” Matusik said. “This move will open doors to new industries, perspectives, and opportunities for our students, faculty, and executive learners all over the world.”

Tedra White, Business School director of communications, said in an email to The Daily that the new location will primarily be used for Business School operations, but may also be used by other schools within the University. She said the location is ideal given the large number of U-M alums in the state.

“The site will also be used for hosting events and conferences for students and the large population of University of Michigan alums in California,” White wrote. “Outside of Michigan, California has the largest population of Michigan alumni. Michigan has 270K, while California has 54K.”

Having taken classes at both the Ann Arbor and LA campuses, 2024 EMBA graduate Nathanael Meyr said in an interview with The Daily he thinks the establishment of a permanent campus will benefit students from the West Coast like himself.

“Most of my classmates in the Los Angeles cohort were from Washington, California, Arizona,” Meyr said. “Most of them were from that Western region, and made comments that had they  not had the Los Angeles campus as an opportunity, they probably would not have attended Michigan.” 

Meyr also complimented his cohort from his time in Los Angeles, expressing gratitude for Michigan’s decision to keep its roots out west, roughly 2,250 miles away from the Ann Arbor campus. 

“It’s great, because these are phenomenal people,” Meyr said. “These are CEOs of health care industries. These are doctors, lawyers, military helicopter pilots who are based in California. These are incredible people who want to further their education, but are somewhat geographically bound, but appreciate the things that Michigan has to offer.”  

Trevor expressed that the new LA campus will allow the Business School to expand its reach throughout other parts of the country.  

“LA is the second largest city in the United States, so this gives us access to a really big cross section of companies and individuals,” Trevor said. “We’re really excited about having a presence in LA.”

Daily Staff Reporter Chiara Dettin can be reached at chiarald@umich.edu.

Related articles