Wayne State University students Maggie Smith, Monica Smith and Laura Holley were awarded the 2006 Mark Weiss Memorial Scholarships at the Wayne State Convocation Ceremony held Nov. 17. The Mark Weiss Scholarship was named for 1995-1996 Michigan Trial Lawyers Association (MTLA) President Mark Weiss, a civil justice attorney who had dedicated his life to helping others through the law.

Jorge Chinea, associate professor of history and director of Wayne State's Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies (CBS), writes in an op-ed that Wayne State University plays a key role in reducing the Latino educational gap. Over 1,500 Latinos and non-Latinos have attended or graduated from WSU through CBS during its more than three decades of service. "The educational experiences of Latina/o, African-American, white, Arab, Asian and Native American students enrolled in the program or attending its innovative self-empowerment classes, leadership development workshops, cultural awareness activities, academic presentations, mentoring, and career development programs have been significantly enriched," Chinea wrote.

These two newspapers ran an identical wire story about the announcement of an agreement between Wayne State and the Detroit Medical Center that settled a dispute over residency training programs. The announcement was made by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, President Irvin D. Reid, Dr. Robert Mentzer, dean of the medical school, and Mike Duggan, CEO of the DMC. Details of the agreement were given. The Michigan Chronicle story includes photos of President Reid and Gov. Granholm.

In a year-end review of highlights in the Detroit area, Wayne State University is noted for various achievements. A. Alfred Taubman gave $3 million to the university to help construction of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights; the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State's School of Medicine in December received full accreditation of their 68 joint residency programs for two years; and TechTown, along with the Henry Ford Health System and General Motors Corp., is shopping a master plan for a $1.3 billion, 43-acre, multiuse renewal project south of Detroit's New Center.

Faculty at Wayne State University's Law School approved a new admissions policy designed to maintain the school's diversity. Jonathan Weinberg, a WSU law professor who helped draft the policy, said the central factors in admission will still be a student's grade point average and score on the Law School Admission Test.

The Wayne State University Department of Theater's Ph.D. Directors' Series continues with "Hambone" at the Studio Theatre in Detroit, Nov. 16-18, 22, 24-25. Tickets cost $8-$10. A phone number and WSU Web site are provided for further information.

Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean Robert Mentzer and DMC CEO Mike Duggan issued e-mails to colleagues and employees regarding the decision to discontinue joint programs in dermatology, family medicine, urology and ear, nose and throat. Mentzer's e-mail said WSU remains committed to the nearly 65 residency programs still jointly operated by the medical school and the DMC and that he would oppose proposals to "further dilute our partnership." Duggan's e-mail said the medical school's decision to provide services to Oakwood Healthcare has forced the DMC to convert joint residency programs to DMC management to prevent the medical school from setting up competing suburban programs.

Four Southeast Michigan colleges and universities are receiving $4.2 million in state grants to train nurses and other health care professionals. Eastern Michigan University, Henry Ford Community College, Oakland University and Wayne State University, in partnership with local hospitals, are among 11 educational institutions statewide to share $9 million in grants announced Friday by the state. The grants are part of the MI Opportunity Partnership program to train workers for fields in which there is demand.

NextEnergy CEO Jim Croce announced that NextEnergy and partners will soon begin working in the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory in the NextEnergy Center, the organization's research-and-development complex. Activities are expected to include developing a national standard for B20 - a 20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent regular diesel mix - and testing products for fuel production. Wayne State University is a lab partner along with Delphi Corp., Robert Bosch Corp., Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Biodiesel Industries Inc., and the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.

The Northern Kentucky University men's basketball team beat Wayne State University, 75-69, Saturday. WSU shot 58.1 percent for the game. WSU guard Kris Krzyminski finished with a game-high 23 points and was named WSU's most outstanding player. Article includes photo of WSU's Michael Henderson vying for the ball with NKU's David Jefferson.

A Wayne State University study is referenced about the Holly-based Rose Hill Center, a facility designed for the treatment of adults with mental illnesses. The study concluded that 87 percent of those who make it through the program will not need to be hospitalized.

Debbie Dingell and incumbent Eugene Driker - both Democrats - were elected to 8-year terms to the Wayne State University Board of Governors. Dingell has indicated that maintaining WSU's tradition of affordability, accessibility and excellence is important to her. She is an active civic and community leader in Michigan and Washington, D.C., and an advocate for women's children's issues. Dingell assumes the board position being vacated by Republican two-term member Elizabeth Hardy, who did not seek re-election. Driker's election marks his first full term on the Board of Governors. He was initially appointed by Gov. John Engler in 2002 to fill a vacancy. A Wayne State alumnus and one of the university's most active boosters, Driker received a Distinguished Alumni Award from WSU in 2000 and an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 2001. He is also a recipient of the Wayne State Law School's Distinguished Alumni Award and is currently vice chairman of the Wayne State University Foundation.

Mike Smith, director of Wayne State's Walter P. Reuther Library, commented about the Detroit riots in 1967, which are described in the article as the worst in modern U.S. history until the 1992 Los Angeles riots which left 58 people dead. "Would I love to see the public become more deeply aware of the factors causing the riot and the aftermath of it? Yes, indeed I would," Smith said. "I think if we could reach some people, we'd have better race relations in this city."

The Wayne State University Department of Music will present its 40th Annual Salute Concert to Downtown Detroit at noon, Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Old St. Mary's Church in Greektown. The program will feature the WSU Choral Ensembles and Orchestra, as well as organ soloist David Wagner. The WSU Symphonic Chorus and Orchestra will perform Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" under the direction of Kypros Markou and featuring Stephanie Weessies as soprano soloist. The chorus and orchestra will perform Haydn's "Te Deum Laudamus" under musical director Dennis J. Tini. Admission is free. A phone number is provided for further information. Article includes photo of Tini.

A business brief notes that Dr. Robert M. Mentzer, Jr., dean of Wayne State University\'s School of Medicine, sent an e-mail Friday accusing the Detroit Medical Center of not negotiating their contract in good faith. Mentzer wrote that the DMC is attempting to eliminate joint sponsorship of the (doctor joint residency) programs and trying to intimidate the school\'s department chairs into supporting such efforts. He said the DMC\'s action is \"inconsistent with good faith negotiations and places our jointly sponsored programs at great peril.\" In response to the e-mail, the DMC said it continues to negotiate in good faith and honor mediation guidelines.

Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan is seeking to sever ties with the Wayne State University School of Medicine and set up the DMC's own residency program. In an email to DMC employees obtained by The Detroit News, Duggan stated that the DMC is focusing on protecting the DMC's financial "safety net." Dr. Robert Mentzer, Jr., dean of the WSU medical school, stated that the DMC's solely-sponsored residency program "is inconsistent with good faith negotiations and places our jointly sponsored programs at great peril."

The Wayne State University School of Medicine and The Detroit Medical Center are planning to form new alliances without the other, according to this article. Seventeen WSU department chairs, who also hold key positions at the DMC, signed a letter saying they "reject any proposal that includes the elimination of the university" from residency program sponsorship. Meanwhile, DMC CEO Mike Duggan has met with many doctors, including WSU department heads, to line up support for independent DMC programs and residencies, while Wayne State presented its plan for accreditation of five residency programs jointly operated with Oakwood Healthcare System. The article speculates about the likely scenario if the university and the DMC cannot reach agreement. A mediator assigned by Gov. Jennifer Granholm continues to work with the two sides and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has also has met with them. Adam Jablonowski, executive director of the Wayne County Medical Society, said he worries about the consequences if an agreement can't be reached. "Most folks would think it would be more difficult to recruit to a program not affiliated with a medical school," he said. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and ran widely throughout the state.

This piece outlines what's at stake in the WSU-DMC negotiations. The two parties have an $80 million contract - most of which is from Medicare - that expires Dec. 31. About half the money pays WSU doctors to care for DMC patients, the majority of whom are uninsured or underinsured. The rest pays WSU to oversee medical residents who work at DMC hospitals. The cash-strapped DMC has been eyeing part or all of WSU's share of the contract in hopes of adding the revenue to its bottom line. Also a point of contention is a planned new medical facility in Troy, being built in conjunction with Oakwood Health System, where physicians from the Medical School would practice. The DMC says the facility will compete with its services. WSU officials say they tried to build a similar facility in Detroit but the DMC rejected it. If there is no agreement, the DMC would have to consider whether it wants to remain a regional health system with nearly 20 specialty services or downsize to focus on more profitable programs, such as cardiology.

The Detroit Medical Center has been lobbying WSU School of Medicine department heads to sever ties to the school and help set up DMC's own residency program, according to this article. A DMC spokesperson said that is just one option the organization is exploring. "We're looking at several different options for protecting the residencies, "said Bridget Hurd. The WSU/DMC Resident Council and several department chairs have sent letters to hospital and university officials opposing formation of a residency program that is not jointly run by the medical school. In their letter, the department chairs wrote that a breakup of the WSU-DMC partnership "will have dire consequences for the future of the graduate medical education programs and will threaten the viability of the School of Medicine and The Detroit Medical Center." Dr. H. Michael Marsh, professor and chairman of the WSU Department of Anesthesiology, said the top resident training programs around the country are ones that are affiliated with universities. In the Detroit area, Henry Ford Health System and Beaumont Hospital run their own residency programs.

In an op-ed piece, Dr. Susan Hershberg Adelman, past president of both the Wayne County Medical Society and the Michigan State Medical Society, weighs in on the WSU-DMC dispute. She describes the situation as "a mutually destructive negotiation in which the choices are stark. Either they find a way to renew their contract or the DMC dies." She points out that, without the medical school affiliation, the DMC would lose the "cheap labor" of residents as well as major federal grants, most of its best doctors and the ability to recruit new doctors. Closure of the DMC also would negatively impact health care in the city, as well as employment. In strong language, the writer urges the governor and the mayor to "sit the obdurate parties down and butt heads. If they cannot agree on a new contract, one or both officials need to simply tell them what the agreement should be. Or heads should roll at the highest levels. To allow the principals in this dispute to blow a hole in the middle of this poor, suffering city would be a crime."