Schools today
Ron Teasley, a Wayne State baseball Hall of Famer and a living legend of the former Negro League, visited DeRor Montessori Center in Oak Park recently. He talked with students about achieving good grades and the importance of teamwork.
In the news
Focus: American Dreamers, Randal Charlton, 67
A special section on the success stories of immigrants to the U.S. includes an item on Randal Charlton, Wayne State's entrepreneur-in-residence and interim managing director of TechTown. Raised in England, he has had an affinity for the United States since he was a child. He is the founder and outgoing CEO of Asterand, a human tissue supplier located in TechTown. "One thing I really love about America is the willingness to try something new," he said. A photo of Charlton accompanies the write-up. (See the 3/26 media report for an entry on two other entrepreneurs with close ties to Wayne State. - Yousif Ghafari and Raj Vattikuti - who also are featured in this special section.)
Students study, hold human brains
Wayne State University researchers Kimberly Anne Laplante and Elena Schifirner brought preserved human brains to the Psychology Club at Farmington Harrison High School recently for a discussion about brain function. The organs were donated to the WSU School of Medicine by persons who offered their bodies for science." Two photos of Laplante and Schifirner speaking to the students accompany the story. Wayne State is mentioned five times in the article and photo captions.
Historical women to converse Wednesday
In honor of Women's History Month, the Sojourner Foundation will present its 20th annual "Conversation With… Women In the House" Wednesday at the Roostertail. Volunteer actresses, who will portray historic women, include Jacquelin Washington of the Wayne State University Board of Governors as Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Ticket information is provided, as well as a phone number for further information.
American dreamers alumni
Yousif Ghafari, president & CEO of Ghafari Associates Inc., and Raj Vattikuti, founder, CEO and president of Covansys Corp., are profiled among Crain's "American Dreamers Alumni. Ghafari left his home country of Lebanon in 1972 to pursue his education at Wayne State University earning three degrees - a bachelor's and master's in mathematics and a master of science in chemical engineering. Ghafari has given back to Wayne State with a $9 million pledge to the university helping to fund a 100,000-square-foot engineering development center, among other things, and also helping launch Wayne State's $500 million capital campaign in spring 2005.
Vattikuti arrived in Detroit in 1974 as a 22-year-old graduate student at Wayne State University, and got his start working for Chrysler Corp. Vattikuti founded Covansys Corp. as Complete Business Solutions Inc. in 1985. The company had revenue of $455.5 million in 2006 and employs more than 5,000 worldwide.
2 WSU residency programs find new health systems
Two of the four Wayne State University School of Medicine residency programs that The Detroit Medical Center is dropping have moved to other health systems. On Nov. 22, Wayne State and the DMC agreed to a 3-year contract for many residency programs, but that the university would become sole sponsor of four: dermatology; ear, nose and throat; urology; and family medicine. Last week, Dearborn-based Oakwood Healthcare Inc. said it would house the dermatology program. And, Crittenton Hospital in Rochester Hills said it would be home of the family-medicine program. Crittenton officials also are negotiating to house the ear, nose and throat program along with others that Frank Sottile, chief medical officer at Crittenton, said he couldn\'t talk about yet. The moves are part of Crittenton\'s plans to become more of a teaching hospital, Sottile said.
Meijer plans to invest $123M in Michigan in 2007
Schools to fight separate research funding
Nine Michigan universities have formed a coalition to fight a move by Michigan\'s three largest research universities to be moved into their own budget bill. The Education Alliance for Michigan announced its formation on Monday. The coalition includes Oakland University, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Central Michigan University, Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University and Saginaw Valley State University. At issue is House Bill 4351, which embodies Gov. Jennifer Granholm\'s proposal to place funding for the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University in a separate appropriations bill.
Four community banks to open in growth spurt
First Spirit Bank is planning to open a new branch before the end of June that will target African-American and Hispanic small-business owners, and Wayne State University-affiliated startups and young technology companies at the TechTown incubator just north of campus.
Always a breath of fresh airwaves, WDET's Liz Copeland is leaving the building
In his column, McGraw wrote about Liz Copeland's 12-year-old overnight radio show, "Alternate Take," on WDET-FM 101.9, which will be cancelled April 2 as part of the Wayne State University-owned station's new format. Besides Copeland, WDET is also losing expert hosts W. Kim Heron, Ralph Valde, Mick Collins and Chuck Horn.
Garina national champion for third time
Wayne State University senior epeeist Anna Garina earned her third NCAA title with a 15-13 win in the gold medal bout Sunday against Notre Dame's Kelley Hurley. Garina won the NCAA title in both 2004 and 2005, while finishing second last year. She is the first WSU female fencer to be a 3-time NCAA Champion and only the third in school history behind Greg Benko (1974-76) and Ernest Simon (1979-81). WSU placed 8th in the NCAA Championship with 76 victories (33 by the men and 43 by the women). A photo of Garina is included.
University Preparatory Academy: Small is better
A story about the University Preparatory Academy in Detroit mentions that the public charter elementary and middle high school was founded in 2000 in partnership with Wayne State University and Henry Ford Community College.
WSU Softball Goes Extra Innings To Win Invitational Title
The Wayne State University softball team (16-7) beat Ferris State University 5-4 over the weekend in the championship game of the 2007 WSU Invitational.
She has lupus, and a life full of good things: WSU grad an author, runner
A profile on Wayne State alumnus Sandra Epps, who was diagnosed with lupus when she was 14, chronicles her battle with the disease but notes that she remains active. She says her years as a Wayne State student were "the best experience of my life." In her senior year, she was selected for a two-week art exchange program in Brazil. "That changed my life," she recalls. "It was like something magical happened. I graduated in 2001 with a BFA in fiber arts (textiles), the first in my family to graduate college." Currently, she is associate producer for the cable TV show, "Wake Up, Detroit!" and has written a children's book. The article includes a photo of Epps.
Area Sports in Brief: Fencing
The Wayne State University men's fencing team won the NCAA championship in men's epee. WSU's Slava Zingerman defeated teammate Marek Petraszek in the semifinals. As a team, WSU is 10th in the men's competition with 33 points.
Women's fencing wins 30 bouts on Saturday, moves squad into eighth
Four members of the Wayne State University women's fencing team won 30 bouts Saturday. Two-time NCAA champion Anna Garina won all 14 of her bouts and is in first place after day one of the women's epee. Justyna Konczalska is in seventh place. WSU also had two fencers in the saber competition: Kasia Kuzniak (13th place with 6-8 record) and Ann Bartoszewicz (24th place with a 2-12 record).
Grand Rapids developer and Wayne State University break ground on the university's $36 million South University Village project in Midtown Detroit
On March 21, ground was broken on Wayne State University's South University Village, a $36 million project hailed as the first major market-rate residential project of its kind in Detroit in more than 30 years. Located on the former site of the old Vernors ginger ale factory, South University Village will be a major commercial corridor marked by exciting shops and restaurants, state-of-the-art residential facilities and a thriving gateway to the WSU campus.
Symposium re-thinks legal approaches to terrorism
A March article gives details of an upcoming Edward Wise Memorial Endowed Symposium. The topic for the March 26 gathering was "Rethinking Legal Approaches to Terrorism and Mass Atrocity."
WDET: More news, less music
Wayne State University's public radio station, WDET-FM, announced a new program schedule Thursday to take effect April 2. The format moves the station further along toward becoming become a news and information provider. Details of the programming changes are given. Among changes: a new public affairs program called "Detroit Today" will air between 10 a.m. - noon on weekdays. Station spokesman Kevin Piotrowski said the changes "reflect the direction the university wants the radio station to pursue."
Training teachers for North Carolina
Wayne State is mentioned near the bottom of an editorial about changes the newspaper feels the state should make in order to spend more wisely on higher education. "The cost of the universities and the large part they play in the state economy argue for a thorough study of how these 15 campuses can be better organized to restrain expense and to better align spending with public needs," The Press writes. Among questions that need to be answered, according to the editorial, is "How best to protect and advance Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, schools having the greatest economic importance to the state."
Events
Two WSU-related items are listed: "The Elephant Man" is playing Friday and Saturday at the university's Hilberry Theatre, and the "MFA Thesis Exhibition II," featuring the works of three students, is at the Community Arts Gallery through April 6. Pertinent details are provided for both items.