Wayne State University professor Robin Boyle commented about Port Huron's downtown revival which is showing signs of slowing with higher numbers of vacancies. He said Port Huron's situation is not unusual. "Many traditional urban centers are having to deal with increased vacancy," he said. "This, of course, is made more difficult in a place like Michigan that is suffering from an economic downturn."

Wayne State University and Wayne County Community College have formed WayneDirect, an early admissions partnership program between the two entities that is designed for current WCCCD students who have designated WSU as the university where they will study for their bachelor's degree. These students will be admitted to WSU at the same time they are admitted or enrolled at WCCCD. "We are committed to working closely with our community college partners to ensure that those students receive the best education with the greatest amount of flexibility, convenience and access to resources, not only at the community college they are currently attending, but also at (WSU) where they will complete their bachelor's degree," said WSU President Irvin D. Reid. "I am looking forward to working with Chancellor Ivery and the (WCCCD) students who will become part of our institution." The article includes a photo of Reid with Ivery reviewing the partnership agreement.

Peter Lichtenberg, director of the WSU Institute of Gerontology, and June Clark of the Institute's Board of Visitors were among guests who participated in the in-studio segments of the programs "Remaking American Medicine" and "A Healthy Partnership" on the two dates above. Also featured were representatives from MPRO and the Henry Ford Health System. During the broadcasts, viewers were encouraged to make calls to an in-studio phone bank staffed by professionals who gave advice on various health-related issues.

This article rehashes the knotty issue of contract negotiations between the WSU School of Medicine and The Detroit Medical Center. There is concern that the medical school could lose accreditation for certain graduate medical programs if an agreement is not reached. If that should happen, Detroit could lose 900 medical residents and a large number of the 700 faculty physicians who train them, the story points out. Richard Bernstein of the WSU Board of Governors called the situation "a crisis." Dr. Robert Mentzer, dean of the School of Medicine, has said that the school remains dedicated to the city and is trying to spread its training programs among several health systems so that its students have a variety of opportunities for learning and because the school isn't sure which residency programs the DMC is prepared to support. Paul Bozyk, president of the WSU/DMC Resident Council, indicated that residents are experiencing anxiety about the uncertainty of the situation. He also expressed concern about how the stalemate might impact Detroit residents who rely on DMC services. Dr. Mark Kelley, CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group, had the following comment: "I haven't seen any city hospital survive a fractured relationship with its academic partner." He pointed out that the DMC and the WSU School of Medicine are very important to the region. Both sides say they are committed to negotiating a contract but each contends the other has held up negotiations. In an Oct. 19 letter, Jacquelin Washington, chair of the WSU Board of Governors, called for a joint informational meeting "as soon as we can assemble." A sidebar gives facts about the medical school and the DMC.

The Wayne State University Board of Governors and The Detroit Medical Center Board of Trustees will meet Nov. 1 in an effort to resolve the contract dispute between the WSU School of Medicine and the DMC, which have been partners for more than two decades. The article restates the positions of the two sides and speculates about what could happen if they cannot reach an agreement. The dispute has drawn the attention of the medical community and hundreds of residents who fear having their education disrupted.

WSU law professor Peter Henning commented about the sentencing of former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling, who was sentenced this week to almost 25 years in prison for fraud. "Most executives don't say, 'Let's go loot the company today.'" Henning notes. "It starts by cutting corners and that may lead to more cutting of corners and more cutting of corners."

In his "Beyond Black and White: The Future of Civil Rights" lecture at Central Michigan University last week, Frank Wu, dean of the WSU Law School, spoke about race issues and affirmative action. He said he prefers to discuss affirmative action issues rather than debate them. He views debates as superficial because individuals go into them to cheer for their side or to see who won. A photo of Wu accompanies the article in this CMU student newspaper.

A public service spot for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., promoting business opportunities in the state of Michigan, features an interview by Matt Roush, editor of the Great Lakes IT Report, with Randal Charlton, CEO of Asterand in TechTown. Charlton mentions that Asterand, a human tissue bank, is located in Techtown on the Wayne State University campus.

An obituary on retired Detroit News editorial writer Wilbur "Bill" Elston, 93, mentions that he coordinated the journalism program at Wayne State following his retirement. He also taught journalism here. "He was an extremely thoughtful person interested in the importance of journalistic commentary on society. He took that role very seriously," said Ben Burns, current director of the journalism program and former executive editor of the News. Memorial contributions may be made to the WSU journalism program

An article about the Green Party includes comments by David Bonior, former Democratic congressman who teaches labor relations at Wayne State. He sees some validity in the Green Party's criticism of Democrats for ignoring part of their traditional constituency and accepting corporate donations. He also takes issue with Democrats who voted for the Iraq war and the Patriot Act. "It's a pretty sad, sorry record," he said. The article also mentions that Margaret Guttshall is a candidate for the WSU Board of Governors.

Tuition and fees at four-year public colleges and universities have risen 6.3%, to an average of $5,836 for the 2006-07 academic year, according to an annual report from the College Board. A chart accompanying the article gives rates of increase for each of Michigan's 15 public universities for the past seven years. Wayne State's rate is listed at 70.1 percent overall. Eastern Michigan was the highest, at 78.4 percent.

Compared with other music fans, opera aficionados are three times more likely to endorse suicide as a solution to family dishonor, says Steven Stack, a psychologist at Wayne State University. Stack says dramatic personalities are drawn to opera, not influenced by it.

A story about germs and health issues at gymns in New York City includes a comment by Dr. Michael Harbut of the Wayne State University Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. "It's a good idea to wipe down where you're going to be having contact with your hands, because your hands will go on the equipment. It'll go to your eye; it'll go to your mouth. And you don't know if everybody's hygiene is as good as yours," he said.

Wayne State University is one of the first organizations to deploy HDX (high-definition) systems as an educational tool for its students. "(WSU) is incorporating Polycom HD video into its collaboration environment in order to offer the most realistic experience possible over video," said David Fleig, information technology project manager at the university. "At our remote locations, our goal is to replicate the look and feel of the main campus, and HD video will go a long way to helping achieve that."

The National Science Foundation has awarded Wayne State University a $499,858 grant to establish a 3-year program to improve career advancement opportunities for female engineers and scientists at WSU and other Detroit-based colleges.

A photo is featured of Frank Wu, dean of Wayne State's Law School, and Kimberle Crenshaw, leader in the American intellectual movement called Critical Race Theory. Crenshaw recently lectured at the law school on the "Ten Myths About Affirmative Action."

Nick Body of Wayne State caught seven passes for 103 yards in WSU's 41-26 football victory over Hillsdale Oct. 14. Linebacker Alan Guy had 11 tackles and defensive back Adam Nuckols had three tackles. Kenny Schmidt started at tight end, Grant Fodor started at left tackle, and Frank Lietke started at center. All the WSU players mentioned are graduates of Oakland-area high schools

The Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in the WSU College of Engineering is offering discounts for students applying for the winter or fall 2007 semesters. The article says applicants will get a $500 discount their first semester and a $50 graduate application fee credit. Currently, the department has 200 full- and part-time students. For more information, see www.ime.wayne.edu.

Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid, an alumnus of Howard University, is included in a list of seven prominent graduates from historically black schools. The other six leaders include: Don Barden, CEO, president and chairman, Barden Cos. Inc.; Kwame Kilpatrick, mayor, city of Detroit; Joe Dumars, president of basketball operations, Detroit Pistons; Gregory Jackson, CEO, president and chairman, Prestige Automotive; Walter Douglas Sr., chairman, Avis Ford Inc.; and, George Hamilton, president, Dow Automotive.

Wayne State is noted in a story about World Series volunteers for donating a crew of 12 police officers and Goran the police dog to assist in the series' safety duty.