The newest building to open at UC Berkeley in spring 2025 will be named after Michael and Janelle Grimes, generous benefactors who have made impactful contributions to the university and its students.
The new Grimes Engineering Center, overlooking Memorial Glade, sits at the heart of the Berkeley Engineering community. It is, first and foremost, a space that supports students, providing a home where they can engage in expanded opportunities for collaboration and innovation. The building will serve as a central hub for the north side of campus, hosting academic and social events in addition to advising, tutoring, and career services.
The building’s name honors Michael ’87, who studied electrical engineering and computer sciences, and Janelle ’86, who studied political science. They met as undergraduates at UC Berkeley. Michael Grimes would go on to become a successful technology investment banker, becoming managing director and head of Global Technology Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley.
Together, Michael and Janelle Grimes co-founded the flagship dual-degree Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) Program, enabling students to earn two bachelor’s degrees from the College of Engineering and the Haas School of Business through a four-year integrated curriculum.
Michael Grimes highlighted the synergistic benefits of bringing engineers and business leaders together when speaking of the new center’s light-filled forum. He saw its potential as a “nexus point for events that bring founders, CEOs, and other technology leaders together with students and faculty to drive more innovation.”
“Berkeley has offered us the ‘give back’ opportunity of a lifetime with so many projects to create, contribute to, and immerse ourselves in.” — Janelle Grimes
Chancellor Rich Lyons was dean of Berkeley Haas when the M.E.T. program launched in 2017. He recalled the active role Michael Grimes played throughout the multi-year process of taking a new degree pairing from an initial idea to a thriving program that now has more than 400 students and alums.
“It’s fitting that a building dedicated to student success would be named after Michael and Janelle,” said Lyons. “Over the years they have been passionate champions for UC Berkeley’s students and our public mission through the development of programs and improvements in student experience that make the world a better place. I’m grateful and honored to celebrate the contributions of these dedicated alumni with the naming of the Grimes Engineering Center.”
The Grimes Engineering Center will also house the M.E.T. Program as well as the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
“Berkeley has offered us the ‘give back’ opportunity of a lifetime with so many projects to create, contribute to, and immerse ourselves in,” said Janelle Grimes.
They’re also founders of the Spieker Undergraduate Business Program at Berkeley Haas, and Michael Grimes served on the advisory boards of the College of Engineering, the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, and Berkeley Changemaker, an academically rigorous campuswide certificate program that enrolls some 20 percent of undergraduates.
“It has been a joy and inspiration to work with Michael during his tenure on the Engineering Advisory Board. His enthusiasm for elevating our students’ learning experience is contagious,” said Tsu-Jae King Liu, dean of Berkeley Engineering. “I am grateful to Michael and Janelle for their leadership in realizing our vision of a welcoming and inclusive academic home for all of our students and broader community.”
The Grimes Engineering Center is funded entirely by philanthropy with support from more than 135 donors, including members of the Engineering Advisory Board. The new facility literally builds upon the foundations of the former Bechtel Engineering Center. The four-story center adds 35,500 square feet across two floors, providing ample space for collaboration for college and campus communities.
“I passed the Bechtel Engineering Center at least once every day, on my way to or from class or labs. I dropped my resume off for my first internship application,” said Michael Grimes, recalling his time as a student. “I was, and remain, in awe of Stephen Bechtel Sr. and Jr. and what they accomplished with architecture and construction across our great nation. To stand on the shoulders of those giants and play a small part in furthering their legacy is a dream fulfilled.”
Both Michael and Janelle Grimes are Builders of Berkeley, a designation given to the university’s leading philanthropists.
The Berkeley Engineering community will be celebrating the grand opening of the Grimes Engineering Center in spring 2025.
