The city of Novi's new community development director, Stephen Rumple, has a master's degree in urban planning and a graduate certificate in economic development from Wayne State University.

Four open houses are planned this week for sharing ideas and soliciting input on rapid transit options to improve mobility in metro Detroit. One site is Wayne State University's McGregor Conference Center, 5-8 p.m. Wednesday.

Wayne State University law professor Peter Henning commented about Joseph Nacchio, the former CEO of Denver-based Qwest Communications. Nacchio is charged with improperly selling $101 million of stock. Henning said Nacchio is fighting "hindsight bias" because he was supposed to know what was going on at his company since he was the CEO. "That's why his defense is so important," said Henning. "It takes what I think is otherwise an implausible defense of, 'I thought the company was doing well,' and gives it at least a measure of plausibility."

Mary Clark was appointed assistant dean of student and alumni affairs at Wayne State's Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Previously, she worked at the University of Michigan.

The Wayne State University men's swimming team remained in third place at the NCAA championships with 287 points. Four individuals and a relay team earned First Team All-America honors with finishes in the Top 8. The WSU women's swimming team moved into 10th place at the NCAA championships with 102 points.

South University Village, Wayne State's joint development project with Prime Development, is described in this item announcing the groundbreaking event held at the old Vernors site. Studio One Apartments LLC will build and finance the new 155,000 square-foot five-story mixed-use building - of which 26,217 square feet is first-floor commercial plus four levels of market rate residential rental units - projected to cost $20 million. The university will build and finance a four level parking garage - projected to cost $15.9 million - to serve the needs of the general public, the residential/retail complex and the university. The planned completion dates and openings are set for spring/summer of 2008. An image of the planned project is included in both stories.

A brief running in "This Just In" notes Wayne State University's plans to break ground Wednesday, March 21, on South University Village, a $36 million mixed-use development on the former site of the Vernors ginger ale plant. The project will include a parking structure and Fifth Third Bank will serve as the anchor tenant, according to Francine Wunder, director of corporate and public affairs at WSU. The project is scheduled for a summer 2008 completion date.

Wayne State University has received three grants totaling $26,000 from the General Motors Foundation to support development of its engineering curriculum to take full advantage of software tools currently used by industry. The WSU faculty involved are Kyoung-yun Kim, department of industrial and manufacturing engineering; Jerry Ku, department of mechanical engineering; and Gene Liao, division of engineering technology. (The identical story was published in a sister newspaper, Detroit Auto Scene.)

A front page story about NextEnergy's new biofuel standard mentions that WSU chemical engineering professor Simon Ng manages the National Biofuel Energy Lab at NextEnergy. "Biodiesel is still a relatively new fuel and therefore a lot of research and development has to be done in order to gain full acceptance from the general public," he explained. A photo of Ng displaying a bottle containing biodiesel fuel accompanies the story.

General Motors Corp. has provided grants totaling $26,000 to Wayne State University in support of engineering curriculum development. The donation will allow WSU faculty to redesign undergraduate and graduate courses to take full advantage of the latest software tools employed by industry. The faculty involved are professors Kyoung-yun Kim in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Jerry Ku in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Gene Liao in the Engineering Technology Division. Details of planned course modifications are given.

An item in the events column mentions that Wayne State scientists will discuss ethical issues in science on March 19 at a free forum held at Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit.

Peter Markus, recently named Detroit Urban Writer-in-Residence at Wayne State, will lead a series of free writing workshops open to the public. The next is scheduled for April 3, 6-8 p.m., at the David Adamany Undergraduate Library.

Six in 10 Michigan citizens believe the state must spend more money on its public universities to boost the economy and produce the workforce of the future, 2 in 10 feel that Michigan's Big 3 universities - Wayne State University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan - deserve a bigger share of the funding because of all the research and development opportunities they offer that other schools do not. The presidents of the Big 3 recently made their case to lawmakers asking that they consider the Big 3 separately from Michigan's other 12 public universities regarding funding decisions. The presidents said that research universities can provide Michigan with jobs in fields such as science, medicine and engineering that can help revive the economy. Gov. Jennifer Granholm supports the revised budget proposal providing for a separate allocation of money for the Big 3, though she said all 15 public universities should get the same 2.5 percent boost.

Michigan's community colleges are seeking legislation that would allow them to offer a bachelor's degree in nursing, which concerns 4-year schools such as Wayne State University. Barbara Redman, dean of the WSU College of Nursing, questioned the need for community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in nursing when WSU already has the means to train new nurses. Funding is an issue, according to Redman. For example, she said WSU has state approval to admit as many as 220 students this fall in its undergraduate nursing program, but in practice can only admit 160 students because it doesn't have the money to hire needed faculty. "Why would you start up a whole new infrastructure when it's already in place? We don't believe this is necessary," said Redman. "We are accredited, have the infrastructure, have the ability to take more students… I think we have the capacity, so why not fund us?"

In a sidebar titled "Honoring Heroes," the Rare Foundation recognized nine everyday heroes, including Gregory Auner, professor in the Wayne State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Auner developed the Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems Program at WSU, developing new materials, devices and methods for a variety of applications that are helping solve problems, such as delicate fetal and infant surgeries, auditory and visual implants to restore failing eyesight and hearing loss, and chemical detection using robotic platforms.

A "Science and Ethical Responsibility" forum featuring Wayne State University scientists will be held tonight from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit. A phone number is provided for further information. Another brief mentions the Technology and Emerging Sectors Career Fair co-sponsored by Wayne State University and TechTown this Wednesday at the Next Energy Center. A Web site and phone number are provided for further information.

Today's intern is focused on getting practical experience in his or her chosen field. Potential employers need to contact the internship office at the schools they're targeting. "With as many possible sources for interns as we have, it's best to at least start with us as a portal so that we can facilitate the search process," said Ron Kent, director of career services at Wayne State University.

In a guest column, Pearson, director of Wayne State's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, wrote about America's role in Iraq. "No matter how good our intentions, Iraqis on all sides of the conflict as well as groups throughout the region see the American intervention as a proto-colonial war - a war of vengeance against Saddam and Ba'athists, a war for control of oil, a war to surround Iran, a war to remake the Middle East," he wrote. The time is right for a U.S. withdrawal. America's forces need to be pulled back to avoid provocation and allow responsible participation in multilateral regional security arrangements.

Wayne State University hosted the FIRST Robotics Competition over the weekend, where 34 teams participated. This event was geared for schools - primarily from the metro area - lacking the funding to travel to competitions.

Wayne State University assistant law professor Brad Roth commented on Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's push for a new constitution that would cement the country's democracy; it was not an attempt to move Taiwan toward "de jure independence" as China has alleged. According to Roth, Taiwan became a political entity when it gave up asserting its jurisdiction over China.