Wayne State University alumni from 1956 and earlier will become members of the Alumni Golden Circle during the alumni association's first-ever Golden Jubilee Reunion on Friday, Oct. 13.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced plans Tuesday to recommend changes on her own and start building support for some of the more sweeping ideas that evolved from her higher education commission. Chief among them is the creation of a massive information-sharing system, opening up greater review of how colleges and universities are performing. It would require vast data collection on individual students, an initiative that is raising privacy concerns in some corners. Spellings also pledged to make it easier for people to apply for financial aid and to compare the price and the value of one school to another. She spoke of more federal college aid but would not endorse a specific request to raise Pell Grants, as her commission wanted. Spellings was also critical of graduation rates and rising costs associated with a college degree. \"Is it fine that only half our students graduate on time? Is it fine that students often graduate so saddled with debt that they can\'t buy a home or start a family? None of this seems fine to me\", she said.

The University of Michigan has failed to help its students better understand American history, politics and government, according to a report released Tuesday. In fact, students surveyed at the university scored an \"F\" on a test of key American concepts, according to the national survey administered by the University of Connecticut\'s Department of Public Policy on behalf of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. U-M is not alone, according to the report. It was one of 16 colleges surveyed, including Brown, Georgetown and Yale, where seniors know less than freshmen about America\'s history, government, foreign affairs and the economy -- a concept called \"negative learning.\" The study surveyed 14,000 undergraduates at 50 colleges, including Michigan\'s Calvin College and Spring Arbor University. The students were asked 60 multiple choice questions that tested their knowledge of American history and other subjects. U-M ranked No. 35, while students at Calvin College in Grand Rapids came in No. 3 and students at Spring Arbor University came in No. 6. Schools were selected because combined they statistically represent all four-year public and private universities of various sizes in the nation.

Wayne State's School of Medicine Dean Robert Mentzer and DMC President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Duggan have agreed to resume formal negotiations in talks scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The national body that accredits graduate medical programs has given both sides an Oct. 1 deadline to report on the status of contract talks over how graduate medical programs operate. At issue are contracts that outline the financial and organizational arrangements for 69 residency programs. The two are operating under contracts worth $88 million a year. The contracts expired in March 2005 but were extended until Dec. 31.

Gerald Oglan, assistant dean of teacher education at Wayne State's College of Education, commented in a story about teacher preparation for special-needs children. According to Michigan's Department of Education, there is a shortage of more than 700 special education teachers in Metro Detroit. Oglan said that WSU education students are exposed to special education courses. "In our program, every student in undergraduate and post-bachelor studies must have a special education course on inclusion, in which they are introduced to a range of disabilities and the laws surrounding them," Oglan said.

Wayne State's football team will host Grand Valley State, the No. 1 team in Division II, Saturday. Pregame festivities, which include a concert by the Mega 80's at 11:15 a.m. Game kickoff is 12:10 p.m. The Warriors are 3-0 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the first time since 1979. Grand Valley State boasts a winning streak of 17 games, the longest active streak in the NCAA. Ticket and contact information are included.

In an opinion piece, Wayne State Law Professor Peter J. Henning chronicles the Hewlett-Packard scandal, noting that lawyering by email can be dangerous because email often contains random thoughts, visceral reactions and quick analysis - "none of those are hallmarks of thoughtful legal advice." He believes that this was one of the key problems in the Hewlett Packard case as Larry Sonsini, HP's outside legal counsel, dispensed his legal advice over email.

Wayne State is credited as one of the partners helping NextEnergy land a significant United States Department of Energy grant to build the National Biofuel Energy Lab. The biofuel technology development lab is part of NextEnergy\'s Biodiesel Value Chain Initiative, an approach to researching and developing biodiesel use, including innovative agricultural methods to grow energy crops, fuel optimization and state-of-the-art biodiesel production. The National Biofuel Energy Lab is scheduled to open later this year.

Wayne State has partnered with other colleges and universities to develop the first Energy Job Fair on Thursday, Oct. 26 at Lawrence Technological University. The Energy Job Fair will provide employers with the opportunity to network with students seeking internships, co-ops and full-time employment in the energy industry. Contact and reservation information are provided.

The Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit Conference is scheduled on Oct. 20-22 at Wayne State. The bioneers (biological pioneers) join those interested in ecological restoration, human health, social justice and democracy to highlight holistic models for systemic change. Included is a workshop on the present state and future of biodiesel in Michigan. Contact information is included.

Marion Lusardi, director of the Chesterfield Township Library, will receive the 2006 Distinguished Service to the Library Profession Award from the Wayne State University Library and Information Science Program on Sept. 29.

WDET provided coverage of the United Nations panel discussion on global literacy hosted by Wayne State University on Sept. 26. Reporter Lorraine Chavis interviewed panelists who examined issues related to the educational advancement of girls in developing nations. WSU was one of three U.S. stops for the panel which was sponsored by the United States Mission to the United Nations. Wayne State officials also were interviewed following the event at the Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium, which drew a capacity crowd of WSU students, faculty, and community members.

Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid and the board of governors dedicated the William Rea Keast Memorial Commons on Sept. 11. Named in honor of Wayne State's fifth president (1965-1971), Keast is remembered as the "students' president," serving during the turbulent Vietnam War era, a period marked by student unrest on campuses nationwide.

Wayne State's football team is noted as an up-and-coming team as they take on undefeated Grand Valley State University Saturday. The Warriors are 3-1 overall, joining Grand Valley and 14th-ranked Northwood University (4-0 overall and in the GLIAC) as the only undefeated in conference play.

GLIMA members statewide must register in advance to obtain free admission to the 2006 E2Detroit entrepreneurial seminar at Wayne State University on Oct. 5-6. Among the guests are Paul Glantz, CEO of Emagine Theaters, and Christopher Ilitch, president/CEO of Ilitch Holdings.

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings was expected to lay out in a speech Tuesday an action plan calling for the creation of a database to track college students' academic progress. The speech, to be given at the National Press Club, is in response to a report submitted last week by the Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. The report called for sweeping changes in higher education. Spellings told a Chronicle reporter Monday that she would seek federal funds to test a prototype system that would use student identification numbers rather than Social Security numbers to link students anonymously with their transcripts.

Veteran Detroit radio personality Jay Butler has joined WDET-FM and is hosting a blues show called '"Jay's Place," Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. to midnight. Butler has been on the air nearly five decades, formerly at WJLB, WCHB and WZBH. "Having Jay Butler at WDET continues the station's long tradition of outstanding music programming," said Allen Mazurek, program director. "We're delighted to have someone with his experience and knowledge of music join us at Detroit Public Radio." It is noted that WDET 101.9 FM is a community service of Wayne State University . A photo of Butler accompanies the story.

Six Michigan health advocates will be honored as recipients of the Wayne State University College of Nursing's "LifeLine Awards," Sept. 21. Hosted by the college's Nursing Board of Visitors, the LifeLine Awards raise funds for nursing scholarships and spotlight medical professionals, educators, community advocates and others who dedicate themselves to improving health care locally, regionally and nationally. Additional recognition will be given to the College of Nursing Alumni of the Year. "We are thrilled to once again celebrate those devoting time, talent and energy to one of the few issues that all people face from birth to death," said Dean Barbara K. Redman. Photos of LifeLine Award recipients U. S. Rep. Joe Schwartz, M.D., and Dr. Phyllis Meadows, executive director of the City of Detroit 's Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, accompany the article.

This item, a follow-on to an entry in yesterday's report, offers more information on the WSU Police Department's new dispatch equipment. The department has transferred computer-assisted dispatch operations from an existing WSU computer to the city of Detroit 's new CAD system. The Detroit system is used cooperatively by the city's police, fire and EMS services. Wayne State police patrol about four square miles of midtown Detroit , on campus and nearby areas, where they respond to 911 emergencies and enforce traffic laws.

Among persons profiled in this special section are several with Wayne State ties. They are Richard Bernstein, 32, attorney with the Law Offices of Samuel Bernstein in Farmington Hills and member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors; David Blaszkiewicz, 38, president of the Detroit Investment Fund and a board member for WSU's TechTown development; Michael Kern III, 33, who has undergraduate degrees in finance and business economics from WSU and is CFO of Stourt Risius Ross Inc. in Farmington Hills; and Nick Sousanis, 33, who teaches public speaking at Wayne State and is the co-founder and publisher of The Detroiter, a Web site devoted to the arts. Individual profiles on each awardee include photos.