Saeed Khan, Wayne State University lecturer and expert on the Middle East, discussed the government's decision to close U.S. Embassy's across the Middle East and North Africa after intercepting threatening messages from al Qaeda. Those threats, combined with the end of the month of Ramadan, and the concern over several major prison breaks in the region, all led to the U.S. decision. Khan was a guest on The Craig Fahle Show.

Ned Staebler, vice president for economic development at Wayne State University, participated in a Q&A about how the university's assets are a catalyst for growth across the university and community. He noted that Wayne State has an economic impact of over $2 billion per year on the state of Michigan, and the university plays a major role in the revitalization of the state's largest city, Detroit. "We're the state's only urban research university, and we take our mission of providing access to a world-class education while being a good neighbor in a good neighborhood very seriously," Staebler said. He also pointed out that Wayne State has a profound effect on public health outcomes in Detroit with the largest single-campus medical school and the only one based in Detroit.

Jaime Goodrich, an assistant professor at Wayne State University, has earned a Fulbright Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the world. The 1997 Cadillac High School graduate will conduct research and teach at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. She joins a list of Fulbright scholars that includes 43 Nobel Prize and 87 Pulitzer Prize winners. "I always loved school and reading from an early age," said Goodrich. "But in high school, my English teacher Penny Phelps got me interested in research." Goodrich's research area is early modern British literature and she has published a number of articles on women writers. While on the Fulbright, she will research and edit the manuscript writings produced by modern Benedictine nuns in continental convents for English women.

Finalists have been chosen and online voting is now open to decide the winners at Automation Alley's 13th Annual Awards Gala. The awards "recognize and celebrate the most creative and innovative individuals and organizations in Southeast Michigan's technology community," said Automation Alley Executive Director Ken Rogers. Among the finalists in the "Education Program of the Year" category is Wayne State University's GO-GIRL: Gaining Options - Girls Investigate Real Life.

BLAC Detroit's August edition includes an extensive feature cover story on Dr. M. Roy Wilson, Wayne State University's 12th President. The article traces President Wilson's path to Wayne State; his first impressions of Detroit and Midtown; and his early goals for the University. Comments are included by Wayne State University Board of Governors members Gary Pollard, vice chair, and Kim Trent.

Professor April Vallerand has been appointed to the first Wayne State University College of Nursing Alumni Endowed Professorship. Vallerand is a nationally recognized expert in both pharmacology and pain research, whose work has received backing from the National Institutes of Health. The new appointment will allow Vallerand monies for research needs, including the extension of a three-year study focusing on African Americans who experience cancer pain. The study is funded by a $1.1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, and Vallerand intends to extend the Power Over Pain project to a fourth year, thanks to support from the college through the endowed professorship.

Wayne State University announced that the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program (DRFP), an innovative initiative that nurtures promising professionals to help lead the economic revitalization and development of Detroit, will launch its second cohort on Aug. 5. "Wayne State and its partners in the DFRP are eager to see the new cohort's wide-ranging skill sets at work transforming Detroit's communities," said Ned Staebler, Wayne State's vice president of economic development. Added DRFP director Graig Donnelly: "From diverse backgrounds and perspectives, with already successful careers both locally and across the country, the Detroit Revitalization Fellows are poised to build meaningful connections between the city's boardrooms and its street corners around crucial community and economic development efforts."

Wayne State University engineers will help spread the gospel of the Michigan left turn around the world, thanks to a grant from the Science Applications International Corp. The median U-turn is common on Michigan roads as a way to avoid accident-generating left turns at intersections. Wayne State says it isn't used widely in other states and countries in part because the design isn't yet included in standard manuals and software that highway designers use. The university says it's received a $78,000 grant from Scientific Applications to develop equations, text and software so the Michigan left turn and three other designs can join the next edition of the Highway Capacity Manual that highway designers use. Civil engineering department chairman Joseph Hummer heads the effort.

WWJ reporter Beth Fisher talked to Fred Pearson, director of Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, about the worldwide terrorist alert in place. The U.S. has issued a global travel alert citing an al Qaeda threat that has also caused the U.S. State Department to close 21 embassies and consulates this week in the Muslim world. Pearson offered advice to travelers. If you're not yet scheduled, postpone it to a time when there are lower levels of alert. If you are scheduled, and it's a country that doesn't seem to be on the beaten track of likely terrorism, then go ahead if it doesn't seem to be a major targeted country.

Dr. M. Roy Wilson was sworn in as the 12th president of Wayne State University during a public ceremony yesterday at WSU's Law School. Judge Damon J. Keith administered the oath of office. Wilson most recently served as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health.

Chris Collins, Detroit Jazz Festival artistic director, professor and director of Jazz Studies at Wayne State University, joined Craig Fahle in studio to talk about what's in store for this year's festival.

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index rebounded in July to 53.1. Economists said the quick rebound indicated that the unexpected June drop to 49.2 was only temporary. The July PMI is consistent with index figures for the last six of eight months, which are in the low to mid 50′s indicating an expanding economy. "Key components of the survey contributed to the rebound of July's PMI," according to Nitin Paranjpe, a supply chain faculty member at Wayne State's School of Business Administration who interpreted this month's results. "Production activity is at 54.8, new orders increased to 53.2 and employment was up slightly from the previous month to 58.1. This all points to continued growth in the Southeast Michigan economy."

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson was interviewed by WWJ legal analyst Charlie Langton about the challenges of leading the University, especially as Detroit faces bankruptcy. Wilson will be sworn in this morning as the University's 12th president.

Carolyn M. Shields, professor and dean of the College of Education at Wayne State University, commented about new year-round school programs being implemented at area school districts. Currently 33 Michigan districts offer classes during summer. "Year-round schooling is not a panacea … but it definitely helps reduce summer learning loss and increases the achievement of poor, disadvantaged and non-English-speaking students," said Shields.

Wayne State University has received a $500,000 grant from the DTE Energy Foundation to help renovate College of Engineering teaching laboratories in electrical and computer engineering, civil and environmental engineering, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering. The gift, combined with the university's investment in the project, will enable the college to sustain a vibrant culture of learning and discovery so every student gains the necessary technical and personal skills to succeed in the workforce. The teaching labs foster hands-on learning, a critical element in engineering education. "As I conclude my tenure at Wayne State, I am grateful to have the opportunity to acknowledge this special gift from the DTE Energy Foundation," outgoing Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour said. "Students need a place where they can build things, and teaching labs are essential for engineering students to get hands-on, practical experience. Employers want to hire graduates who can contribute from day one, and these labs will prepare Wayne State students with skills that set them on a successful career path."

Michigan is home to the nation's second largest and fastest contraction of high school graduates, according to Knocking at the College Door, a report issued this year by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Michigan's number of high school graduates peaked at 123,576 in 2008 and is projected to decline to less than 90,000 in the next 15 years, according to the report. During the last decade, Michigan universities have struggled with revenue and boosted tuition after the state Legislature slashed support to higher education when the economy faltered. Now, the state's contraction of high school graduates has presented another challenge to universities, leading many schools to hustle for students beyond the traditional in-state applicant. Universities that have historically been attended mostly by Michigan residents are stepping up efforts to recruit out-of-state, international and transfer students from community colleges.

John Corvino, associate professor and chair of the philosophy department at Wayne State University, opined about Pope Francis's remarks to reporters during his flight back to Rome from Brazil on Monday: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Hundreds turned out Tuesday to bid farewell to retiring Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour with a reception and ice cream social on campus. The university's 11th president came out of retirement three years ago to serve as WSU's leader after a long career as an executive at Ford Motor Co. Among Gilmour's legacies is his return of the $1 million he earned as president for the university to assist students in need. Gilmour, 79, tightened the university's admissions standards, worked to improve the graduation rate, slashed administrative inefficiencies and settled labor contracts with employee unions, including an eight-year contract approved this spring with the school's faculty. In June, WSU's Ferry Mall was renamed Gilmour Mall in his honor. M. Roy Wilson, an academic administrator, international researcher and ophthalmologist, will be sworn in Thursday as Gilmour's successor.

Traffic engineers at Wayne State University say the median U-turn, which most drivers around here call the Michigan left, has been a great asset in moving traffic safely and efficiently for more than 50 years. While widely used in Michigan, other states and countries have not adopted it. Wayne State officials say that's because the design is not included in standard manuals and software that highway designers use. With the help of a $78,000 grant from Science Applications International Corp., a team led by Wayne State's Joseph Hummer, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, aims to change that. They plan to develop equations, text and software so that the Michigan left turn and three other alternative designs can be included in the next edition of the Highway Capacity Manual used by highway designers. According to Hummer, numerous research efforts and publications on alternative intersections and interchanges sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration have taken place in the last decade to enable analysis and deployment of alternative intersections and interchanges.

The road was paved for Macomb County's first four-year college last week when ground was officially broken across the street from the Macomb Community College's Warren campus. The Advanced Technology Education Center (ATAC), a collaboration between Wayne State University and Macomb Community College, will be completed and open to students in the fall of 2014. It will offer students the opportunity to obtain four-year degrees in a host of different majors. Gary S. Pollard, Wayne State's vice chair of the Board of Governors, said Wayne State had its first branch in Macomb back in 1983. He added that the university began partnering with MCC in 1995. "ATAC is a proud statement of commitment to Macomb County," Pollard said. "This facility will allow us the ability to offer students at MCC the chance to obtain a four-year degree in disciplines that are in high demand while at the same time providing students with collaborative opportunities with local businesses." Phyllis Vroom, deputy president of Wayne State, said 5,000 Macomb County residents, or 17 percent of the student body, attend Wayne State. "Now, with ATAC, Macomb residents will have even more access to a four-year university degree," Vroom said.