On Thursday, Nov. 20, metro Detroit business leaders will spend the night outside in solidarity in an effort to raise funds and bring attention to the plight of homeless youth in Detroit and across the nation. The Sleep Out: Executive Edition, hosted by Covenant House Michigan (CHM), presented by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, and sponsored by Delta Air Lines among others, is part of a nationwide event taking place in 15 cities at Covenant House sites across North America. For the first time in Detroit, men and women from the business community will come together to raise awareness and funds to support Covenant House's life-changing work helping young people leave the streets and begin new lives. "I'm thrilled to play a role in this remarkable and very powerful event," said Jacqueline Wilson, Wayne State University first lady, founder of WSU's Helping Individuals Go Higher (HIGH) Program and co-chair of 2014 CHM Sleep Out: Executive Edition. "Wayne State's longtime partnership with Covenant House is a wonderful example of its unwavering commitment to addressing and eradicating homelessness within our community."

The public health and medical students at Wayne State University are learning to become future doctors and researchers every day of the week, except for Tuesday mornings. As part of the federally-funded Bridges to Equity program, designed to implement educational programming and engage medical and public health students with community-based projects, WSU students provide health education to Detroit Public Schools students every Tuesday at Meet Up & Eat Up with the Lions and Ford at Detroit's Eastern Market. "Our students are very excited to share the things they are learning in graduate school with young people," said Wayne State University School of Medicine MPH Practicum director Dana Rice. "They are learning how to communicate to a younger audience, and ultimately they are giving back to the next generation of Detroiters. I honestly think they gain as much from their participation as the kids do."

Best-selling author Dave Eggers has written 10 books, edited dozens of others, and founded a literary journal. Yet one of his proudest accomplishments has more to do with the writing of others than his own. Eggers is the founder of 826 National, a network of after-school tutoring centers tucked behind whimsical retail storefronts in places like San Francisco, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor and Chicago. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Eggers will be in Detroit to give a talk titled "Buccaneers, Robots, Yetis and Other Agents of Social Change" as a part of the Richard C. Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum at Wayne State University. The 6 p.m. event will be held at Wayne State's Community Arts Auditorium.

Wayne State University has announced a $25 million gift from alumnus James A. Anderson and his wife, Patricia, to bolster entrepreneurial efforts at its College of Engineering. The gift will establish the James and Patricia Anderson Engineering Ventures Institute. Embedded within the college, the institute will encourage faculty to envision commercial applications for new technology, secure patents, and establish new companies. It also will provide mentors to aspiring student entrepreneurs and will disseminate best practices in research innovation, technology transfer, and commercialization.

Wayne State University's College of Engineering is receiving $25 million from an alumnus to promote entrepreneurship in Detroit, officials announced Thursday. The gift from James Anderson, president and CEO of Urban Science in Detroit and his wife, Patricia Anderson, is believed to be the largest gift ever to the university's engineering program. Anderson, who graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees from the engineering college in 1966 and 1970, founded in 1977 his auto retail consulting firm, which now has 19 offices with 850 employees. Anderson told the Free Press he hopes the gift for students and faculty can help encourage entrepreneurship that can help Detroit grow. "Wayne State had all of the great ingredients to create the success that I've enjoyed since graduation," he said. "There is a community of aspiring entrepreneurs that want the opportunity." Anderson "wants to encourage students to have a similar path to success that he was able to have based on his education at Wayne State," said Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson. "He was able to take his knowledge and start up a company and employ a lot of people that's contributing to the local economy." The $25 million will establish the James and Patricia Anderson Engineering Ventures Institute, which will be part of the College of Engineering.

Just like Detroit, students at Wayne State University sometimes face challenging circumstances on their path to graduation. With that in mind, Wayne State's First Lady Jacqueline Wilson began The HIGH Program (Helping Individuals Go Higher) which provides direct support to financially stressed students at Wayne State University to assist them in reaching their goal to graduate. Laura Weber Davis spoke with Mrs. Wilson about the program's mission to ensure that no student abandons their dream of earning a degree solely because of housing or financial challenges.

Wayne State University's Innovation Fellows Program is cultivating the next generation of chief scientific officers and entrepreneurial scientists for local high-tech industry. The program is supported by the New Economy Initiative (NEI) for Southeast Michigan and is led by Bramdon Dogwill, project manager of innovation programs in WSU's Technology Commercialization Office. The first class of fellows recently completed the program by presenting a technology commercialization roadmap of their project. "This program aims to train the next generation of entrepreneurial scientists, and helps them understand what is needed to take a university technology outside of the laboratory and create a new company or license agreement," said Joan Dunbar, associate vice president for technology commercialization at Wayne State University. The Innovation Fellows Program promotes technology commercialization education for post-docs in the areas of medicine, pharmacy and allied health, nursing, engineering, and liberal arts and sciences.

Pre-term birth is the leading cause of infant mortality, and there's a relatively simple medical solution that can prevent the deaths of thousands of babies every year, according to Wayne State University researchers. But getting pregnant women to doctors early and educating them on what comes next is a vastly more complex task, experts said in a Detroit forum Wednesday. Wayne State University researchers have found that a simple sonogram and medication for some women can make a vast difference. "We've been very fortunate that in the past several years, we've had some research that demonstrated that if we were able to identify women on ultrasound that had a short cervix, they're at very high risk for pre-term delivery, at least a 50-percent-chance risk to deliver before 32 weeks," said Sonia Hassan, associate dean for maternal, perinatal and child health at Wayne State University School of Medicine. "And we were able to give them a low-cost medication... which is progesterone, a natural and safe hormone, to reduce the risk by about 45 percent, and also reduce the risk of neonatal complications."

Wayne State University will launch a $750-million capital campaign this morning, hoping to raise money for student scholarships and endowed faculty positions, among other items. "As everyone knows, this is an unprecedented time in Detroit's history," university President M. Roy Wilson said in an interview with the Free Press. "Wayne State doesn't want to just take advantage of the revitalization of Detroit, we want to keep helping it. An investment in Wayne State is an investment in Detroit. Our goal is to become one of the premier urban public research universities in the nation." The campaign is called "Pivotal Moments: Our Campaign for Wayne State University." The school will hold several showcase events across campus on Thursday to mark the official launch of the campaign. The goal is to complete the campaign in four years, timing the completion with the university's 150th birthday. The biggest chunk of the money raised - about $275 million - will focus on students, officials said. The money will go toward endowed scholarships, internships, study abroad and success programs. Wayne State has already raised nearly half of the total, with $357.2 million coming in during a so-called "silent phase" of the campaign.

Wayne State University has a vision: Deep investments in student scholarships, endowed professorships and university facilities to attract the best and brightest students and faculty. Ultimately, it aspires to be the most renowned urban public research university in the nation. These are among the goals for WSU's $750 million fundraising campaign, which will be unveiled publicly Wednesday.

To help Wayne State University reach its vision of becoming a renowned public urban research university, the Detroit-based school is spearheading a $750 million fundraising campaign. The campaign has been in the silent phase for five years. But the public part of the campaign will be unveiled Wednesday. It is expected to be completed in 2018, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of WSU's 1868 founding. "Being part of the city of Detroit, and the city's revitalization, we are excited to kick off the public portion of the campaign and work toward becoming a pre-eminent urban public research university," said Jennifer Harte, director of WSU development communications. The unveiling of the Wayne State campaign's priorities, and its theme, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the university's Welcome Center, 42 W. Warren. Featured speakers will include WSU President M. Roy Wilson, Board of Governors Chair Debbie Dingell, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Chacona W. Johnson, WSU vice president for development and alumni affairs.

Dr. Valerie Parisi, Wayne State University School of Medicine dean, will take a new job at the end of the academic year. Parisi has accepted a position at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She's been the medical school dean at Wayne State for over five years. Talking about the medical school students, she told WDET's Pat Batcheller: "We recruit students who...come here because of the work they've already done for their communities and the selfless work that they accomplish here."

David Kudla, CEO and chief investment strategist of Mainstay Capital Management LLC, is the executive director of the ENGAGE International Investment Education Symposium. The event is being hosted by Wayne State University and Mainstay Capital Management at Cobo Center in Detroit March 26-27, 2015. Kudla is the chairman of the WSU School of Business Finance Department Advisory Council and serves as an adjunct professor of finance. He is also a member of the school's Board of Visitors, which develops and implements strategic direction and ensures the research programs, educational goals and professional and development activities are well-aligned with the needs of the business community. "David is an influential leader in the financial services industry and in the community," said Robert Forsythe, dean of the WSU School of Business. "His extraordinary success with the RISE Forum is the result of his keen business sense, combined with a passion to drive the industry forward alongside the next generation. We are honored that he has selected Wayne State University and the city of Detroit to continue this phenomenal event. It aligns perfectly with our educational mission and business community engagement."

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) and Wayne State University have reaffirmed their commitment to promoting excellence in cancer research, education and clinical care with an affiliation agreement that enhances the dynamic partnership spanning more than 20 years. The affiliation agreement strengthens the relationship between the organizations through a commitment by both KCI and WSU to provide for more funds for research, and through a more integrated governance structure. "We are pleased with this agreement because it provides Wayne State and Karmanos an even greater opportunity to advance our history of providing the very best patient care," Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson said. "Together, WSU and Karmanos Cancer Institute have conducted research that has contributed substantially to therapeutic breakthroughs in cancer. The community can rest assured that our passionate and committed researchers are working every day to develop a cure for a disease that affects so many."

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel received a surprise gift Thursday evening when he attended the dedication ceremony for the Wayne State University Advanced Technology Education Center in Warren. Before the ribbon-cutting took place, a Wayne State official presented Hackel with matching his-and-hers Warriors football jerseys for him and his wife as a belated wedding gift. "I'm wearing this to every Lions game on behalf of Joique Bell," Hackel said, referring to the Detroit Lions running back and former member of the Wayne State Warriors football team. The presentation was made by Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs for Wayne State.

Wayne State University will be the sponsoring what is being billed as the largest student investment conference in the world this spring at Cobo Center. The two-day Engage - International Investment Education Symposium March 26-27 brings together students, professors and investment professionals from around North America. Shannon Peterson, director of media relations for Troy-based Mainstay Capital Management LLC, the presenting sponsor of the event, said up to 2,000 students and investment professionals are expected to attend. "We bring in professionals - big names like past Fed presidents, leaders in the industry, CIOs, economics, chief investment officers - but the audience is made up primarily of students and other professionals," she said. "It is focused on the students." Experts will share their economic, alternative investment, international market and stock outlooks. There will also be a college student investment portfolio competition with cash prizes. High school student scholarships, details of which are being finalized, will also be offered. CNBC, the event's official broadcaster, will broadcast live from Cobo during the event.

The Covenant House Michigan Sleep Out is being held on Nov. 20. Each November business leaders and top corporate executives spend one night sleeping on the street in solidarity with homeless youth to let them know they are not alone. During an interview on WJR's Paul W. Smith Show with Covenant House Executive Director Gerald Piro, it is noted that Wayne State University First Lady Jacqueline Wilson, event co-chair, and President Wilson will be participating in the sleep out.

A three-year agreement approved by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University boards will provide for more research funding and a new governance structure. Under the agreement that becomes effective today, Gerold Bepler, Karmanos president and CEO, will also serve as cancer center director and principal investigator of its National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant. Detroit-based Karmanos will continue operating and managing the support grant, which is up for renewal next year, on behalf of Wayne State. The institute president/director will also be the chair of the Wayne State department of oncology. The agreement also provides for the university's department of radiation oncology and the division of gynecologic oncology to join the department of oncology. "This agreement is crucial for our continued success in fighting cancer, serving our patients and families and providing the best cancer services available worldwide," Bepler said in a statement. "It is also important in moving forward with a successful renewal of our status as a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, a distinction Karmanos and WSU have competed for and earned since 1978."

Wayne State University's School of Business Administration and General Motors are bringing some of the leading business students from across the country and Canada to Detroit for an in-depth look at the supply chain systems that support the automotive industry and its high-tech vehicles. The fourth annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition, featuring the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe and 2015 Chevrolet Sonic, will bring 20 university groups to the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center from October 2-5. The program will introduce students to the issues and challenges involved in producing leading technology vehicles through a case study. They will examine topics such as component purchasing strategy, global vs. domestic sourcing, and risk management. "This is an opportunity to highlight Southeast Michigan's automotive industry and supply chain management careers in this region, as well as an opportunity to provide students an outstanding educational experience," said John Taylor, associate professor and chair of the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management at Wayne State University's School of Business Administration.

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson was a guest on "Michigan Matters," hosted by Carol Cain. President Wilson talked about several topics including higher education affordability, research, enrollment, campus housing and Midtown development, to name a few.