Two students from Canada have been chosen to deliver commencement addresses at Wayne State University. Naomi Fei will deliver the address at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences ceremony, and Kristen Roy, will be speaking at the ceremony for the College of Engineering. During her four years at WSU State Fei has been involved in several student organizations, including committee chair of the American Medical Students Association. Roy is graduating at the top of her class with a Bachelor of Science degree in electronics and electrical engineering technology, and was on the Dean\'s List every semester.

Detroit News, 5/2 Saeed Khan, Wayne State University professor of Middle Eastern politics and culture, said the killing of bin Laden is a \"momentous occasion\" given the approaching the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11. \"It seems quite timely that the architect of the murder of 3,000 citizens has finally paid the price himself at the hands of our forces who demonstrated their patience and demonstrated their perseverance in being able to finally see that part of the mission through,\" Khan said. As far as how this will affect our relationship with the Middle East, Khan said: \"Al-Qaida is a stateless organization, not one that is the head of a nation itself.\"

Wayne State University professor and terrorism expert, Richard Chasdi, spoke with Action News following President Obama's announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden. Chasdi called the President's announcement a "closely reasoned and closely crafted speech." Chasdi warned, "Bin Laden is not an anomaly." "We should expect retaliation," he said.

The 2010 census numbers released last month confirmed an epic population loss for Detroit: Once the fifth largest in the country, the city is now No. 18, having lost 1 in 4 people in just 10 years. Decades ago, as the city mushroomed during a wave of industrial expansion, neighborhoods sprang up near bustling factories and areas dedicated to industrial activity. With so many of those buildings now shuttered, many neighborhoods lost their \"economic purpose,\" said Lyke Thompson, director of Wayne State University's urban studies center. For those parts of the city, rebirth may be difficult, if not impossible, without a stabilizing force like an auto plant. But in others, changes have helped a neighborhood shift focus. Wayne State University, as part of Midtown, is noted as one of the positive attractions.

Jury selection starts today in Tony Nelson\'s federal corruption trial. Prosecutors say Nelson, former chairman of JaxPort, deprived the public of his honest services by using his position on the port board to demand and accept $150,000 in bribes from a contractor. As closely watched as the case will be locally, it could have implications for future honest-services prosecutions nationally, said Peter Henning, Wayne State University law professor. Those cases involve allegations that a public official deprived the community of its right to his lawful services. Henning said Nelson will be among the first such defendants going to trial since the U.S. Supreme Court reined in the government\'s prosecution of former Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling last June.

Frederick Pearson, director of Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, was a guest on The Craig Fahle Show talking about the death of Osama bin Laden. Pearson also mentioned today's discussion with Herbert Kelman on "Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation: A Social-Psychological Perspective on Ending violent Conflict Between Identity Groups." The free lecture, sponsored by the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, will take place at 3 p.m. in the Alumni House. Kelman also will receive the Cranbrook Peace Award at the Peacemaker Awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at NextEnergy. (Cue to 16:45)

What are the hurdles Gov. Rick Snyder faces to make his education plan a reality? Expanding charter schools and schools of choice, changing seniority and tenure rules and other parts of Snyder's vision for education in Michigan have stirred up controversy since his speech Wednesday. Michael Addonizio, professor of educational administration/educational leadership & policy studies at Wayne State University, will be one of five panelists participating in the chat.

What are the hurdles Gov. Rick Snyder faces to make his education plan a reality? Expanding charter schools and schools of choice, changing seniority and tenure rules and other parts of Snyder's vision for education in Michigan have stirred up controversy since his speech Wednesday. Michael Addonizio, professor of educational administration/educational leadership & policy studies at Wayne State University, will be one of five panelists participating in the chat.

Metro Detroit has accepted a challenge to increase the number of degrees it produces locally over the next three years in a competition with at least 27 other metros around the country. Launched by Chicago-based CEOs for Cities, the contest puts Southeast Michigan in the running for a $1 million national marketing campaign promoting its focus on a highly educated workforce. Troy-based Kresge Foundation is granting $1 million to help fund the competition, and Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education is contributing $420,000 to administer it. The Detroit Regional Chamber is the convener behind metro Detroit's bid. Wayne State University is among the other members of the steering committee.

In a recent national survey by Mercer, 17 percent of companies with 500-999 employees have carved out pharmacy benefits from their medical insurance plans. Under a carve-out, prescription drug coverage is handled separately from other medical coverage, either self-insured with a third-party administrator or through a different insurer. The goal is to bring more specific expertise to the management of prescription benefits and save money while providing needed medications. Wayne State University is noted as one of Michigan's universities achieving savings by carving out their own prescription benefits and using a pharmacy purchasing coalition to reduce costs

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index dipped slightly from 71.8 to 67.9 in April - but the economists at Wayne State University who track the index point out that 67.9 still represents strong economic growth. Index values above 50 generally represent an expanding economy, while values below 50 suggest a weakening economy. "Over 70 percent of the survey respondents indicated that commodity prices were higher in April than in March, and none indicated that prices were lower," said Timothy Butler, associate professor of global supply chain management at Wayne State's business school, who analyzed the survey results. "Specific items that purchasing managers noted as increasing in price were petroleum products and fuel, cotton products, metals such as steel and copper, and freight costs."

A story examining Detroit's declining population and projected losses of another 100,000 to 200,000 people, mentions incentive programs like Live Midtown to revitalize the city. Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center and Henry Ford Health System are offering incentives to get employees to move into the area. Midtown already is seeing some growth in population and retail. Detroit needs people in decent jobs to support growing retail and tax base, according to John Mogk, a Wayne State law professor. \"Those who have the potential for investment and creating jobs, what do they want to do in the city?\" he said.

An article highlighting the NAACP's Great Expectations Award given to Kid Rock during the civil rights organization\'s annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner, mentions Rock's scholarship program through Wayne State University. The scholarship helps offset tuition costs of students from throughout southeastern Michigan who are selected for their academic achievements and limited financial resources.

Brandon Mancini of Canton, has been named the commencement speaker for the Wayne State University School of Medicine commencement ceremony Thursday, May 5. WSU officials said the role of commencement speaker "is a very important designation at WSU and is reserved only for students of outstanding character and high academic standard." Mancini is graduating with a doctor of medicine degree from the School of Medicine. In his four years at Wayne State University, he has assumed many leadership roles within the School of Medicine. Serving as class president for all four years, Mancini has been a pivotal influence, assisting to improve curriculum, promoting open communication between students and administration, and working to improve the overall medical student experience.

Five Wayne State University professors who have distinguished themselves with significant scholarly achievements have been honored with the 2011 WSU Board of Governors Faculty Recognition Awards. The awards are given annually to full-time faculty members who make outstanding contributions to scholarship and learning. This year\'s recipients are: Abdul B. Abou-Samra, chief of the division of endocrinology and professor of medicine, physiology and molecular genetics in the School of Medicine; Michael J. Giordano, associate professor in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; William A. Harris, professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Osumaka Likaka, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Kypros Markou, professor of music and director of orchestral studies in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. A photo of the award recipients is included.

Wayne State University students, faculty, staff and all persons who live, work, or play in the city of Detroit are invited to take advantage of a special opportunity to get rid of their old and unwanted electronic items - their e-waste - in a responsible manner. The drive will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 6, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. It will be held in Wayne State University's Parking Lot 11, located north of the campus on Cass between Antoinette and York in Detroit. The WSU Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the Purchasing Department, in partnership with Apple Inc., will have trucks on hand to collect the e-waste.

A story about merit grant programs that can cover up to the full cost of tuition for law students points out the challenge for some students to maintain a grade-point average of 3.0 or above - a B or better - a general requirement for keeping the grant. Wayne State University's Law School tells merit scholarship winners in congratulations letters that they will need a 3.25 G.P.A. to keep their grants, worth nearly $25,000 a year. That means students need to wind up in the top third of their class. Ericka Jackson, assistant dean of admissions, comments in the piece.

John Taylor, associate professor of supply chain management and director of supply chain programs at Wayne State University, commented in a story about the rising fuel costs and its effect on shipping companies. Taylor said haulers pass along increased fuel costs to companies but the uncertainty over how long higher prices will last makes making radical transportation changes risky in the short term. \"Companies started looking at it in 2008, but they got a reprieve because prices dropped again. They\'ve started considering those plans again,\" he said. \"It\'s going to need to get to $5 a gallon for companies to start making changes.\"

The Wayne State University School of Business consulting team of M.B.A.s led by Paul Reagan, senior lecturer of management, has been working with Tina Yancey and her Great Harvest bakery for the last four months. Observations from the team are included in this piece.

The Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus will host its 7th Annual International Symposium, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, 2011. Co-sponsored by the Michigan Council for Social Studies, this year's forum's topic is "Much Ado About Bullying: Signs, Symptoms, and Solutions." The event will feature three guest presenters including Elizabeth Barton, associate director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University.