Average tuition rates at the nation's 4-year public universities rose 2.9 percent this year, the smallest annual increase in more than three decades, suggesting that the steeper increases over the past few years didn't signal a new era of accelerating prices, says a report out today. Still, the smaller rates of increase this year - across public and private nonprofit and for-profit colleges - are tempered by recent declines in federal grant aid, according to Trends in Higher Education reports on tuition and financial aid, released by the nonprofit College Board. In Michigan, the average tuition increase among public universities this year was slightly higher at 3.45 percent. Also, the unemployment rate for four-year college graduates ages 25 to 34 was 7.1 percentage points below that for high school graduates.

Continuing a trend to attract out-of-state students, Wayne State University said anyone from all Great Lakes states and Ontario will be eligible to pay slightly more than the tuition for in-state residents. Beginning in January, students from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario who receive the Great Lakes Tuition Award will save about $11,633 a year, based on 15-credit-hour semesters. In-state undergraduates pay $11,097 for a 30-credit hour load, about $907 more than in the 2012-13 school year. "We look forward to giving a broader array of students the opportunity to take advantage of a very reasonable tuition base to attend this top research university," Wayne State Provost Margaret E. Winters said Wednesday.

The city of Waukesha (near Milwaukee) is asking for permission to tap into Lake Michigan for drinking water - to the tune of 10.1 million gallons per day. The aquifer that has provided most of its drinking water for the last century has dropped so far, that the water left behind has unhealthy levels of radium and salt. So the city of 70,000 is under a federal order to find a new source, and Lake Michigan is just 15 miles away. But Waukesha has the bad luck to be a mile and a half outside the watershed boundary that encircles the five Great Lakes. So now the question is, how do we balance the need for a public water supply with the need to protect the Great Lakes? Noah Hall, Wayne State University law professor who helped draft the compact, discusses what's going on in Wisconsin, and where the Great Lakes stand.

John Wolf, chair of the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, was an in-studio guest of WRCJ radio's "Doctor Dave's Drivetime Elixir" during the station's fall fundraiser. He spoke about the current plays in the university's three theatres, the fact that WSU dancers will perform Nov. 21, in New York City with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, the impressive dedication to arts and culture that Detroiters exhibit and the important ongoing support from Maggie and Bob Allesee to Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts.

Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson co-authored an opinion piece (which originally appeared in Bridge Magazine) examining the role of gerrymandering - the practice of redrawing political boundaries to enhance the power of one political party at the expense of another - in "democracy's current dysfunction." Benson says the only way to give voters a meaningful voice in how districts are drawn is to take the redistricting authority away from the Legislature and give it to an independent, non-partisan reapportionment commission.

Former Detroit Lion and Super Bowl champion Lomas Brown will be among the community partners celebrating Community Apple Days -- A Health, Wellness and Career Fair. The community-wide open house will take place at WSU's Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson was interviewed by WJR's Warren Pierce about various topics including challenges facing the university, higher education nationally, and Detroit.

In response to concerns about past Detroit secrecy and abuses, a forum on open government will be held Monday at Wayne State's Law School. Monday's forum on "building an honest and open government in Detroit" grew out of concerns after the racketeering conviction of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Speakers are expected to include U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, by video, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert. The forum, subtitled "Why Public Integrity Matters," starts at 9 a.m. in the Partrich Auditorium.

Wayne State University is seeking nominations of candidates for a 2014-15 Marshall Memorial Fellowship (MMF) - a three-week opportunity to explore politics, business, innovation and culture in Europe. Administered by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the United States, the MMF promotes an exchange of ideas, solutions and best practices between young American and European professionals through a travel immersion experience. Selected by the Kresge Foundation in 2010 to work with GMF as a regional MMF selection partner, Wayne State chooses Detroit-area fellows each year to travel to Europe and also hosts European fellows during their time in the United States. "The Marshall Memorial Fellowship is one of the most prestigious and worthwhile experiences available to young leaders in Metropolitan Detroit," said Ahmad Ezzeddine, WSU associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs. "By traveling to multiple cities in Europe and engaging with European professionals who are tackling similar challenges, our fellows are exposed to and learn from experiences that could be applied at home. The fellowship also helps shape their perspective on the role they play in the revitalization of Detroit, while giving them an opportunity to share their Detroit experiences with their European counterparts."

Mayoral candidate Benny Napoleon is vowing to cut city crime by 50 percent and promising to improve services and place a police officer in every square mile of the city. His neighborhood improvement plan calls for $3 billion in public-private partnerships and the creation of centers that would have police, fire and emergency services integrated into retail community areas in each of the seven council districts in the city. Earlier this month Napoleon unveiled a plan to transform neighborhoods "one square mile at a time" by forming the public-private partnerships for the creation of public safety service centers. But the campaign has not identified any companies that have committed money for the proposal. And Wayne State University law professor and development expert John Mogk said part of Napoleon's plan - using eminent domain to take a foreclosed or underwater mortgage and help limit the spread of blight - can't be done in Michigan. State voters put more restrictions on public takings of property in 2006. "In 2006, nowhere in Michigan or the rest of the country was eminent domain interpreted to be used to take a mortgage," Mogk said.

Jeff Adler and his wife, Ellen, are donating $750,000 to various Detroit entities to help the city's renaissance, including $250,000 to Wayne State University's College of Nursing. Charged with an urban mission at a time when thousands of people may seek medical treatment for the first time under the Affordable Health Care Act, the college is training nurses as well as nurse practitioners that might address the challenge of not enough doctors to meet patient demand. "We're so thankful for the Adlers and their generous gift," interim Dean Nancy Artinian said of the largest individual gift the nursing school has ever received. She said the money would create Adler Scholarships to help current students and recruit new students in a state that needs thousands of them.

On Oct. 5, a group of students from Benjamin Carson High School attended a field trip to Plymouth United Church of Christ for a premedical planning seminar. Students had a chance to talk about their futures as medical students. The session was designed for high school or college students or parents of students interested in becoming a doctor. It was an opportunity for students to receive hands-on information. Speakers included Silas Norman, dean of admissions at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Patricia Wilkerson-Uddyback, vice president of medical affairs at Harper-Hutzel Hospital.

Getting enough sleep often gets overlooked in the rush to squeeze more hours into the day. Ignoring that need, however, can lead to serious health consequences: Sleep deprivation jeopardizes your safety, ability to concentrate, mental stability and long-term well-being. Chronic sleep deprivation - consistently not receiving enough sleep - amplifies these problems and increases health risks because your body cannot replenish itself. "You're building up a sleep debt. Every single night you're adding to that debt, and unless you pay down that debt on a regular basis, you will see an effect on your ability to think and to perform," said Christopher Drake, a sleep researcher at the Henry Ford Sleep Disorders Center and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

The first leadership summit on good governance for Detroit - a daylong event that includes discussions on public corruption, integrity and the city's future - will take place Monday at Wayne State University. The event theme is "Building An Honest & Open Government in Detroit: Why Public Integrity Matters." U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is to open the summit through a videoconference, followed by a session from 9:30-10:30 a.m. that features media members discussing the role of the media in ensuring public integrity and good governance. "Tales of Public Corruption: Why Global Integrity Matters," moderated by Miller Canfield legal analyst and managing director Tom Cranmer, is scheduled for 10:45-11:45 a.m. A third panel - "Where Private & Public Sector Governance Meets the Rule of Law" - will take place 12:30-1:30 p.m. Quicken Loans founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert will lead a final conversation from 1:40-2:40 p.m. Called "Detroit As It Could Be: A Conversation Between Dan Gilbert and Bankole Thompson," the discussion will cover Detroit and its prospects for the future, including the role of the private sector in ensuring the public trust. Thompson is senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle.

WDET's Martina Guzman explored the challenges facing seniors as they face reduced mobility and independence. Lack of mobility is one of the key factors in isolation within the aging population. Seclusion puts older adults at greater risk for developing depression. According to the Center for disease control, the 65 and older population accounts for 15 percent of the nation's suicides, the highest rate among any age group. But if staying active can be a challenge for young people, it's especially challenging if you're older, have body aches or a debilitating illnesses. Cathy Lysack, deputy director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, says seniors have to keep moving no matter how old they are. "Most older adults think, 'oh, I'm too weak, it's bad for me.' The opposite is true, even women with significant arthritis will benefit with less fatigue and less pain if they exercise. Lysack says that failing to exercise or avoiding exercise not only affects seniors physically it also affects their ability to think clearly or rationally. "You may not be able to drive a car, it's a complex skill. And when that happens your social environment shrinks very quickly. If you don't have the resources and people to offset that, you're at risk for isolation socially and that's bad for older people."

Two UAW leaders will help explain the importance and impact of global solidarity during the 35th Annual North American Labor History Conference (NALHC) Oct. 24-26 at Wayne State University's McGregor Memorial Conference Center. UAW Vice President Cindy Estrada and Moe Fitzsimmons, director of the UAW Global Organizing Institute, will discuss immigration and solidarity with Mexican workers during the three-day conference featuring addresses, book talks, panels, roundtables, and other events related to a variety of topics under the theme of "Geographies of Labor." Francis Shor, Wayne State University professor of history and NALHC organizer, says this year's conference explores transformations in technology and economic, social, political and cultural practices over the last several centuries. "These transformations have created new spatial regimes within and across geographic boundaries. Whether negotiating the changes around them or taking advantage of new possibilities to shape alternatives, workers have been central to remapping this emergent environment."

"Building An Honest & Open Government in Detroit: Why Public Integrity Matters," is the theme of a leadership summit on Monday, Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wayne State University Law School's Partrich Auditorium to be attended by leaders in business, government, nonprofit, foundation and the wider civic community. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is set to open the summit through a video- conference followed by a special "Gatekeepers Roundtable," featuring media stakeholders such as Detroit Free Press Publisher Paul Anger, discussing the role of the media in ensuring public integrity and good governance. Quicken Loans Founder & Chairman Dan Gilbert will appear for a special conversation about Detroit and its prospects for the future including the role of the private sector in ensuring the public trust as well as Federal Bar Association President Michael K. Lee, Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah and Detroit Council of Baptist Pastors General Counsel Rev. Bertram Marks, Wayne State Law School Dean Jocelyn Benson, Wayne Law Professor Peter Henning among other headline speakers. Detroit Inspector General James Heith is expected to address the summit.

Wayne State University physics professors Paul Karchin and Robert Harr were guests on "The Craig Fahle Show" discussing their contributions to the Nobel Prize winning team that discovered the Higgs-Boson particle nicknamed "The God Particle."

The Bonstelle Theatre's "Our Town" is included in the list of college productions that are considered to be the best to see this year in the Detroit. The Thornton Wilder play will be running through Oct. 20.

Wayne State University says researchers, union members, activists and students will attend this month's North American Labor History Conference at the Detroit campus. The 35th annual conference takes place Oct. 24-26 at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center. It features addresses, book talks, panel and round table discussions, and other events related to a variety of topics under the theme of "Geographies of Labor." The university says there will be screenings of the movies "Harvest of Empire" and "American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs." There also will be a guided tour of the Detroit Institute of Arts' Diego Rivera murals.