Monday, June 14, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
U' picks new
NCRC leader
Pharmaceutical
research veteran to
oversee former Pfizer
complex
By ESHWAR
THIRUNAVAKKARASU
ManagingNews Editor
The University has selected an
executive director to oversee the
North Campus Research Complex,
accordingto a recent University press
release. The appointment comes
a year after the University's pur-
chase of the two million-square-foot
research and development facility
previously owned by Pfizer Inc.
Pending approval from the Univer-
sity Board of Regents, David Canter,
director of health care research at the
non-profit William Davidson Insti-
tute at the University, will be appoint-
ed the NCRC's executive director
starting on July 19.
Canter, who previously led the
Pfizer pharmaceutical research oper-
ation at the current site of the NCRC
until the company ceased its work in
2007, will be charged with the task
of coordinating the use of labora-
tory and manufacturing resources
along with the University's move into
the two million square-foot facility,
according the release.
In an interview with The Michi-
gan Daily, Canter said his experi-
ence as a project leader on several
drug projects at Pfizer - notably the
development of top-selling drug Lipi-
tor - will help him take on the NCRC
directorship.
"(The experience has) connected
me with pharmaceutical scientists,
toxicologists, chemists, biologists and
made me appreciate how integrated
science needs to be in order to tackle
difficult questions," he said. "Drug
development really is a whole series
of difficult questions that you have to
answer in which no one specialty can
answer them on their own."
Having spent nearly 25 years in
pharmaceutical research, Canter
said he first began to consider the
opportunity to lead the NCRC after a
chance conversation last fall with Ora
Pescovitz, executive vice president
for medical affairs, on the future of
the complex.
"I can think of no one better
suited to guide the development of
NCRC and transform our univer-
sity's approach to multidisciplinary
research and partnership with the
private sector," Pescoyitz said in the
release.
"I have every confidence that with
David Canter's leadership, we will
fulfill the promise that this extraor-
dinary facility holds," echoed Univer-
sity President Mary Sue Coleman in
the release. "He will guide the NCRC
in creating new knowledge and accel-
erating economic growth for our
region."
Canter praised the University's
$108 million purchase of the site as
a "wonderfully bold move," adding
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David Canter will be appointed the executive director of the NCRC starting on July 19.
that research is often stymied by an
unwillingness to construct the facili-
ties that can support it.
"It's a capital cost that just inhib-
its many organizations from joining
or wanting to participate," he said.
"Here we don't have that issue-
they're already there. (The buildings)
may need a little renovation, but the
real capital cost is already made."
Canter said because the University
did most of the legwork in purchas-
ing the Pfizer campus, he would first
focus on coming up to speed with
the current progress at the site and
recruiting a small, entrepreneurial
team to help him map out the future
of the complex.
Members of the University
research support staff - some of
whom worked in the former Pfizer
facilities and security teams - have
already moved into NCRC offices,
ronmental quality and site location.
According to the USGBC website,
the Green Building Certification Insti-
tute uses a 110-point scale to deter-
mine if a building qualifies for one of
four levels of certification - certified,
silver, gold or platinum.
The Office of Campus Sustainabil-
ity reported that the University now
pledges that all non-clinical build-
ings and additions with a construc-
tion budget of 10 million dollars or
more will meet the LEED silver certi-
fication standards, meaning they will
earn 50-59 points out of the 110 points
possible.
The new initiative will add to last
year's commitment by the University
to have campus buildings exceed the
national standard for energy efficien-
cy by 30 percent, said Terry Alexan-
der, executive director of OCS.
according to the release. Informa-
tion from the University of Michigan
Health System's website in February
suggested that approximately 125 fac-
ulty and 450 staff members will also
move into the site.
After what he called a deliberate
decision to move on from pharma-
ceutical research and development,
Canter said his work in the William
Davidson Institute was eye-opening
to the rigors of an academic setting.
The experience, he said, would be
invaluable in developing the NCRC
beyond its potential as a laboratory
and manufacturing site.
"We call it the North Campus
Research Center, but it's going to
have to be much more than that," he
said. "It's going to really be a part of
the University with education, with
students, part of the medical school
and service as its mission."
To kick-start the University's ini-
tiative, the new Mott Children's and
Women's Hospital and the new law
school addition, which are both cur-
rentlyunder construction, are en route
to LEED silver certification, according
to the Office of Campus Sustainability.
The North Quad Residence Hall,
which is set to open this fall, has been
under construction for about two
years but is not a LEED-certified proj-
ect.
Alexander said the primary benefit
of this new standard will be having an
outside source recognize the Univer-
sity's efforts to promote sustainability.
"The biggest change is probably
that buildings will now be certified
by a third party organization as being
environmentally sustainable," Alex-
ander said. "From the aspect of get-
See LEED, Page 7
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Office of Campus
Sustainability vows to
meet council standards
By SUZANNE JACOBS
Daily StaffReporter
Amidst efforts to increase eco-
friendliness on campus, the Univer-
sity administration announced a new
commitment to the environment by
mandating that all major new con-
struction projects meet a strict stan-
dard of sustainability.
The U.S. Green Building Council's
internationally recognized Leader-
ship in Energy and Environmental
Development rating system evaluates
the performance of buildings in a
number of areas, including water effi-
ciency, energy efficiency, use of
materials and resources, indoor envi-