A brief notes that Laura McCloskey has been named director of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute at Wayne State University. She was formerly a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. McCloskey holds bachelor's degrees from the University of Wisconsin and University of Washington, and a doctorate from the University of Michigan. A photo of McCloskey is included.

A story on the New York Times education page about race-conscious admissions policies at U.S. universities mentions Wayne State's new policy in the Law School. The policy allows the school to consider factors such as a student's having overcome substantial obstacles, having lived on an Indian reservation, or being multi-lingual. Dean Frank Wu said efforts to comply with Michigan's new law banning affirmative action in admissions could bring legal challenges. "There's a new fight building," he said. "And that's going to be whether the mere fact that you're striving for diversity means you're somehow trying to get around the ban and find proxies, or pretexts, for race, and that that's impermissible." He added that it is ironic that efforts to adopt a new policy to comply with Proposal 2 have been interpreted by some as an effort to circumvent the law. Roger Clegg, president of the Council for Equal Opportunity, said policies like Wayne State's do raise questions. "I have a real problem when schools adopt what on their face are race-neutral criteria if they are doing so to reach a pre-determined racial and ethnic goal," he said.

A brief item notes that the Wayne State University community has come through in a big way to help the Society of St. Vincent de Paul replace clothing lost in an early December fire at one of the charity's stores. A weeklong drive at the university's main and medical school campuses netted roughly four tons of winter clothing. Donors also contributed numerous boxfuls of canned goods.

An article about what causes hot flashes in women during menopause cites a study by Dr. Robert Freedman and colleagues at Wayne State University. They theorize that women who are affected have a very narrow "thermoneutral zone" - the temperature at which the body is neither sweating nor shivering. Estrogen appears to widen the zone. According to the article, no one knows exactly what happens to the body during a hot flash, but it appears that changes in brain chemistry have something to do with it.

Wayne State University will host a United Nations discussion on Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. The event will feature UN ambassadors from Iraq, South Korea, Japan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Kazakhstan. They will discuss UN reform and expectations for the new secretary general. A number is provided for more information.

Wayne State is mentioned in this story about the most recent legal maneuver by the Center for Individual Rights to force the University of Michigan to comply with a voter-approved ban on some public-sector affirmative action programs. The center has asked a Washtenaw County judge to order a preliminary injunction that would compel U-M to stop considering race in admissions and financial aid. The center won a legal victory last week when a federal appeals court ruled that U-M, Wayne State and MSU should not have received an extension until July 1 to implement provisions of Proposal 2. Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who had supported the July 1 extension, has said he will file to intervene in the latest case in support of the petition by the Center for Individual Rights.

A story about how recent slayings in Detroit may negatively impact the city's image mentions a 2005 crime study by Wayne State University that concludes, "The crime rate in downtown Detroit is significantly lower than the crime rate for the entire United States, the state of Michigan and Michigan's largest metropolitan areas." The report described the downtown Detroit crime rate as "miniscule" when the number of visitors to special events is factored in. The article points out, however, that "the crime picture of the city as a whole remains abysmal."

A round-up article that lists upcoming area events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. mentions the following at Wayne State: * A tribute luncheon at noon on Jan. 12, with civil rights legend Dr. C.T. Vivian delivering the keynote speech. * A daylong Read-a-Thon beginning at noon on Jan. 17 in a tent outside the Undergraduate Library. Also mentioned: WSU law professor Jonathon Weinberg will lead a panel discussion on "Affirmative Action After Proposal 2" at the Detroit Urban League offices on Mack Ave., beginning at 8 a.m. on Jan. 15. The occasion is the All Peoplescq-Abramson Breakfast. Admission information and contact numbers are provided for all events.

The pro-affirmative action Group By Any Means Necessary has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a recent U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that overturned an earlier federal judge's decision delaying implementation of Proposal 2 for Michigan universities. The University of Michigan said it won't make any admissions decisions immediately regarding applications for fall-term enrollment. While the new law won't affect undergraduate admissions at Wayne State, it could impact some financial aid programs. The six-month delay would have provided time to determine how far-reaching the effect would be, according to Louis Lessem, WSU vice president and general counsel. He said new rules for admission to the WSU Law School will go into effect. Those rules, which do not include race as a factor in admissions, were approved last month. Lessem also indicated that Wayne State is unlikely to get involved in any further federal appeal. A Michigan State official said that university is working to ensure that its financial aid programs conform to the law.

A Michigan company has teamed up with Wayne State University, NextEnergy and Titan Energy Development in Detroit to win a U.S. military contract to formulate new maintenance procedures for diesel engines in light of government-mandated changes to diesel fuels. The $2 million contract will go to Brighton Diesel Diagnostics in Whitmore Lake for wear-testing of military generators using new low-sulphur diesel fuel. A spokesman for the company pointed out that Wayne State has a state-of-the-art bio-fuel lab, while NextEnergy and Titan Energy have expertise in generators. The concern is that low-sulphur fuel provides less engine lubrication, which could lead to premature engine wear.

NEWS IN A MINUTE: Wayne County United Nations ambassadors from eight nations are visiting Wayne State University on Jan. 11, 9:30 a.m., at the Spencer M. Partrich Law School Auditorium, as part of a discussion on world affairs. The program, sponsored by the Detroit Council for World Affairs and the New York-based Humpty Dumpty Institute, is free and open to the public. Contact information is provided.

This story, published originally in the Sacramento Bee, examines the use of irony in present-day American culture. "Given the way the world has gone, we're in more need of irony," asserts Jerry Herron, former director of the American Studies Program at WSU and director of the Honors Program. "What 9-11 produced was a world where pettiforgery, obfuscation, half-truths and double dealing are more rampant than ever before." He adds, "At a time when people feel they're being lied to and treated as though they're too stupid to get it, it lets you regain the claim on your own intelligence."

A feature story on Louisiana State University assistant football coach Brendan Farrell mentions that he got his first coaching job as a running backs and special teams coordinator at Wayne State University. He says being on the University of Notre Dame football squad in the 1990s, even though he never played in a game, helped him get the WSU job that provided valuable experience. He left a budding career at a law firm to take the position at WSU. A recommendation from some of his old coaches at Notre Dame helped. "I'm extremely lucky, because I've seen the high school coaches at conventions trying to get a college job in North Dakota or something," Farrell quips. (LSU defeated Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl yesterday.)

The fight over affirmative action at Michigan public universities widened Thursday as a state court was asked to order the University of Michigan to implement the provisions of Proposal 2 immediately. The Center for Individual Rights filed suit Tuesday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court on behalf of a man who is applying for admission to the U-M and Wayne State University law schools. The suit is aimed specifically at the University of Michigan and Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "There is a whole pattern of obstruction and delay that the university has engaged in since the proposal was passed," charged Terrence Pell, president of the group that filed suit.

Wayne State University and Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) announced WayneDirect, a new partnership designed to offer early admission to WSU to WCCCD students who designate Wayne State as the university where they will complete their bachelor's degrees and meets transfer admission requirements.

Wayne State University is included among a list of hopefuls for new funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If selected along with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, WSU could be among 60 institutions to share $500 million annually once the program is fully operating in 2012. The NIH is favoring institutions that can prove they are focusing on broad research aimed at getting new treatments more quickly to patients.

Wayne State University and Wayne County Community College have announced WayneDirect, a new partnership designed to offer early admission to Wayne State for WCCCD students who designate WSU as the university where they will complete their bachelor's degree. Students also must meet transfer requirements.

Officials at Michigan's three largest universities are reviewing a federal appeals court ruling that ordered late Friday (Dec. 29) full compliance with the state's new affirmative action ban, also known as Proposal 2. A federal appeals court ruled that three universities must immediately remove race and gender consideration from their admissions and financial aid decisions and fully comply with Proposal 2. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling effectively overturned the six-month delay a lower court judge granted last week to the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

Wayne State University is one of 85 recipients of the 21st Century Jobs Fund awards and is identified as a partner and lead agency with Brighton Diesel Diagnostics, Next Energy and Titan Energy Development. The funding comes out of more than $100 million made available to Michigan companies through the initiative, whose goal is to stimulate job growth and diversify the state's economy. Wayne State will have an oversight role and will evaluate engine emissions.

David Bonior, noted as taking a leave from his job of teaching labor studies and politics at Wayne State University, will head John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign. Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina who was John Kerry's running mate in the 2004 presidential election, officially launched his campaign Thursday at a news conference in New Orleans. A photo of Bonior is included.