Henry Ford Health System COO Bob Riney announced Friday at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference that the medical system plans to turn an 87-year-old education building into a world-class medical innovation center using the talents of its own staff, as well as students and professors from Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies. The Innovation Institute at Henry Ford will open in October.

"The Craig Fahle Show" featured a discussion during last week's Mackinac Conference with the presidents of the big three Michigan universities: Allan Gilmour, Wayne State University; Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan and Lou Anna K. Simon, Michigan State University.

In a feature examining the history behind several statues in Detroit, WDIV's Roger Webber spoke with Sandra Schemske, art collections coordinator at Wayne State, about the university's efforts to preserve art on campus. Schemske said the statues of Detroit's founding fathers are in pretty good shape when you look at them, however the university is raising money to repair the limestone.

Wayne State University lecturer and journalist Jack Lessenberry is quoted in an article highlighting the life, career and death of assisted suicide practitioner Jack Kevorkian. Lessenberry, who covered many of the assisted suicides said: "Jack Kevorkian, faults and all, was a major force for good in this society. "He forced us to pay attention to one of the biggest elephants in society's living room: The fact that today vast numbers of people are alive who would rather be dead, who have lives not worth living."

Detroit's TechTown business incubator is branching out into the world of art. The organization, in coordination with Wayne State University, is hosting an opening reception for a new art gallery in an unconventional space - a former used car lot. An opening night reception for Donald Calloway, Jr's "Re-Discovery" show will be held Friday, June 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., coinciding with TechTown's monthly First Friday event from 4 to 6 p.m. at NextEnergy.

Imprisoned political consultant Sam Riddle wants to teach an ethics class to fellow inmates. But federal prison officials aren\'t laughing and canceled the class at the 11th hour Wednesday without explanation. Riddle, onetime Detroit political consultant, is serving time for bribing a Southfield councilman, evading taxes and extorting businesses when he worked as a top aide to former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers. \"His moral compass went askew, but he\'s a very bright man, that\'s always been clear,\" Henning said. \"I guess he will have a certain amount of credibility with his class because he\'s not someone preaching from the outside.\"

The presidents of Michigan's research universities appeared on the "Paul W. Smith Show" in conjunction with this week's Mackinac Conference. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour, Lou Anna Simon, Michigan State University, and Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan, talked about higher education and Gov. Rick Snyder's budget, which includes deep cuts to Michigan's universities.

As Detroit's potential as a technology hub emerged as a theme during the Mackinac Policy Conference, the presidents of Michigan's three largest universities said their institutions are backing programs and technologies to grow the sector. Presidents of Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan defined the sector as information and communication technology, employing 136,525 in 2009. That\'s down about 4.6 percent compared with 2000. But it is taking a growing percent of all sectors in the state, up to 3.5 percent, compared with 3.1 percent, according to a report commissioned by the University Research Corridor.

The New Economy Initiative of Southeast Michigan has awarded a three-year, $450,000 grant to the University Research Corridor to launch a program to encourage international students to stay in Michigan when they finish their education. The Global Detroit International Student Retention Program, announced yesterday at the Mackinac Policy Conference, will help students navigate barriers to legal immigration and help recruit employers to give them jobs. The University Research Corridor is a coalition of the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University that\'s designed to leverage their research, encourage collaboration and support for-profit startups.

Dr. Phillip Levy, associate professor of emergency medicine at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, has received a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the role of vitamin D in halting and reducing subclinical cardiac damage in African-Americans suffering from high blood pressure. Levy will use the five-year grant to determine how vitamin D affects cardiac structure and function, and vascular function in blacks with hypertension.

Should former Democratic senator and vice presidential nominee John Edwards be indicted on criminal charges, he would be prosecuted by the same Justice Department outfit that "infamously botched the investigation of the late Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska." The Stevens investigation led to internal ousters, dropped criminal charges, a federal investigation and, tragically, the suicide of a promising young prosecutor. Legal observers say that with the high-profile Edwards case, the Justice Department\'s Public Integrity Section would be under intense scrutiny. Prosecuting public corruption is difficult, observers say, because there could always be a hint of impropriety: Are prosecutors going after a political enemy? If Edwards is indicted, the Public Integrity Section would be prosecuting another high-profile target. \"The man ran for vice president. They\'re going to be careful,\" said Peter Henning, law professor at Wayne State University and co-author of a new book, \"Prosecution and Defense of Public Corruption.\" \"Their reputation\'s on the line, too.\"

The University Research Corridor (URC) released a new report Thursday that shows how the information and communication technology industry is a worthy educational investment, offers higher-paying jobs and has potential for more business growth in Michigan. The independent analysis, conducted by Anderson Economic Group, is the URC's fourth annual report that quantifies and assesses industry sectors where the universities' research and development play a major role. The URC, a consortium of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, also announced that it had received a grant to launch a new student retention program for foreign-born students. A WWJ-AM radio audio clip is included in the CBS Detroit story featuring a discussion with President Allan Gilmour and the other URC university presidents.

Gov. Rick Snyder and Michigan business executives today unveiled a $3 billion public-private initiative to increase purchasing from Michigan companies, help businesses access additional capital and obtain other assistance. The Pure Michigan Business Connect encompasses new commitments and existing programs and is part of the state\'s \"economic gardening\" drive to help existing Michigan businesses grow and create jobs. The effort includes a $500 million commitment by the state\'s two largest energy companies to buy more goods and services from Michigan-based suppliers. Michigan Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Michael Finney said virtually every department in state government is on board to \"buy more Michigan.\" He said the purchasing element of the initiative is modeled after the Midtown Development Initiative in Detroit. In Midtown, three anchor institutions - Henry Ford Health System, Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center - joined forces to expand the level of spending with Detroit-based businesses.

The New Economy Initiative (NEI) has enlisted New Michigan Media and Issue Media Group LLC to highlight the impact that Southeast Michigan\'s ethnic, minority and immigrant entrepreneurs have on the region\'s economic revitalization. During a press conference yesterday at the Detroit Regional Chamber\'s Mackinac Policy Conference, the NEI said it is putting a $100,000 grant behind the effort. New Michigan Media is a network of ethnic and minority media organizations across Michigan. It was organized in 2006 by Hayg Oshagan, a professor in Wayne State University\'s Department of Communication.

A story highlighting the recent Goldman Sachs Group subpoena by the Manhattan District Attorney\'s office over the investment bank\'s activities leading up to the financial crisis, includes commentary from Wayne State law professor Peter Henning. \"This is just another thorn in Goldman\'s side,\" Henning said, referring to the attention Goldman has received from government and the media since the financial crisis began three years ago. The government\'s request for information from Goldman is the first stage of an investigation, Henning added.

Dr. Phillip Levy, associate professor of emergency medicine at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, has received a $1.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the role of vitamin D in halting and reducing subclinical cardiac damage in African-Americans suffering from high blood pressure. Levy will use the five-year grant to determine how vitamin D affects cardiac structure and function, and vascular function in blacks with hypertension. \"Vitamin D is an inexpensive therapeutic intervention, which, if shown to be efficacious, could greatly enhance the existing approach to secondary disease prevention in a widely accessible, cost-effective manner,\" Levy said.

In a story about fundraising events such as Relay For Life and Howell Michigan's Pink Party, Wayne State University is noted as having ongoing projects funded by the Cancer Society. The national organizations funded by these events give money to research projects all across the country, but a large chunk of that money comes back to Michigan to fund research projects, community education, medical programs and other support services for cancer survivors and those diagnosed with cancer. At the end of 2010, the American Cancer Society was funding about 950 grants totaling about $475 million nationwide.

Twenty-nine engineers and scientists from industry and academia now have the SAE International status of \"SAE Fellow.\" SAE Fellowship status is the highest grade of membership bestowed by SAE International. It recognizes outstanding engineering and scientific accomplishments by an individual that have resulted in meaningful advances in automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle technology. The 2011 recipients include Wayne State University's Ming-Chia Daniel Lai, professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour offered comments to Fox 2 reporter Charlie Langton during the first day of activities at the annual Mackinac Conference. \"We\'re a producer of people that I hope will continue to live in Michigan, work for companies, have the companies prosper and they\'ll prosper.\"

In a story about Midtown's resurgence and the planned location of a Whole Foods grocery store, WDIV reporter Hank Winchester mentions that Wayne State University continues to grow in the area.