Most people have it backwards. They chase money, but seldom find it, burning themselves out in a vapid pursuit. Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson shares his approach, where passion and purpose are the goal, and money and stability are simply the byproduct.  

Amid live music and storytelling performances on Wednesday night, Detroit leaders in business and government discussed their hopes for the city’s future while offering frank statistics about the city’s challenges. Detroit’s entrepreneurial scene isn’t defined by “one big thing,” said Ned Staebler, president and CEO of TechTown, a Detroit business incubator, as well as vice president for economic development at Wayne State University. Instead, “there’s entrepreneurs all over the city. That’s why we’re going to have a sustained recovery.” Staebler spoke at One Nation Detroit: Jobs and the Economy, an event at St. Andrew’s Hall hosted by the Detroit Free Press and USA TODAY. About 250 people attended the event. In his talk, Staebler stressed the role of entrepreneurs who have been in Detroit long before the city’s recovery became “cool” or newsworthy. He spoke with Free Presseditorial page editor and columnist Stephen Henderson. “I think what’s important (about the recovery) is that it’s not just new people,” Staebler said. “It’s not just the startups. It’s the ‘been-ups.” He added that redevelopment in the rest of the neighborhoods is still in “the early days,” but some new investors are appearing.  

Mary Barden, director of philanthropy for the HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) program, was a guest on 910 AM’s “The Pulse with Karen Dumas” to discuss how Wayne State University is helping homeless students and those in need. The organization, founded by Wayne State First Lady Jacqueline Wilson, recently received $25,000 from the Sean Anderson Foundation to establish an endowment. The funds will be used to provide support to students experiencing homelessness or precarious housing situations.     Other media mentionshttp://12.227.16.241/DUMAS-2-2016-06-16_18-16-24-541.wav?DATE=20160616

The idea of working a job for college credit and little or no pay is fast becoming a standard part of the college and career development experience. Establishing relationships with people working in the industry is one of the best perks of an internship, according to Lisa Maruca, associate chair of the English department at Wayne State University. “They’re getting more skills, getting more experience, and more than anything, they’re working independently in an office, which is usually pretty new to them,” she explained. “They’re learning how to negotiate with a boss and co-workers and how to figure out what’s expected of them. And networking and meeting people — some of my interns have gone on to get full-time paid jobs from their internship.” And that’s the key: snagging a paid job in their industry of study. In today’s market, jobs can be tough to come by even with a college degree. It can be helpful — or even necessary — to have an internship on your résumé to even get an interview. “I always tell my students nowadays the job market is so tight employers expect you to have experience, even for an entry-level position,” she said. “Even some internships require you to have a previous internship to get their internship.”  

Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the Wayne State School of Medicine, has launched a new bachelor’s degree of science in public health program. The rise of environmental health issues and global disease concerns such as the Flint water crisis and the Zika virus have dramatically increased interest and job growth in the field of public health. Graduates of the new major and minor programs will have the ability to assess and prevent health disparities in Detroit and beyond, as well as diagnose and research public health problems, improve public health through human and environmental interventions, and educate the public regarding healthful choices in life. “Public health is a field that all students can identify with,” said Heather Dillaway, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “A public health curriculum can teach us about the safety and well-being of individuals, families and entire populations – both now and for generations to come. Studying this critical topic at WSU will allow students to engage in health disparity and health equity issues and create stronger communities here in Detroit before they even graduate.”  

From the start of his rap career, rapper Big Sean has helped his hometown of Detroit in a variety of ways. Most recently, the Motor City wordsmith donated $25,000 to help in establishing an endowment for Wayne State University's HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) Program. According to a website for the HIGH Program, the program's goal is to help "financially stressed students at Wayne State University reach their goal to graduate." The program does this by providing a variety of resources, including housing support, textbooks, school supplies, clothing, transportation, and child-care assistance. The funds Big Sean donated will specifically be used to provide short-term support to Wayne State University students experiencing homelessness. “We see the HIGH Program as an important component of ensuring success at Wayne State, and we are proud to help strengthen its mission,” Myra Anderson, president of the foundation/Big Sean’s mother, said in a statement, according to Daily Detroit. “We aim to boost graduation rates at the university by providing support to students facing hardship.”           Other media mentionshttp://theboombox.com/big-sean-donates-25000-to-fight-student-homelessness-at-wayne-state-university/http://hiphopwired.com/2016/06/14/big-sean-donates-25k-help-homeless-college-students/http://uproxx.com/realtalk/big-sean-fighting-college-homelessness/

Wayne State University has subtracted mathematics from the list of classes all students must take to graduate. Up until now, students had to take one of three different math classes before they could earn their degree. The university is leaving it up to the individual departments to decide whether math will be a required part of a degree's curriculum. "We felt the math requirement was better left to the various programs and majors to decide and to decide what levels of mathematics would be needed," Monica Brockmeyer, associate provost for student success, told the Free Press. "We still continue to support mathematics at Wayne State." Indeed, in a note sent out late last month to students announcing the change, the university said it  "strongly encouraged" students to take mathematics as an elective. The note said two of the foundation classes are still important to take for students looking to go into STEM fields and that the Mathematics in Today's World class "does an excellent job in introducing students to many important applications of mathematics." The note said the university was dropping the general education math requirement for students until fall 2018, or until a new general education program is adopted by the university. "This decision was made largely because the current (math) requirement is at a level already required by most high school mathematics curriculum," the school wrote. Other universities, including the University of Michigan, follow this model, Brockmeyer said.           Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2790&DateTime=6%2F12%2F2016+12%3A06%3A22+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2790&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1004&DateTime=6%2F12%2F2016+7%3A07%3A06+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1004&playclip=True&RefPage=http://woodtv.com/2016/06/13/wayne-state-cutting-math-from-graduation-requirements/http://www.9and10news.com/story/32206221/wayne-state-cutting-math-from-graduation-requirements

Wayne State University is cutting mathematics from the list of classes students must take to graduate. The Detroit Free Press reports that students previously had to take one of three different math classes before they could earn their degree; now, depending on their major, students may be able to get through college without taking math. The university is leaving it up to individual departments to decide whether math will be a required part of a degree’s curriculum. Monica Brockmeyer, associate provost for student success, tells the newspaper: “We felt the math requirement was better left to the various programs and majors to decide and to decide what levels of mathematics would be needed.” Still, the university says students are encouraged to take math.         Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=7785&DateTime=6%2F13%2F2016+10%3A36%3A13+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=7785&playclip=True&RefPage=http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20160613/wayne-state-cutting-math-from-graduation-requirementshttp://www.macombdaily.com/general-news/20160613/wayne-state-cutting-math-from-graduation-requirementshttp://www.dailytribune.com/general-news/20160613/wayne-state-cutting-math-from-graduation-requirementshttp://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/12220236/who-needs-math-college-drops-math-as-general-education-requirementhttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=4410&DateTime=6%2F14%2F2016+6%3A59%3A19+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=4410&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2160&DateTime=6%2F14%2F2016+5%3A18%3A14+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2160&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2555&DateTime=6%2F13%2F2016+5%3A46%3A52+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2555&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=3330&DateTime=6%2F13%2F2016+6%3A26%3A01+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=3330&playclip=True&RefPage=

Sean Anderson—a Detroit native who goes by Big Sean and who founded The Sean Anderson Foundation—has donated $25,000 to help establish an endowment for a Wayne State University program dedicated to fight college homelessness. The initiative, called Helping Individuals Go Higher (HIGH), was created in 2013 by Jacqueline Wilson, wife of WSU's president, after she met a student who was living on the streets while trying to graduate. HIGH provides students who are struggling with housing or finances with housing support, clothes, books, transportation and child-care help.  “The Sean Anderson Foundation’s investment in the HIGH Program shows their commitment to assisting those in need,” Wilson said in a press release. “With this gift, we will be able to help Wayne State students who are experiencing homelessness work toward a brighter future.”     Other media mentionshttp://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/15160/rapper_big_sean_donates_to_wayne_state_to_fight_college_homelessness#.V18dZbsgtD8

Young people are starting to unbuckle the economic promise of Rust Belt cities. The political and social challenges facing many of America’s former industrial powerhouses like Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore and Pittsburgh remain enormous. But there are nascent signs of rebound, driven in part by youthful entrepreneurs brimming with new ideas. Educated workers in their 20s and 30s are moving in or deciding to stay in part to avoid the rising cost of living, taxes and regulations in tech hubs such as New York, Boston and San Francisco. Newcomers increasingly see opportunities to create their own businesses, make their mark and tap underserved markets, thanks to lower barriers to entry. Higher education has taken notice. A new report this month found the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University (the only one based in Detroit)  contributed $958 million in economic activity to the city last year, equivalent to $1,400 for each resident. About  11,600 jobs in the city are connected to their work.    

See Detroit from your own two wheels and test your cycling limits in Wayne State University’s second annual Baroudeur. The event will take place on Wayne State’s Midtown campus on Aug. 20, 2016. This year, participants can choose to ride 25, 62, or 100 miles through Detroit. Registration for the event is $50 and includes refreshments along the route, lunch after the ride, two tickets for Michigan craft beers, a limited edition T-shirt, ride support, and free parking. All net proceeds will directly assist economically disadvantaged students at Wayne State. The Baroudeur was inspired by WSU President M. Roy Wilson’s passion for cycling and his commitment to providing all qualified students access to higher education. “Last year’s inaugural Baroudeur was a special event for the Wayne State community,” said Wilson. “More than 1,000 riders explored Detroit and the surrounding area up close and on two wheels, then enjoyed a post-ride party with food, beer and music on our beautiful campus.” Places in the ride are limited, and organizers expect lots of interest in the event. “We reached capacity for the ride last year, so if you want to join us, I encourage you to register sooner rather than later,” said Matt Lockwood, ride director and WSU’s director of communications. “We’re capping the number of riders at 2,000, and I’m confident we will hit that number.”                 Other media mentionshttp://michronicleonline.com/2016/06/09/wayne-state-to-host-second-annual-cycling-event-through-detroit/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article82718902.html#storylink=cpyhttp://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/5efe992c9e5f43be9595e5a6fef70809/MI--Wayne-State-Cycling-Fundraiserhttp://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article82718902.htmlhttp://www.fox28.com/story/32190919/latest-michigan-sportshttp://www.realtimesmedia.com/index.php/detroit/70962-wayne-state-to-host-second-annual-cycling-event-through-detroit

Americans consume 76 billion eggs per year, and while some of the eggshell waste is used for fertilizer or dietary supplements, the majority of these eggshells are thrown away. In a new study, researchers at Wayne State University have developed a method to recycle eggshells, using them as "chemical reactors" to synthesize sulfur-containing nanorods that can be used as battery electrodes. The researchers, led by Assistant Professor Da Deng at Wayne State University, have published a paper on the novel approach in a recent issue of the journal Chemistry of Materials. "A large number of eggs are consumed daily, but the disposal of eggshell waste is still a challenging task," Deng said. "We outline an idea of the direct use of waste eggshells (or 'trash') as a unique reaction system (or 'treasure') for the synthesis of 1D nanorod arrays on eggshell membrane protein fibers. We prepared a composite of crystalline Co9S8 nanorod arrays on carbon fibers that demonstrate promising performance in both lithium- and sodium-ion batteries."  

Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library is looking to identify the subjects in a large selection of photographs taken by Detroit-born photographer Edward Stanton. The photos were taken in the late 1930s and early 1940s in the eastside neighborhoods, razed in the 1960s and replaced with I-75 and Lafayette Park. “When we received these photos from the donor, we couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that these were neighborhoods where real people lived and led full and interesting lives,” says Elizabeth Clemens, audiovisual archivist at the Reuther Library. “We’d love to put a name to these faces so that we can document those stories that haven’t been told.” Take a look at some of the photos below to see if you recognize any familiar faces. If you do, reach out to Reuther Library’s audiovisual archivists at reutherav@wayne.edu. You can visit the library’s website to see more of the photos. Or to get a closer look, they will be on display in the library’s Woodcock Wing through July.  

Despite the Michigan House and Senate passing a state budget with a 2.9 percent boost to higher education funding, some university presidents still feel appropriations to their budgets remain a lower priority among lawmakers. The 2.9 percent increase, which was passed late Wednesday, June 8, was less than the 4.3 percent Gov. Rick Snyder proposed originally, with aggregated funding levels below 2011 levels. The Presidents of Michigan’s research universities addressed the importance of funding higher education during a panel discussion for the University Research Corridor put on by the Detroit Economic Club on Tuesday, June 7. A big reason for the lack of urgency to increase higher education funding among legislators, Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson said, is due to the fact that universities have control over their own fate by raising tuition. "If you look at the way states are funded, the big pots are going to be K-12 education, Medicaid, corrections and higher (education)," he said. "The first three are (going up). The one that is decreasing is higher ed. What's happening is the states have mandatory increases for K-12, Medicaid and corrections and what's left over is the amount that is given to higher ed."  

The Automotive Industry Action Group and Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business have launched a new automotive supply chain degree and certificate program for students and professionals. Through the partnership, degree programs will be available for undergraduate majors and MBA concentrations in purchasing and supply chain management. Two supply chain management non-degree courses, including an annual certificate program and a one-week, automotive-focused seminar, will also be available. "We have witnessed a strategic transformation of the automotive supply chain over the past 25 years," says John C. Taylor, chair of the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at Wayne State’s business school. "The rate of innovation in vehicle design, advanced manufacturing, and engineered materials has been truly remarkable and necessitated the creation of an unprecedented collaboration between industry and academia.” Wayne State will give participants access to undergraduate and graduate courses, basic and applied research, internships, and international studies programs offered in China, Italy, Brazil, and Poland.       Other media mentionshttp://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160609/NEWS/160609601/wayne-state-aiag-collaborate-to-create-new-supply-chain-curriculumhttp://www.autonews.com/article/20160609/OEM10/160609818/aiag-collaborates-with-wayne-state-to-create-new-supply-chain

Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes wrote: “A friend recently observed that one reason Detroit could never again be a great city is because it cannot claim a great university. No, it arguably claims three — Michigan State, the University of Michigan and Wayne State, which is anchored deeply in the Midtown neighborhood it is helping to reshape. Together, they make one of the leading university clusters in the United States, critical resources for drawing talent and exploiting economic change. The schools have grown progressively more intertwined over the past decade in state economic development efforts, the revival of Detroit and cooperative strategies to leverage their respective strengths through something called the University Research Corridor…Ties to the universities helped secure Detroit’s selection for the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow Center and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation — both symbols that Detroit can manufacture the future, not just the present and the past. And the engineering capability of all three is a vital component of the mobility strategy that state and auto industry leaders are crafting to create the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti and to build Michigan’s statewide “Planet M” brand around all things mobility.”    

Detroit Public Schools’ system of educating students isn’t working, and the state’s largest district needs to better prepare students for college so they can contribute to society, two of the presidents of Michigan’s three largest public universities said Tuesday. Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson said the school system is “failing our kids.” Wilson made his comments during a Detroit Economic Club luncheon, when he, along with Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon and University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel, spoke about their 10-year collaboration in the University Research Corridor and its impact on Detroit. Besides educating students, WSU, UM and MSU are involved in $263 million in Detroit research that includes 95 programs aimed at improving education delivery in the city. They also are helping Detroit students directly through programs that bring them to campus to help prepare them for college, especially for science, technology, engineering and math careers. There are 4,000 Detroit high school graduates collectively at WSU, UM and MSU.  

Walking in the shoes of others is something U.S. District Judge Terrence G. Berg and M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, have done over the decades. Berg, a federal judge, has presided over hundreds of criminal and civil cases in more than three years on the bench. Wilson created the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement at Wayne State in 2014 to provide an inclusive environment and promote initiatives for underrepresented minorities and marginalized students. Both men were honored Tuesday at the second annual Justice Awards Tribute at the Music Hall in Detroit for dedicating their lives to equality and justice. The event was created out of a partnership by two Metro Detroit civil rights organizations, the Arab American Civil Rights League and the NAACP of Detroit. Wilson became the 12th president of Wayne State University in 2013. He was an academic administrator, international researcher and ophthalmologist who trained at Harvard University before he joined WSU. To increase diversity on Wayne State’s campus, Wilson created the position of associate provost for diversity and inclusion, and chief diversity officer in 2014. Wilson said he returned to Allegheny College three weeks ago to receive an honorary degree, with mixed feelings, he said. “It was a time there were very few minorities there and I didn’t have any place to turn,” Wilson said. So he vowed once he was in a position to help others that he would never allow other students to feel like they did not have a voice on their campus. “People need a voice and someone to look out for them,” Wilson said Tuesday.  

Wayne State University plans to offer free parking to newly admitted freshmen for the fall 2016 semester. The school says the Office of the President is funding the pilot program to determine the effect of free and convenient parking on students' ability to participate in university events, programs and services. University President M. Roy Wilson says in a statement that parking can be a challenge for first-time college students, especially those at urban schools. He says the university wants to "eliminate as many barriers as possible to ensure their successful transition to college life." Officials plan to evaluate the program to determine whether it will continue beyond the pilot period. About 1,400 freshmen purchase parking permits each fall. Currently, students pay $287 per semester for assigned parking.               Other media mentionshttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1004&DateTime=6%2F8%2F2016+6%3A18%3A28+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1004&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=8255&DateTime=6%2F8%2F2016+6%3A21%3A30+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=8255&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2980&DateTime=6%2F8%2F2016+6%3A15%3A29+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2980&playclip=True&RefPage=http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=6%2F8%2F2016+7%3A14%3A53+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2785&playclip=True&RefPagehttp://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2790&DateTime=6%2F8%2F2016+5%3A41%3A12+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2790&playclip=True&RefPage=http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/wayne-state-university-to-offer-free-parking-for-newly-admitted-freshmen-for-one-semester

Amari McGee could almost see the finish line of college when she hit a brick wall: Her scholarship shrunk. Staring at bills from Wayne State University, McGee had a scary thought, just as her senior year began: She could become homeless. “In the fall semester, I was going to lose my housing, (and) there was not a thing the financial aid office could do for me,” said McGee, 22, of Detroit. Her predicament is just the kind that forces college students to live out of their cars or, more often, leaves them “precariously housed” — bouncing from one friend’s couch to another, according to WSU psychologists who recently studied homeless undergraduates. McGee was rescued by a WSU program that was aimed right at her kind of crisis. It was founded by WSU President M. Roy Wilson’s key adviser —  his wife. Jacqueline Wilson said she couldn’t ignore the problem of students living without secure housing. In August 2013, “when we first came to the university, we were at a reception, and one of our deans mentioned that there was a medical student who was homeless, living in her car,” Jacqueline Wilson recalled. “I immediately decided I should take this on,” Wilson said last week. She soon discovered that, at any one time, WSU officials knew of “at least eight or 10 students” struggling to find or stay in secure housing. “It’s hard to quantify (because) not all of them want to be identified,” she said. First, Wilson turned to local shelters and learned they were at full capacity, she said. “I ended up aggressively raising funds to provide an emergency resource for these students,” Wilson said. She founded HIGH, for Helping Individuals Go Higher, a fund whose stated mission is “to ensure that no student abandons the dream of earning a degree solely because of housing or financial challenges.” The fund has raised nearly $250,000 in endowment capital and keeps about $100,000 “in liquid funds, ready to help students every month” with housing and other financial emergencies that could block their college progress, she said. WSU Dean of Students David Strauss said he encounters disbelief when Strauss describes to potential university donors the phenomenon of students being fully enrolled, going to class, passing tests and heading toward degrees — yet, spending nights on a succession of couches or sacked out in a van. “People are amazed, from our Board of Governors to corporate leaders. They can’t believe there are college students who are homeless,” he said.