Nearly 100 photos stored in a box at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University are leaving employees wondering who the kids in the pictures are. "They're stunning images but more than being beautiful examples of photography they're these children. We'd like to know who they were," says Elizabeth Clemens, audiovisual archivist. The photos were taken in the late 1930s and early 1940s. They capture images of children living on the near east side - paradise valley, black bottom and brush park - neighborhoods that don't really exist anymore. They were removed by the construction of I -75. "I think there's a really large hole in our historic record locally. A lot of places didn't really collect the history of African Americans. Even if it's just finding out the name of a child in a photograph we want to record as much as possible while we can," says Clemens. "It's not the famous people, the people we all know but they're equally important in their own way."

On Tuesday June 7, The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) and the NAACP branch of Detroit awarded federal judge Terrance Berg of the Eastern District of Michigan and Dr. M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, for their commitment to social justice and equality. Wilson created the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement at WSU in 2014 to promote an inclusive environment in a campus that has enrolled a multitude of minority students. Both men were honored at the second annual Justice Awards Tribute at the Music Hall in Detroit. Nasser Beydoun, chair of the ACRL, said the significance of the award is that it is the first and only of its kind, combining the efforts of two civil rights organizations to honor community leaders, chosen by an independent committee of 15 judges. "The beauty and stature of this award is that these individuals are getting an award from their community," Beydoun said. "We just wanted to recognize those individuals who work to protect civil rights and civil liberties of Americans and recognize them for their efforts." He said they awarded Wilson because he is a strong proponent of diversity at Wayne State. Nabih Ayad, former chair of the ACRL, said he helped form the award last year as a joint effort of the Arab American and African American communities to recognize champions of civil rights of minorities in the region. Roy Wilson has been responsive, created positions to employ more diverse teachers, a diverse student attendance and diverse classes, Ayad said. "People need a voice and someone to look out for them," Wilson said at the Music Hall.

Beginning in fall 2017, students will be able to fulfill their general math requirement without passing college-level algebra. New quantitative learning classes are being introduced as an alternative for students like Newhouse. Advisers are already recommending the new courses to students with the assurance of changes to come, said Doug Estry, associate provost of undergraduate education. So long as students pass both semesters of quantitative learning or one semester of quantitative plus a semester of college algebra, they are in the clear, Estry said. The changes won't affect students in programs like engineering that have their own math requirements. The quantitative literacy classes will teach students lessons that more directly apply to their lives than traditional college algebra, Estry said. While math and science students benefit from the traditional approach, running from concept to application, research shows it doesn't translate as well to the kinds of problems other students face in the workplace or in their lives, he added. Wayne State University announced a similar move away from general math requirements earlier this summer. There are also ongoing conversations among the state’s 15 universities on how best to serve students moving forward, said Bob Murphy, director of university relations and policy for the Michigan Association of State Universities.

Photos depict a rare look into the faces of Detroit's long-forgotten historic black neighborhoods. The archivists at Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library are hoping the public can help identify the Detroiters in the 96 images comprising the library's recently acquired Edward Stanton Photographs collection. It was by chance that the photos found their way to the Reuther Library. For the past decade, Stanton's negatives and prints — thousands in total, spanning the photographer's life in Michigan and, later, California — sat in boxes under the bed of Stanton's nephew, Detroit-based author and journalism professor Tom Stanton, who received them upon his uncle's death in 2006. While doing some research at the Reuther, Tom had a conversation with audiovisual archivist Elizabeth Clemens about "dream collections" for the library. Clemens mentioned a wish for an acquisition delving into Detroit's African-American history, even just "a scrapbook, a handful of photos," as she put it. "He said, 'Actually, I have something,'" Clemens said. "We were just blown away. It's a huge hole in our collection; it just means so much to us to have this piece of history. On artistic merit alone, the photos are arresting: stark and detailed portraits captured with the enchanting depth of film. But perhaps what makes the images so particularly magical is that they're almost entirely of children. The kids are so expressive; you fall in love with them," Clemens said. There was just one problem: None of Stanton's Detroit photos were dated or had names. "These are just such beautiful photographs, we'd like to give some context to them," Clemens said. "We'd like to find out who these people were and what their stories were."

The MIT Technology Review has named Ann Arbor-based RetroSense Therapeutics LLC, a spinoff from Wayne State University in 2009, to its annual list of the 50 smartest companies in the world. It was the only company based in Michigan to make the list. The editors rank companies based on how their innovative technologies combine with a strong business model. They rated RetroSense, whose drug to treat patients with retinitis pigmentosa began human trials in March, at 37. RetroSense's drug, with the working name of RST-001, was first administered to a patient at the Retina Foundation of the Southwest in Dallas. RST-001 has shown in animal trials that its gene-based therapy can confer light sensitivity to cells in the retina, where previously deterioration of rod and cone photoreceptors had caused blindness. The clinical study is based on the research of Zhuo-Hua Pan, a professor of ophthalmology and cell biology at Wayne State and scientific director of the Ligon Research Center of Vision at the Kresge Eye Institute, and Richard Masland of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. "This is exciting recognition for RetroSense and all of its efforts in finding a way to restore sight," said Joan Dunbar, associate vice president for technology commercialization at Wayne State. "Without the efforts of Sean Ainsworth, RetroSense's CEO, the company would not be in patient clinical trial stages. It is Sean's critical efforts that are bringing this important research to life, and hopefully they will be successfully taking their clinical trials to the bedside in the near future." "This is another example of the strong innovation ecosystem here in Detroit and at Wayne State University," said Stephen Lanier, vice president for research at Wayne State. "It's very nice to see RetroSense being recognized for moving this technology forward, which has the potential for broad impact."    

Michigan's ban on affirmative action still stands, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Thursday. That ruling upholds the University of Texas’ use of race as one factor in its admissions process. But that doesn’t override the ban that Michigan voters approved in 2006, which amends the state Constitution to say public universities can’t discriminate against, or give preference to, anybody based on their race: “The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and any other public college or university, community college, or school district shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.” So as far as Michigan’s public universities are concerned, nothing changes today because of this decision. http://michiganradio.org/post/michigan-s-affirmative-action-ban-still-stands-despite-court-ruling#stream/0

Wayne State University will host one of two new hubs of the Michigan Cyber Range, a set of specialized networking and computer infrastructure testing and training centers, in Southeast Michigan starting this fall. Wayne State and Livingston County's Pinckney Community High School were selected to host new facilities that include computing infrastracture, cybersecurity training exercises and product testing, after responding to a request for proposals from Merit earlier this year to replicate the training center hubs. The university will host its hub at the Advanced Technology Education Center that opened in Warren in 2014. "This hub will allow us to expand our offerings in cybersecurity to students, as well as professional development training to clients and secure software testing for our corporate partners," Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs at WSU, said Tuesday. "We look forward to developing graduate, undergraduate and non-degree programs focused on cybersecurity, and preparing our students to be leaders in this growing industry."    

Children’s Hospital of Michigan has been ranked among the best in the country in four pediatric specialties in the 2016-17 U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals. The four specialties are neurology and neurosurgery, nephrology, orthopedics and cardiology and heart surgery. There are only a handful of children’s hospitals like Children’s across the country that provide a full range of advanced services and specialties designed especially for kids. “This national recognition reflects our commitment to bring the very best, compassionately delivered and quality-driven medical care to children and their loved ones in this community and to all the patients we serve from around the world,” said Steven E. Lipshultz, Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s pediatrician-in-chief and Wayne State University School of Medicine Chair of Pediatrics. “This affirms the expertise of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in providing advanced patient care to some of the most seriously ill and medically complex children, who often have rare illnesses from before birth to young adulthood.”     Other media mentionshttp://patch.com/michigan/stclairshores/childrens-hospital-michigan-ranks-among-americas-best-0

Wayne State is planning several sports camps this summer. The men’s basketball program will host weekend shootouts Saturday and Sunday and July 5-8. The women’s basketball program plans a one-day camp Monday and a two-day camp Tuesday and Wednesday. Track and field athletes can attend the Warriors’ summer camp Monday and Tuesday. A volleyball advanced skills clinic will take place July 16, and an intermediate and beginner skills clinic is set for July 17. The baseball program hosts its summer camp July 18-20.

Carol Miller, Wayne State University civil and environmental engineering professor, was a guest on The Frank Beckmann Show talking about the Healthy Urban Waters (HUW) program at Wayne State University. HUW promotes and delivers research, education, technology development and public engagement on water resources in the urban environment. The focus area is the Huron to Erie corridor, and application extends throughout the Great Lakes watershed. HUW’s mission is to engage and empower the public in creating a sustainable urban environment based on sound science.  

Wayne State University has suspended its requirement that all students take a mathematics course, striking at the heart of a debate over whether math should be a mandatory part of general education. Administrators say they will allow individual departments to develop their own math requirements, while higher education experts and mathematicians hope the public university in Detroit will maintain a broad commitment to quantitative reasoning. The general-education math requirement will be suspended until fall 2018, said Monica Brockmeyer, associate provost for student success at Wayne State. At that point, the university will likely adopt an entirely new general-education program, she said.  

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