The new lighting installed at Wayne State's stadium is featured during a segment on Fox 2. Equipped with Green Star Technology, the lights burn brighter while using less power, and are able to be controlled from a smart phone.

The state's 15 public universities are responsible for more than 120,000 jobs and $23.9 billion in economic activity in the state, a report released Tuesday by the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan said. Among the economic benefits of the universities are wages for staff and other spending by the institutions, but also spending by students and wages for alumni, the report by the Anderson Economic Group said. As would be expected, the largest portion of non-payroll spending for universities was in Wayne County ($547.2 billion), which houses Wayne State University and University of Michigan-Dearborn. Ingham County, home of Michigan State University, was second at $513.4 million. Washtenaw County, location for University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, was third at $355.6 million.

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.32 million grant to five Michigan universities for a project that will increase the academic success of underrepresented minority graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in STEM (science, technology , engineering, and mathematics) fields, as well as women graduate students in gender-imbalanced fields. The project, Michigan Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, is comprised of Wayne State University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University and Michigan Technological University. The alliance aims to strengthen the academic identity of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows by improving their mentoring relationships and engaging them in interdisciplinary learning communities. "The alliance aims to improve mentoring of our students and fellows by providing new programs for our faculty in evidence-based strategies for effective mentoring, as well as design individual mentoring tailored to the discipline and circumstances of each pair of faculty and student or postdoc," said Joseph Dunbar, associate vice president for research and associate dean of the Graduate School at Wayne State University, and principal investigator of Wayne State's part in the project.

Michigan's public universities have a $24 billion economic impact on the state including $14.4 billion in direct spending and 71,000 full-time-equivalent jobs, according to a study by East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group LLC. The study, released yesterday and commissioned by the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, found the state's 15 public universities in fiscal 2012 were responsible for $7 billion in payroll spending plus $3.1 billion in non-payroll goods and services, and their collective student body spent a combined $4.3 billion over the same period. That includes about $4.7 billion in payroll and non-payroll spending for the five-county region of Southeast Michigan, which was home to just under 128,000 of Michigan's 301,470 students in fall 2012, according to the Anderson report. Public universities in that region include Wayne State University, Oakland University, Eastern Michigan University, University of Michigan and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. "Whether it's the investment of Wayne State in student housing spurring growth in Detroit's Cass Corridor, alumni creating jobs in Marquette, research at (UM) encouraging entrepreneurial professors to create new companies or new classroom facilities in downtown Grand Rapids…Michigan's investment in higher education pays off all over our state," council Executive Director Mike Boulus said in a statement today. The report also estimates the universities indirectly support about $9.5 billion in spending and 51,000 jobs, over and above their own payrolls, for 122,000 jobs statewide.

Tonight is "Ugly Christmas Sweater Night" at Matthaei during the basketball game. Fans are encouraged to wear their most hideous get-up to the game in celebration of the event. It's also "Silent Night" where fans are asked to not cheer at all until the Warriors put 10 points on the board.

Elizabeth Barrios says her career dream officially began when she was just 10 years old. She and her family had taken a trip to the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. As of Dec. 14, she'll be another step closer to making her dreams come true. Barrios will walk across the stage during Wayne State University's commencement ceremony to celebrate the completion of her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Wayne State's College of Engineering. Earning a degree is just one item checked off the list, however. She will graduate with a vast amount of internship and co-op experience under her belt. She has worked with R&D heavyweights BASF and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, and she had no less than four separate internships with NASA.

A Channel 4 News report highlighted events across the nation in honor of Nelson Mandela. In Detroit, a special tribute was held for Mandela at Wayne State University. The event was hosted by the Wayne African Student Society. Several professors spoke about Mandela's legacy and impact on the world, and some students even read quotes from the former South African president that inspired their lives and hope to inspire others.

A three-day orientation for Detroit's new City Council is under way on the campus of Wayne State University. The program kicked off Monday morning, providing attendees with an overview of the council's divisions, commissions and boards and legal policies. The orientation, at the Wayne State University Public Safety building on Cass, is set to resume Tuesday with presentations from the City Council's Legislative Policy Division on contract procurement and approval processes, ordinances and resolutions, zoning, economic development and Community Development Block Grant funding. Other topics to be touched on include emergency manager orders, budgeting processes and ethics. The event will culminate Wednesday at the university's Alumni House with remarks from Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and Mayor-elect Mike Duggan prior to the new City Council being sworn in by City Clerk Janice Winfrey.

The Presidents of Michigan's three research universities opined about the threat of sequestration to the state's research efforts. "If Congress does not restore rationality to America's budgeting process, first by ending the reckless across-the-board sequestration cuts that became the budget default in March, the engine of America's quality of life will begin to seize…Today, it is innovation and talent that fuel our economy, secure our freedom and ensure an improved future. They are vital components of America's success, and we in Michigan take a backseat to none in producing them. But as presidents of Michigan's top three research universities, we must tell you that the warning light is on." The three universities, which comprise the University Research Corridor (URC), enroll a quarter of the state's college students and conducts more than $2 billion annually in research and development. "One of the nation's top innovation clusters, the URC helps bring some of the world's most talented people to our state and equips our own students to compete globally." The writers warned: "If Congress can't stop digging this hole by Friday, yet another round of across-the-board sequestration cuts takes effect in January. That means deserving new research projects going unfunded and, perhaps, some existing programs gutted. Promising young researchers could be cut loose, program infrastructure would start to unravel and more hard-won ground would be lost."

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson and his fiancee, Jacqueline Page, flew to Los Angeles this weekend for a celebration of their milestone birthdays: He turned 60 on Nov. 28; she turned 50 earlier this week. They planned Friday night, while hosting friends and family for pizza and wine in their hotel suite, to announce another milestone: They're getting married Saturday during a 10 a.m. ceremony. "Since everybody has been asking (when we are getting married) and a lot of people will be present anyway, we thought it would probably be as good a time as any," said Wilson, who began his term as WSU's 12th president in August. "I feel very fortunate that we found each and we're together," Wilson said. "We both feel that way."

Oakland Community College nursing graduates could have a bachelor's degree in five semesters from the Wayne State University College of Nursing program through an agreement the two schools signed recently. "We are very excited about this opportunity. We are launching the first cohort this January, and the goal is to make it easier for students to achieve and earn a bachelor's (degree) in nursing," Ahmad M. Ezzeddine, associate vice president of Wayne State University Educational Outreach and International Programs, said recently. Ezzeddine said that because of an articulation agreement, which specifies the number of transfer credits and estimated length of time required to finish a degree, between the schools, OCC students have a more specialized path into nursing.

Wayne State University Law School Professor Peter Hammer is taking his human rights work far beyond Detroit with a recent appointment to the Board of Directors of the Center for Khmer Studies in Cambodia. Travel to Cambodia is nothing new for Hammer, director of Wayne Law's Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. He's also chairman of the nonprofit, non-governmental organization Life and Hope Association, a program to educate and care for disadvantaged women and children in Siem Reap, Cambodia. He has spent a part of every summer there for several years. And he's been doing grassroots work for justice and human rights in Cambodia since 1993.

When the first Noel Night launched, 6,000 people converged on the cultural center. Forty-one years later, Noel Night continues Saturday to bring entertainment, food, shopping and the spirit of Christmas to the Midtown area. Organizers estimate some 50,000 people braved the cold last year to experience all the area has to offer. Wayne State University venue events include: Wayne State University Art Department Gallery: Exhibit from graduating seniors and winter art market; Bonstelle Theatre: " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" performances at 2 and 7 p.m.; The Hilberry Theatre: "Big Love" performances at 2 and 8 p.m.; Old Main Building: Performances, art exhibits, anthropology exhibits, planetarium, hand crafted goods for sale and more; Wayne State University Press: Shopping. 40 W. Hancock; Welcome Center: 2013 Metro Detroit Annual Design and Build Competition to benefit Gleaners Food Bank; WDET-FM (101.9) Open house with on-air hosts and hot chocolate. 5-10 p.m. Saturday

In the United States, approximately 4 million babies are born each year; however, the number of premature births has led the March of Dimes and individual states to look at contributing factors to prematurity, which is the leading cause of newborn death. For the sixth consecutive year, Michigan lowered its preterm birth rate, from 12 percent in 2011 to 11.8 percent in 2012. Partnering with state health officials and local hospitals, the Perinatology Research Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Wayne State University and Detroit Medical Center have indicated that it is possible to reduce preterm birth rates by a universal risk assessments with a cervical ultrasound at 19-24 weeks gestation, said Dr. Roberto Romero, chief of the Perinatology Research Branch and program director for Perinatal Research and Obstetrics. An international, random clinical trial has shown that vaginal progesterone applied daily in the case of a short cervix reduces the risk of preterm birth by 44-45 percent. It reduces the rate of respiratory distress syndrome by 60 percent. Romero said that combining universal cervical ultrasounds with vaginal progesterone is cost-saving. "The state of Michigan would save $19 million per year by implementing this policy, and the U.S. would save $500 (million)-$750 million per year," he said.

Groups of students from seven metro Detroit high schools gathered at Wayne State University Law School to talk about race, hoping to bridge their differences, bust stereotypes and build foundations for a better world. The third annual Keith Students Youth Civil Rights Conference on Nov. 15, was run by law students who are active with Wayne Law's Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. The event was sponsored by the Keith Center, Wayne State University Center for Peace and Conflict Studies and Keith Students for Civil Rights.

Why is it important to welcome new faces, ideas and entities to Detroit? How can this be done while maintaining the city's unique identity, authenticity and pragmatism? The 2013 Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum will pair New York Times bestselling author and comedian Baratunde Thurston with community leaders in Detroit to explore this very idea. The public lecture and panel discussion take place at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium. Thurston will share his insights on the topic of welcoming, specifically discussing ways we might try new ideas while respecting local context and nostalgia. A curated panel of Detroit leaders will join the discussion following the keynote address. The event is free and open to the public.

In separate interviews, law professors Peter Henning and Laura Bartell commented on the anticipated ruling today on Detroit's eligibility for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Bartell predicted Judge Rhodes will shy away from offering any hints on pensions. "People read all sorts of things into any remark a judge might make in an opinion," she said. "If he wants to send a signal, he can certainly put something in there to send a signal." Henning said, "If the city were not to be allowed to go forward with the bankruptcy, it would face thousands of lawsuits because it hasn't been paying its debts since the initial bankruptcy filing. So what you would have is a number of different creditors filing for claims, and they could even try to seize assets."

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson is featured in a wide-ranging interview conducted by Michigan Chronicle editor Bankole Thompson. Topics included graduation rates, research, Detroit and Midtown's resurgence, community engagement, higher education funding, Wayne State's urban mission and advocacy for students.

During coverage of "America's Thanksgiving Parade," announcers on various television affiliates across the nation talked about Wayne State University's sponsorship of the parade pointing out several facts about the university.

An all-star lineup of business and political leaders pitched entrepreneurship as the key to Detroit's comeback yesterday at the rollout of Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program in the city. Speaking at a Ford Field news event were investor Warren Buffett, Gov. Rick Snyder, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Mayor Dave Bing and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., plus three Michigan congressmen and assorted others. The event marked the rollout of the Detroit version of Goldman Sach's program to support the creation of thousands of small businesses in America. Under the program, Goldman Sachs contributes $15 million to support small businesses through two local lending funds, the Invest Detroit Foundation and the Detroit Development Fund. Another $5 million supports an education component to help entrepreneurs learn the basics of growing and managing a business. Wayne State University is included among the colleges offering classes.