Dr. Steven Lipshultz; chair of the Department of Pediatrics in Wayne State University's School of Medicine and Pediatrician-in-Chief of Detroit Medical Center's Children's Hospital of Michigan, talked with WDET's Sandra Svoboda about cardiomyopathy treatment and research. Cardiomyopathy is a weakening of the heart muscle or another problem with the heart muscle. It often occurs when the heart cannot pump as well as it should, or with other heart function problems. Most patients with cardiomyopathy have heart failure.

The nation's largest municipal bankruptcy ended Wednesday when the lawyer overseeing Detroit's fiscal recovery declared the crisis over and gave elected officials control of their own budget for the first time in 20 months, a deal made possible in large part by the city's exquisite art collection. The bankruptcy closeout was hailed by city officials as an opportunity to begin rebuilding what was once one of America's most robust cities. "It shows what smart, competent people can do," said Laura Beth Bartell, a bankruptcy professor at Wayne State University Law School. "When everyone realized the situation, there wasn't a lot to argue about."

Wayne State University students have developed an exhibit of donated canned goods at the Welcome Center. Until Friday, visitors can view the various creations ranging from the Michigan map, Renaissance Center, Eastern Market, M1-Rail and a snowman, to name a few.

A professor from Wayne State University is among three worldwide researchers to receive a $3.2-million grant to prove the effectiveness of a treatment for one of the most common infections that is contracted in hospitals. "Our findings have the potential to address a serious problem, drastically decrease the spread of a dangerous infection, and improve the safety and well-being of hospital patients and residents in nursing homes and extended care facilities," says Steven M. Firestine, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Wayne State. Firestine, along with Ernesto V. Abel-Santos of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas and Nigel P. Minton of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom will share in the five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "The infectious form of C. difficile is the spore, a resistant structure that can survive on hospital surfaces for extended periods," says Firestine. "Our focus is on the synthesis and evaluation of compounds that prevent the conversion of the spore into a growing bacterium."

A pair of new but different investment vehicles are debuting in Detroit this year. One is a small fund managed by college students and the second is a special venture fund of one of the largest venture capital firms in the city. Wayne State University's School of Business Administration recently received a $100,000 gift from Fifth Third Bank to open a student-managed investment fund. The fund will give the students access to a pool of money, giving them direct experience in stock portfolio management. The program mimics the structure of an asset management team, similar to those at Fidelity or Vanguard. "We hope to raise more money for it," says Bob Forsythe, dean of the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University. The class that manages the fund will start in January. Forsythe hopes to expand the fund's size to seven figures within the next few years through donations and returns on investments.

Next fall, students in the School of Business at Wayne State University will have direct experience in portfolio management thanks to a $100,000 endowment from Southfield-based Fifth Third Bank. The endowment will be used to launch a student managed investment fund. The donation was presented at a ceremony at WSU on Dec. 3 featuring Fifth Third Bank's Chief Investment Strategist Jeffrey Korzenik who provided an economic outlook to students.

Wayne State University graduating senior Elaria Essak participated in Saturday's commencement ceremonies. Essak, who speaks three languages - Spanish, Arabic and English - talked about her experience at Wayne State's Honors College and her volunteer work. She has provided English tutoring assistance for local residents and works as a translator at an immigration law firm.

Universities around the state, even those not generally considered research universities, now employ vice presidents of research, most of them scientists with a history of creating companies and jobs, and tech transfer is considered an integral university function. When M. Roy Wilson, an ophthalmologist and researcher who had been an executive at the National Institutes of Health, became president of Wayne State in August 2013, he immediately began focusing on improving the school's tech-transfer operations. In May, John Shallman, who had more than 24 years of experience in technology commercialization, the last six as director of commercialization at Beaumont Health System, was named the department's senior director of licensing. Kenneth Massey, who had 28 years combined of biomedical research and business experience in academic, pharmaceutical and biotech, was named senior director of venture development. In June, Stephen Lanier, who had been associate provost for research and a professor of cell and molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., joined WSU as vice president of research.

A review notes that the Hilberry Theatre's "All in the Timing" is brilliant, perplexing at times, but always hilariously entertaining. The production is directed by Wayne State University's David Magidson, a professor of theatre who is well known for his deft directorial work with many area theaters. Under his direction, the talented Hilberry cast is amazing in what must be one of the most challenging works to perform.

On Thursday, Wayne State University and President M. Roy Wilson joined President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Biden along with hundreds of college presidents and other higher education leaders to announce new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college. The White House College Opportunity Day of Action helps to support the President's commitment to partner with colleges and universities, business leaders, and nonprofits to support students across the country to help our nation reach its goal of leading the world in college attainment. Wayne State - one of the nation's premier public, urban research universities - supports the president's commitment in three key areas. First, the university, through its College of Education, has developed a new initiative to support high school counselors. Second, Wayne State has also joined with a consortium of community colleges and universities in metro Detroit to help meet the President's goal of developing more college graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Third, with an ambitious goal of doubling the number of transfer students by the year 2020 and producing 2,500 additional degrees by the year 2025, Wayne State expects to be a major contributor to the nation's effort to expand and build networks of colleges that will promote completion. "As the first person in my extended family to be educated beyond high school, expanding college access is a deeply held personal conviction," said President Wilson. "I fully support President Obama, the First Lady and Vice President Biden's goal to make the United States the world leader in college attainment."

Several Michigan schools are making commitments to help more students prepare for and graduate from college. Today's White House College Opportunity Day of Action is to help support President Barack Obama's commitment to partner with colleges and universities, business leaders and nonprofits to support students. Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson is among Michigan education and nonprofit leaders participating in the White House summit and announcing new actions to help more students prepare for and graduate from college. In a statement, Wayne State said it will support the president's commitment in three key areas, including a new initiative to support high school counselors, move more students into the STEM areas of study and career and advocating for transfer students to complete their degrees.

During morning segments it is noted that Wayne State University will be holding three commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

The Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation announced today it is committing up to $2 million to help eradicate illiteracy in Detroit Public Schools via Beyond Basics, a non-profit education organization that has developed an intense, six-week tutoring program that gets students reading at or above their grade level within six weeks. Once a student is identified by their teacher as having fallen behind in reading, writing, or word comprehension, they spend one hour each school day going through the intense literacy training program with a certified tutor. As a result of the program, 95 percent of the students are reading at or above grade level after six weeks. Beyond Basics offers adult literacy programs in partnership with Wayne State University and others.

The trust handling properties that are not part of the new General Motors Co. said Wednesday it sold a 1.4-acre lot on Cass Avenue in Detroit to Wayne State University. The RACER (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response) Trust was established in March 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to sell and clean up former GM properties that are not part of the "new" GM. The trust said the former auto sales lot at 6241 Cass Ave. will be used for parking for the Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio). The paved property is located diagonally across Cass from IBio, a $93 million biomedical research facility in the TechTown area. More than 400 people are expected to work, research or attend classes in the building that is slated to open in the spring. "Wayne State University is happy to have had the opportunity to acquire this very important parcel from RACER Trust to support the anticipated growth in employment in Midtown resulting from construction of the iBio Building," Rick Nork, the university's chief financial officer, said in a statement.

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of International Education week, Irvin D. Reid, director of the Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society (FOCIS), and Audley Kano Smith, The Honorary Consul of the Public of Namibia, talked about building relationships based on mutual prosperity and support with other countries.

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for November is 56.8, up from 54.7 in October. Over the last five months the PMI has finished near or above 55. A PMI value above 50 generally suggests economic growth. Increases in several key indices contributed to the strong finish. "In November, the Production Index rose to 55.9 from a low of 40 in October and the Employment Index grew as well, from 63.3 to 64.7," said Nitin Paranjpe, a supply chain faculty member at Wayne State's School of Business, who interpreted this month's results. "With regard to the Employment Index, we can see that Michigan's labor market is finally enjoying a prolonged rebound from the Great Recession supported, in part, by strong automobile sales for the month." The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a research partnership between Wayne State University's School of Business Administration and the Institute for Supply Management - Southeast Michigan.

Participants in The Sleep Out: Executive Edition, sponsored by Covenant House Michigan and other organizations, included such metro stakeholders as M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, along with his wife, Jacqueline. "This (sleeping outside in the winter) will be a new experience for me," said Wilson. "But I'm warmly dressed and ready to experience what so many homeless youth experience every night in Detroit and across the nation. I believe by doing this, much needed awareness will be focused on youth homelessness, something that my wife and I are very passionate about." Jacqueline Wilson, who also served as the event's co-chair, added, "I established the HIGH Program at Wayne State, which is a program to help homeless and precariously housed students pursue their goals of earning a degree from Wayne State. Therefore, it was important for me to partner with Covenant House Michigan for this sleep out tonight." She established the HIGH Program so that students do not have to choose between basic necessities and earning a degree.

Detroit Free Press, Macomb Daily, Daily Tribune, 11/27 DPS to offer parenting classes The Detroit Public Schools is partnering with Wayne State University, the city's public library and Black Family Development to offer parenting courses for mothers, fathers and guardians in the district. The Parent University courses begin Monday and are part of a district community engagement program geared toward increasing parental involvement in their children's education. The free classes are being offered through Jan. 23. Some are designed to help parents identify their child's learning style, help manage teen stress and improve basic computer skills.

Numerous television stations across the country provided live coverage of the America's Thanksgiving Day parade, which included video of Wayne State University sponsored "Kermit the Frog" float. During the video segment, parade announcers provided background information about the university.

Virtual Strategy Magazine, Midland Daily News, Fox 42-TV (Omaha, Neb.), ABC 13-TV (Roanoke, Lynchburg, Va.), 11/25 Marquita Chamblee has been appointed Wayne State University's first associate provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Chamblee - whose appointment is effective Feb. 2, 2015 - has spent more than 30 years in higher education, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. "We are extremely pleased that Dr. Chamblee will be joining us in this highly visible and influential new role," said Margaret E. Winters, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "Throughout her career, she has served in newly created positions, helping to shape and launch new initiatives. We're confident that she will bring strong and varied experience here to Wayne State." Chamblee was selected for the position following a national search seeking someone to lead the university's efforts in all aspects of diversity, inclusion, educational opportunity, cultural understanding and competency, and civil and human rights.