President George Hynd and his wife, Dr. Alison Hynd, have spent the last few months adjusting to their new home in the historical Sunset Terrace.  

Located right on campus, Sunset Terrace has been the home to previous presidents of the university.  

President Hynd spent his first few months as university president in an off-campus apartment while the building’s future was deliberated. The Hynds eventually moved into Sunset Terrace in early November.  

There was talk of alternate uses for the building last year including as a Dodge Museum and an Alumni House.  The pros and cons of each option were discussed by the Board of Trustees during a series of facilities and new developments meetings.  It was ultimately decided that the building was to become the home of the university president once again.  

Alison Hynd moved right into the house from Charleston, SC.  When President Hynd was first hired he moved to Michigan while his wife stayed behind in South Carolina as their youngest daughter finished high school.  

When their youngest left for college at University of Georgia, Alison moved to Michigan and began to call Sunset Terrace and Oakland University her home.

Though she admits the house is not perfect, Alison says they are enjoying it overall.  There are things to love and hate in every home, and Alison says there are certain parts of Sunset Terrace that she absolutely loves, citing the great room with a wall of windows that overlook campus as an example.

“The house has its pros and cons as all houses do,” Alison said.  “I love this room.  We love the dining room.  We love the windows, the natural light…the metal cabinets in the kitchen, not so much.  But overall, I mean the house is gorgeous and the history behind the house is unbelievable.”

The house was originally built during the time of Matilda Dodge Wilson, the university’s founder.  It was built as a retirement home and guest house for Matilda and Alfred Wilson and was Alfred’s favorite part of their estate.

“I keep thinking I’ll see Alfred someday walking around,” Alison joked.  

The Hynds chose to live in Sunset Terrace for a variety of reasons but the most prominent being the opportunity to live directly on campus.

“One of George’s big pushes, and I completely agree with this…is that students really need to live on campus,” Alison said.  “So George and I started talking about it and we thought you know what? We think that’s the best place for us too.”

The Hynds have been getting involved on campus and taking advantage of their location since moving in.  They have been attending the basketball games and Alison has been utilizing the recreation center.  

Alison says they have not had to make many changes to the historical building since moving in.  The wireless system had to be updated, new furniture bought and a few walls painted, but other than that the changes have been minor.

The rest of the family is seeming to enjoying the new home as well, though no one quite as much as their dog.  Alison says Michigan is way too cold for them, though their daughters enjoyed spending the holidays at Oakland and seeing their parents’ new home.