A move by community colleges to offer bachelor\'s degrees in nursing and three other areas is sparking some questions. At issue is state House legislation, recently approved by committee, that would allow colleges to grant four-year baccalaureate degrees in nursing, cement technology, maritime technology and culinary arts. One issue is the legislation\'s wording. It calls for a bachelor\'s degree in nursing, not the bachelor\'s of science in nursing, or BSN, offered by universities that are accredited through national nursing accreditation bodies. "If there\'s a need for more programs, why doesn\'t the Legislature give money to us who have programs already up and running, already accredited," said Barbara Redman, dean of Wayne State University's College of Nursing.

Wayne State University marketing professor Jeffrey Stoltman commented on the significance of Black Friday weekend. While some analysts say it sets the pace for the holiday season, others consider it irrelevant, especially with sales starting as early as October and continuing for two weeks after Christmas. Black Friday sales this year were \"still only half a percent\" higher than 2008\'s sobering tally, Stoltman said. \"I wouldn\'t break out the champagne and the funny hats just yet.\"

John Mohyi, a 21-year-old Wayne State University student, is quoted in a story about efforts to restore the Michigan Central Station located in Detroit. Mohyi said he contacted Dan Stamper, president of the Detroit International Bridge Co., which owns the station, to get access to the station to clean it up over the summer. He developed a Web site, www.savemichigancentral.com, hoping to \"breathe new life into the station and resurrect a landmark in the city of Detroit. \"I thought, \'Wow, you cannot destroy something as beautiful as this,\'\" said Mohyi, who envisions Michigan Central as a hub for high-speed rail and mixed-used development.

Monika Wierzbicki, external affairs liaison at the Wayne State University College of Nursing, commented about state officials who are looking at how to retool the Michigan Nursing Corps, a program designed to produce new nursing faculty announced in 2007 by Gov. Granholm but never funded to the $15 million annually that she proposed. The $5 million in 2009 funding was reduced to about $4.5 million midyear, and then chopped to $300,000 in the state\'s current-year fiscal 2010 budget. "I can\'t find any logic behind the madness that we\'re seeing," said Wierzbicki. She said the school has made 228 nursing scholarship awards totaling $719,400 since 2003. It\'s a program "where our best and brightest nurses actually have to stay and work here in the state," Wierzbicki said.

Professor Jerry Herron, who teaches contemporary American culture at Wayne State University, comments in a story about Us Magazine Fantasy Celebrity League, which takes the sports fantasy format and gives entertainment followers a competitive outlet of their own. Herron says he views the games as harmless fun and a way for people to interact in a world in which they are otherwise passive consumers.

David Rosenberg, M.D., who leads a team of researchers that recently discovered that the chemical glutamate plays a major role in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), was featured on a segment profiling the success story of one of his patients. Dr. Rosenberg is the Miriam L. Hamburger Endowed Chair of Child Psychiatry and professor of Psychiatry with Wayne State's School of Medicine.

Wayne State professor of urban planning Robin Boyle comments in a story about a new Web site www.BoughtInDetroit.com designed to encourage people to shop in Detroit and redirect some of their money that would otherwise be spent outside of the city limits. "Detroit\'s neighborhoods frequently suffer because people don\'t know what they have to offer," Boyle said. "You\'ve got to be in those neighborhoods to know what\'s there and that\'s a challenge.\"

Wayne State University Board of Governors member Eugene Driker writes in a letter-to-the editor that our political leaders in Lansing need a strategy for restoring funding for higher education. He suggests that a good place to start is reinstating the Promise Scholarships. "Gov. Jennifer Granholm is absolutely correct in asserting that these scholarships are essential to Michigan's economic future."

In another letter-to-the-editor, a Free Press reader writes that the Michigan Promise Scholarship mainly benefits universities and colleges, not their students. He also references Wayne State University President Jay Noren's op-ed (\"Michigan can mend its broken promise,\" Nov. 19).

Joe Sawasky, Wayne State University CIO, comments in a story about Automation Alley's 2010 Mentor & Coaching Program. The 10-month program pairs Automation Alley members with a CIO mentor in a one-on-one relationship. Wayne State is among the local companies and institutions participating. "The Mentor Program was really rewarding, both for mentee and mentor," Sawasky said. "We both learned much in our brief journey together."

A brief notes that Wayne State University plans to resume twice-a-year graduations next month, with the first December ceremonies in five years.

A story about the Wayne State men's basketball team asks, "Is this the year for Wayne State to win a national championship? The Warriors defeated No. 1 Ballarmine last Saturday coming back from a 17-point first-half deficit for an 84-74 upset in double overtime. \"It\'s not very often you get a chance to play the No. 1 team in the nation on your home floor, so it was great to take advantage of the opportunity,\" said ninth-year WSU coach David Greer. \"We struggled last year with closing out games and lost seven by five or fewer points. We returned the majority of the team, including our veteran backcourt.

Hundreds of students gathered outside the Welcome Center at Wayne State University to wave their signs in protest of Michigan lawmakers\' elimination of the Michigan Promise Scholarship. Part of West Warren Avenue was shut down during the rally. http://www.wxyz.com/news/story/Students-Protest-Promise-Scholarship-Cuts/Rya7ylaMuUGsADmdDLOjtQ.cspx http://www.wwj.com/WSU-Student-Rally-For-Promise-Scholarship/5740221 http://www.detnews.com/article/20091123/SCHOOLS/911230406/1026/WSU-student-rally-pushes-restoration-of-scholarships

Wayne State University is experiencing a slow but significant transition, with larger numbers of younger undergrad students who are taking more classes and spending more time in extracurricular activities. David Strauss, dean of students, discusses student engagement and activities. Tim Michael, director of housing and residential life, comments on increased demand for on-campus housing. The story mentions that students planned to rally in front of the Welcome Center at noon today in support of the Michigan Promise scholarship. http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1009&DateTime=11%2F23%2F2009+5%3A19%3A04+AM&Term=wayne+state&PlayClip=TRUE

Wayne State students plan to rally in front of the university's Welcome Center at noon today in support of the Michigan Promise scholarship. Wayne State Student Council President James Gale was interviewed by WWJ Radio. http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=11%2F22%2F2009+3%3A07%3A55+PM&Term=wayne+state&PlayClip=TRUE http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=999&DateTime=11%2F23%2F2009+5%3A34%3A08+AM&Term=wayne+state&PlayClip=TRUE

A Wayne State researcher is investigating the potential of a dietary agent in inhibiting the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer - one of the most deadly cancer types in the world. Fazlul H. Sarkar, professor of pathology in the Karmanos Cancer Center at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, received more than $300,000 from the National Institutes of Health through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The award is an expansion on two research grants totaling $3 million which investigate the potential role of B-DIM, a small molecule found in leafy vegetables, in pancreatic cancer prevention and treatment.

Over the past five years, the University Research Corridor, an alliance of Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, produced an average of 20 new companies annually, with 28 startups created during the last fiscal year. The leaders of the universities say the state\'s future economy will be driven by the types of high-tech businesses emerging from the corridor. "Michigan\'s economy is in the throes of dramatic change, and higher education provides essential energy to assure that change will convert Michigan to the economic dynamo we know it can be," said Wayne State President Jay Noren. "Frankly, we are not waiting for the state to catch up. We already are doing our part."

Wayne State University is providing the technical, strategic and systems support to provide Internet access for residents in two low-income Detroit neighborhoods, as part of the Community Telecommunications Network (CTN). The Knight Foundation recently announced more than $5 million in grants to strengthen the city\'s creative sector and expand public Internet access. "Wayne State University is excited about the Knight Foundation\'s investment in Detroit and proud of our role, along with our partners in CTN, in extending broadband access,\" said WSU President Jay Noren. \"This is a critical component in our collective efforts to revitalize Midtown and Detroit, connecting stakeholders and supporting new applications for economic development, public safety, education and health care. This project will change lives, uplift neighborhoods and help move this great city forward.\" A story teaser ran on the front page of the publication. http://www.tellusdetroit.com/

Harvey Hollins, Wayne State University's vice president for government affairs, comments in a story about state budget cuts to higher education appropriations. "The challenge for the state of Michigan is funding, and it\'s not funding in terms of how much money. It\'s funding in terms of strategy," Hollins said of the cuts. He says state government officials are continuing to put the state\'s higher education system at a disadvantage because of the lack of a long-term funding strategy. "The state is worrying about 2010 now and not having the conversation about 2015," he said.

Last week, WSU\'s Center for the Study of Citizenship took the first step in examining technology and citizenship by hosting a national conference - eCitizenship: New Tools, New Strategies, New Spaces - and launching a 3-year, national research project to explore the link between social media and civic involvement. Marc Kruman, director for Wayne State's Center for the Study of Citizenship and political science professor Kevin Deegan-Krause comment. Several photos of Krause and his political science class accompany the story.