Wayne State University has been ranked among the top 50 safest college campuses in America. BestColleges.com, which released the top-50 list, reviewed available data of every public college and university in the United States over the last five years (2009-13). Annual reports detailing crime or fire incidents over the previous year are included in the data, as required under the federally mandated Clery Act. Wayne State was commended for providing safety and security measures that ensure lower rates of criminal incidents and behavior. The WSU Police Department (WSUPD), in particular, is noted for programs it has developed and administered for students and staff.

At first glance during a visit to downtown Detroit, signs of rebuilding and regrowth are evident and all around: Sleek, new condo buildings are sprouting up, a railway is being built through the center of the city, historic theaters are undergoing major renovations, and there's an exciting vibe that you can feel when visiting.

For most people, wet socks would be a major nuisance. For Jaspreet Singh, they are a business. Singh was running late to a public speaking class at the University of Michigan where he was supposed to pitch a business idea. To make matters worse, he had forgotten to come up with an idea. "I grabbed my backpack, ran through the street and ran through a puddle," he said. "When I got to class, the teacher said I was up next. I had wet socks on, so I pitched about water-resistant socks." It wasn't until after class that he realized his split-second idea was actually a pretty good one. A year and a half later, after much research, testing and development, he's created the 5 Water Socks brand, gotten a working prototype for hydrophobic athletic socks and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that blew past its goal within two days.

Students enrolled in the J.C. Heard Jazz Week camp participate in a weeklong crash course in jazz for students ages 14-18, offered by the Wayne State Jazz Studies program in conjunction with the Detroit Jazz Festival and the J.C. Heard Family Foundation. The program is unique because it's free. Admittance is through the audition process: If a kid has the chops, or shows potential, they're in, just as it is in the street school of jazz.

Wayne State University will debut its annual cycling event "The Baroudeur" (pronounced bah-roo-DUHR; French, meaning "warrior" or "fighter"), offering cyclists from 20- to 100-mile routes through metro Detroit, on August 22. Leading the pack will be the university's president, avid cyclist M. Roy Wilson.

Wayne State University is going smoke and tobacco free starting Aug. 19. The policy applies to all employees, students, contractors and visitors to campus.

Following the tragic shooting at Emanuel A.M.E Church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month, the U.S. Attorney's Office is hosting a training summit to share best practices for security at houses of worship. The summit will take place on Monday, July 27, 2015, from noon to 4:00p.m. at the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium at Wayne State University Law School. The summit will focus on providing faith-based leaders with information that will help them develop and implement security programs and emergency action plans, deter threats, share information and address risks, such as active shooter situations. Hate crime trends and prosecutions will also be discussed.

dbusiness, 7/23 By Adrienne Roberts Wayne State University announced that it received a nearly $5 million, five-year grant to lead an international study to provide dosage information for clinicians who use polymoxin B, an antibiotic used for patients with infections such as pneumonia or meningitis when no other treatments are effective. "It's critical to have these dosing guides to assure that this agent of last resort is preserved and that these superbugs do not become resistant to it," says Dr. Keith Kaye, professor of infectious diseases at Wayne State and the leader of the study. "These guides will aid in minimizing unnecessary toxic side effects of the drug." Kaye says there's no clear definition of how to dose polymyxin B optimally. Since its release in the 1950s, antibiotic resistance to polymoxin B has grown. The antibiotic is used as a last resort for patients who have been infected with gram-negative bacteria that causes bloodstream, wound, or surgical site infections. Kaye says life-threatening infections caused by the Gram-negative superbugs that become resistant to polymyxin B are practically untreatable.

Call it the Detroit dorm decor challenge of 2015. As college students across Metro Detroit start writing up their school supplies checklists and checking them twice, Homestyle asked two local interior designers to work their magic on one of the blandest rooms around: the dorm room. Each designer had a $1,000 budget - though they could also use some of their own supplies - courtesy of Bed Bath & Beyond and was given a 10-by-14 foot dorm room in one of Wayne State University's residence halls. Their mission was to transform such a small space into not just something livable, but inviting. A photo gallery is included.

Carly Adams, a senior studying journalism at Wayne State University, wrote an opinion piece focusing on what she calls "some truths about WSU that many people just don't want to believe." Adams wrote: "When I chose to attend Wayne State, a lot of friends and family members turned up their noses at me. One friend even told me that she would never come visit me when I opted to live on campus. The truth is, WSU is a lot like every other university out there, and even better in a lot of ways!" She points out distinguishing characteristics about Wayne State that sets it apart from other institutions in the state such as its reputation as a research university. "Many of our professors are actively conducting research in their field. This leads to not only more informed and dedicated professors, but also more opportunities to do hands-on work in your chosen field." Adams noted the low crime statistics and dedication of the university's police department, WSU's location surrounded by the cultural center and Midtown, tuition affordability and diversity of the student body.

Mayor Mike Duggan is scheduled to leave Friday on a business and trade trip to Japan, his first international foray as Detroit's top elected official. He will travel to Tokyo and Toyota City, Detroit's sister city. Also on the trip will be Tom Lewand, group executive for jobs and economy; Julie M. Egan, senior adviser from U.S. State Department and member of the White House's Detroit Federal Working Group; and Bruce Brownlee, chairman of the Japan American Society of Detroit. Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president, educational outreach and international programs at Wayne State University will be representing Detroit's educational perspective on international economic opportunity.

Maryjean Schenk, M.D., has resigned as vice dean of medical education at Wayne State University School of Medicine, effective July 31. Schenk cited personal reasons for her departure. Her replacement is Richard Baker, M.D., who will start Aug. 1. An ophthalmologist, Baker was executive director of the Center for Health Services Research and chair of the department of ophthalmology at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles. "Dr. Baker's experience and credentials will greatly assist us both in our efforts to address the issues cited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and in our work to improve the School of Medicine as a whole as we move into the future," said Jack Sobel, M.D., dean of Wayne State's medical school, in a statement. Meanwhile, the medical school community is mourning the loss of Silas Norman Jr., M.D., associate dean of admissions, diversity and inclusion, who died last Friday after a battle with cancer. "We have lost a beloved faculty member, a determined leader, and more importantly, a great man," Sobel said in a statement. "In many ways Dr. Norman helped shape our school of medicine. There are hundreds of people who will never forget his contributions to their success in medical school and in life."

A group of volunteers went door to door this past Saturday, blocking doors at vacant homes on Detroit's east side. The group was boarding up doors and windows, hoping to prevent squatters, crime and other activity inside. Wayne State University student Vachal Moore led the group of about a dozen volunteers through Americorps and the Wayne State Urban Safety Project. He had the idea recently after realizing, of the neighborhoods in Detroit with abandoned homes, not all of them have community members to take care of them. "We often times do things in areas where there's a lot of young people," Moore said. "This area is basically just senior citizens, so I wanted to help out." He hopes to do more projects throughout Detroit but needs more volunteers.

WDET's Bankole Thompson talks with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder about his current goals, his economic and social policies, and whether Michigan is on the right track.

The health care industry in Michigan as a whole is growing as the baby boomer generation ages and requires more care. In Michigan's southeast region, health care jobs have climbed from about 302,000 jobs in 2009 to near 321,000 in 2013, and are projected to hit close to 359,000 by 2019, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber's 2014 annual report. "This isn't just a Michigan phenomenon, but the industry is growing everywhere," said Gail Jensen Summers, a professor in Wayne State University's economics of health care program. Summers said part of the rise is the aging of baby boomers, while the other factor is that more people now have access to health care. "This is the age where baby boomers are experiencing more medical problems," Summers said. "One problem we have is a shortage of primary care physicians in this state. The only way clinics can meet the growing demand for care is by hiring nurse practitioners and physician assistants."

Robert Sestok installed 29 of his welded sculptures in a former empty lot in Midtown, next to several abandoned buildings. Sestok's park, City Sculpture, is the culmination of a career that pivoted around Detroit. Reared in its suburbs, he moved back in the 1960s, affiliating with the Cass Corridor artists, named for a then-dangerous corner of town. (Near Wayne State University, it has since been cleaned up and rebranded Midtown.) They had an artist-run gallery - a dozen partners, a dozen shows a year - and flourishing practices. Like others, Sestok briefly decamped to New York, following the artist Kiki Smith, who was his girlfriend at the time. But "I couldn't acclimate myself," said Sestok, who now lives in a rambling, art-filled house six blocks from where he was born. He refurbished it himself and added a separate studio, built in 1985 with an N.E.A. grant. Until about 12 years ago, he sustained himself by rehabbing houses. His sculptures - abstract, tall industrial pieces incorporating materials like propane tanks and shovels - dot the city and suburbs. "In the last decade or so, he's really found his voice," said Dennis Nawrocki, an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and the author of "Art in Detroit Public Places." Sestok has started a nonprofit and hopes to exhibit other artists there; the opening party, with food trucks and a nine-piece rock band playing on a flatbed truck, drew Cass Corridor artists from New York as well as Detroit's younger generation.

The nuclear accord announced on Tuesday among Iran, the United States, and five other countries faces political hurdles before becoming a done deal. But the possibility of a warmer relationship between America and Iran after more than 30 years of animosity will very likely benefit fledgling efforts to develop links in higher education. Iranian higher-education officials have indicated an interest in working with their American counterparts on water conservation, environmental management, food safety and several other areas. Last month the country hosted a rare delegation from American universities, including Wayne State, to discuss possible collaborations in science and other areas. The trip, which was organized by the Institute of International Education, included meetings with representatives of the University of Tehran and 12 other Iranian universities and research institutes. No new deals were struck, but given the academic ties that existed before 1979, it may be more a matter of restarting old programs rather than inventing new ones.

What is race? It's a single question that elicits hundreds, perhaps thousands, of answers and even more questions. Wayne State University law school professor Peter Hammer has started the discussion in Detroit, asking questions about race and racial equity and getting others to do so with him in a unique setting around the Motor City. Hammer readily admits he and his fellow cohorts in the Detroit Equity Action Lab don't have all the answers to the complicated questions they are asking. Hammer and nonprofit leaders from across Metro Detroit are doing their work in a laboratory environment - on campus and around sites in the city - where they have the freedom to ask difficult questions, try out new ideas, fail from time to time and make the entire experience about learning. Hammer is leading the lab, which was established at WSU in 2014 with a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Small business owners who have completed the educational components of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a program with Detroit offices at Wayne State University, grew revenue and added jobs at a rate that outperformed the national economy, says a new report commissioned by Goldman Sachs. "We are seeing the results of the 10,000 Small Businesses program in all corners of Detroit," says M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University. "Alumni are growing their businesses, creating new jobs, and hiring locally, helping to bring back our neighborhoods and creating economic opportunity in Detroit and in southeast Michigan." In the metro Detroit, more than 125 small business owners have completed the program at Wayne State. Nearly 74 percent of participants surveyed in the region saw increased revenue six months after graduating from the program, compared to about 67 percent of program participants nationally. Additionally, nearly 52 percent of participants surveyed in the Detroit region added new jobs six months after graduating from the program, compared to about 46 percent of program participants nationally.

A series of studies at Wayne State University is bringing into focus the vulnerability of elderly people not only to con artists and mail scams - but also to loved ones and trusted caregivers. And the lead researcher, as well as other experts agree: Part of the problem is the ability of the perpetrators to rationalize their deeds. "After a period of time, family members ... often feel entitled to take some of the money as sort of compensation for what they're doing, but also just of a sense (that) it's their money, too," said Peter Lichtenberg, director of Wayne State's Institute of Gerontology and lead author on the recent studies. Lichtenberg has designed two screening tools - one a 77-question version, the other an abbreviated, 10-question survey to gauge seniors' abilities to make financial decisions. Both also test for the presence of risk factors - trusted relatives or friends who appear predatory, for example. In one study, experts found that eight of the 69 elderly Detroit …participants had "decision-making incapacity," meaning that they no longer fully understand the risks and benefits of financial choices. Among those eight, five reported they had been financially exploited in the past year. None of the incidents had been reported to authorities, Lichtenberg said.