Kevin Tatulyan, Wayne State University Student Senate president, and Megha Trivedi, Wayne State University Student Senate vice president and WSU Board of Governors Budget and Finance Committee student delegate, penned an op-ed about the university's response to the statewide budget cuts. They wrote: "We understand and appreciate the difficult decisions President Allan Gilmour and the university administration had to make and, rather than criticizing these decisions, choose to look at the positive actions being taken to preserve our university's excellence as a premier research university." They noted that Wayne State tuition ranks 13th in cost among 15 Michigan public universities, and that though members of the WSU community were saddened by the recent reductions in force, this was implemented after many other financial reductions were put in place including unit and department across-the-board budget cuts and delays on necessary maintenance.

Barbara Redman, dean of Wayne State's College of Nursing, talked about the Doctor of Nursing program at Wayne State University during a "Spotlight on Excellence" segment.

Wayne State University's master's in library and information science program is included in a sampling listing of schools that offer online learning. The 36-credit-hour program focuses on information access, organization, services and management in a field that incorporates electronic media such as digital collections, information architecture and website development. The master\'s in library and information science program is one of two in the state and the only one online.

According to a new study, many of the residents in the south end of Dearborn and Southwest Detroit have grown familiar to the disease of Asthma, at a rate that's alarmingly higher than usual. The new study, which is a collaborative effort between Wayne State University, Michigan State, University of Michigan and nonprofit based organization ACCESS from Dearborn, aims to examine the effects of respiratory health ranging from children to the elderly that live in Dearborn's south end, which is highly polluted with environmental toxins. Dr. Mary Dereski, associate professor and the director of the Wayne State University Family Medicine and Public Health Department, comments about the study.

Dr. Ayad M. Al-Katib, professor in the Wayne State University School of Medicine Division of Hematology/Oncology, talked about a new breakthrough in the treatment of leukemia. The procedure involves removing immune cells from the patient's body, known as T cells, and genetically modifying them so that they can recognize the leukemia cells, then the cells are replaced in the body. Testing is in an early stage, however, it is been successful in three patients. Dr. Lawrence Lum, professor of Immunology and Microbiology, also discussed the treatment during WJR's "Paul W. Smith Show" hosted this morning by Steve Courtney.

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour reviewed the university's challenges and changes that lie ahead during a town hall meeting Aug. 10 in the Schaver Music Recital Hall in Old Main. He addressed the tough decisions the university has had to make as a result of the cuts in state funding to Michigan universities. In order to fill a $32 million deficit, he said, the university had to raise tuition and cut approximately 200 positions, about 85 of which were filled at the time. "This is always a last resort. It is among the hardest realities we face. But we had little choice, and we did what we needed to do. We regret losing people who contributed to Wayne and who are our friends," he said. Sandra Yee, dean of the WSU Library System, said Gilmour's message of perseverance through tough times was something that applies to all members of the university. "It was a really good message for what we need to hear right now. Knowing how to rise above hard times is key," she said. A photo of President Gilmour is included.

Members of a Wayne State University fellowship program designed to groom metro Detroit\'s future leaders heard blunt talk Wednesday from Mayor Dave Bing, who told them the city is at a critical point that requires new approaches to vexing troubles. Stunning population loss, dramatic drops in tax base, failing schools, middle-class flight -- \"all of the things you hear about Detroit that are negative, a lot of them are true,\" Bing said. The 29 members of the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program are mid-career professionals, most in their 20s and 30s. They will work for two years for private businesses, community groups and government agencies while also getting in-depth study of the city\'s biggest challenges. The fellowships, which began Aug. 1, are sponsored by the university and the Kresge Foundation, Hudson-Webber Foundation and Skillman Foundation. More than 600 people applied for the fellowship, and 29 were accepted, many of whom grew up outside Michigan or are returning from careers in other states.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health recently awarded Lori A. Pile, assistant professor of molecular cell biology in Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, $1.39 million to research how the alteration of chromatin regulates cellular division and growth. The study is intended to support the development of cancer treatments currently undergoing clinical trials. A photo of Pile is included.

The Michigan House and Senate are comprised of more graduates of Michigan State University than any other university or college, according to a recent survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Thirty-two Spartans serve in the state Legislature, good for about 22 percent of lawmakers. The next best-represented school is the University of Michigan with 18 state legislators, or about 12 percent of the total. Wayne State University is third with 13. Western Michigan University is fourth with 10. Six other institutions round out the state\'s top 10 best-represented list with less than 10 legislators holding degrees from those colleges and universities.

The Wayne State University Dance Company traveled to Paramaribo, the capital city of the Republic of Suriname, South America, to participate in a dance exchange program titled "Out of the Box: Detroit - Paramaribo Dance Alliance." WSU Dance Company members and dancers from a Surinamese ballet company participated in master classes and workshops and taught each other choreography. The program culminated in two public performances at Paramaribo's Theater Thalia on August 10 and 11, during which 18 dances were performed. On August 12 they traveled to Moengo, Suriname, for another dance exchange program.

In a feature story about the passing of Eleanor Josaitis, one of Detroit\'s prominent civil rights icons, a Wayne State University study is mentioned in reference to her leadership tenure at Focus: HOPE. In its early days, Focus: HOPE gained national attention when it surveyed prices and quality of products in grocery stores, comparing businesses in the suburbs and city. Wayne State University researchers tabulated the results and found that urban stores were selling the same items up to 30 percent higher. The study showed some produce and nearly expired items were transferred from suburban stores to urban stores, leading to the firing of some store managers and other changes. It was the first success of Focus: HOPE and led Detroiters to realize the organization was fighting to make a difference. The Crain's story notes that Ms. Josaitis received an honorary degree from Wayne State.

Five big unions representing state employees said Tuesday they will coordinate their bargaining as the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder seeks $145 million in concessions. Marick Masters, director of Labor@Wayne at Wayne State University, said it appears the unions want \"to present a common front\" to the state in difficult economic times but he\'s not sure the move has significant implications for negotiations.

The school board for the new Education Achievement Authority -- a statewide district to oversee some of the state\'s worst-performing schools -- will hold its first meetings today at Wayne State University\'s McGregor Memorial Conference Center in Detroit. The board meeting is at 12:30 p.m.; the executive committee will meet at 2:15 p.m.

Scott Ryan spoke with former Wayne State University swimmer Ashley St. Andrew before her swim from Two Rivers, Wisc. to Ludington, Mich. State Park, which is a 50-mile stretch across the mid-section of Lake Michigan. Her goal was to swim the lake in a straight line.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today announced the appointment of Philip Levine as the Library\'s 18th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry for 2011-2012. \"Philip Levine is one of America\'s great narrative poets,\" Billington said. \"His plainspoken lyricism has, for half a century, championed the art of telling \'The Simple Truth\'-about working in a Detroit auto factory, as he has, and about the hard work we do to make sense of our lives.\" Born in Detroit on Jan. 10, 1928, Levine received degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Iowa Writer\'s Workshop, and in 1957 was awarded the Jones Fellowship in Poetry at Stanford.

Sharon Sellers-Clark, director of field services in the College of Education at Wayne State University, spoke with Craig Fahle about the significance of the 2011 New Literacies Conference \"Teaching and Learning in the Decades Ahead.\" The day-long event will address how schools can use technology to promote diversity and learning. The conference will take place 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 18.

In a story about the 2011 Forbes list of top colleges, Wayne State University is noted as ranking 564 out of 650. The rankings are based on post graduate success, student satisfaction, debt, four year graduation rate and competitive awards. Here's how the other universities fared: Saginaw Valley State University was not on the list. Hillsdale College was Michigan's highest ranked learning institution at 60. The University of Michigan ranked 93rd, Michigan State University 349, Michigan Technological University ranked 508, Grand Valley State University ranked 562, Oakland University ranked 611, Eastern Michigan University ranked 641 and Western Michigan University ranked 645.

Neural implants have the potential to treat disorders and diseases that typically require long-term treatment, such as blindness, deafness, epilepsy, spinal cord injury, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. However, implantable devices have been problematic in clinical applications because of bodily reactions that limit device functioning time. Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Wayne State University, is out to change that. He recently received a five-year, $475,000 Faculty Early Career Development grant from the National Science Foundation to study the potential of graphene, a novel carbon material, in the development of a reliable, high-performance, long-term implantable electrode system to improve quality of life using nanotechnology. Cheng is collaborating with colleagues in the School of Medicine, in biomedical engineering, and in WSU's Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems and Nano Incubator programs.

The Detroit Public Library's Burton Historical Collection, one of the state\'s largest repositories for manuscripts, has a new digital index thanks in part to several students from Wayne State's archival program. The project brought federal, state and private groups together to digitize every one of the Collection\'s holdings. The index is now available for perusal online.

TEDxDetroit, an event locally organized to bring together regional leaders and share ideas worth spreading, will bring more than 1,500 attendees to the Max M. Fisher Music Center Sept. 28 for an all-day conference featuring local community and business leaders, entrepreneurs, musicians and artists. Presenters and attendees will focus on how to create, grow and share a thriving creative business culture in Michigan and beyond. TEDxDetroit is presented by Wayne State University, General Motors, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Altair Engineering, Inc., Curve Detroit, Airfoil Public Relations, Detroit Moxie and Motor City Connect.