Hal Stack, director of Wayne State's Center for Labor Studies, commented about General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner's opposition to Delphi's suggestion that GM partly subsidize worker wages at the auto supplier. Stack said it\'s likely GM would have to contribute in some way to a \"transition\" if Delphi and its unions were to agree to pay cuts. \"It\'s a way to mitigate the impact of that transition in a humane way,\" he said. \"It would be a transitional measure.\"

The four Nobel Peace Prize laureates appearance at Wayne State University on Friday, May 5, is highlighted in the events and calendar section of this newspaper. Program participants, contact and background information is offered.

"Universities like to blame tuition hikes on stagnant state funding, but that doesn't hold water. Tuition increased at double-digit rates even when state aid was rising." That's the opinion expressed by Jack McHugh, legislative analyst for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, in an op-ed piece. He calls for basing state funding allocations on the number of students who attend each school, claiming this would force schools to compete harder for students, thereby lowering costs. The writer notes that "U-M, MSU and Wayne State will complain that they are different because their budgets include research projects and medical schools." But he says, whatever allocation system is used, "such programs should be separated into separate budgets and judged on their own merits, rather than co-mingled with operations funding, to promote transparency." A sidebar lists tuition rates for all public universities, including Wayne State , for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years.

Wayne State University has announced the names of research faculty who will receive funding under a $1.2 million research enhancement program. The goal of the program is to strengthen the university's performance as a nationally recognized leader in research within a targeted interdisciplinary research area. It also is intended to contribute toward developing research themes for the university that are consistent with an emphasis on the urban mission, global presence and technology. The names of five professors who received the awards and a description of their projects are included. They are David Benson, Alan Hudson, Fred Miller, Jayanth Panyam and Yong Xu.

The lead item in the "Briefly" column listing upcoming events in the entertainment world carries an item about the upcoming presentation of the annual Apple Award to composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz on June 14 at the Masonic Temple . The award, presented by Wayne State University and the Nederlander Co., is for career excellence in theater. All proceeds from the event go to WSU's Theatre Department. Ticket information is provided.

Matt Kneifl was an All-America hurdler at Wayne State in Detroit , but now he helps investors leap over financial obstacles. He is a representative for an investment company in Des Moines . While attending WSU, Kneifl was a physical therapy major, but the business bug hit him and he decided to train in finance at Edward Jones' headquarters in St .Louis before moving to Iowa two years ago. In a Q and A article, he talks about how he decided on his career and about his personal interests. A photo accompanies the article.

In an opinion piece, columnist Jack Lessenberry, laments the fact that no local newspapers covered Friday evening's symposium at Wayne State that featured three Nobel Peace Prize winners, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan. He specifically criticizes the Detroit Free Press for a front-page article that he views as unimportant when compared to what the peace prize winners had to say. Lessenberry also writes about the topics addressed by the Nobel laureates.

A brief article mentions that the WSU Police Department now has an experimental fuel cell-powered car that has a range of approximately 100 miles and a top speed of 85 mph. The vehicle was made by DaimlerChrysler.

Dr. Jack Sobel, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Wayne State , was a lead investigator in a study of the effectiveness of the drug Tindamax as a treatment for bacterial vaginosis. He concluded that the medication "may offer a significant advance in the control of vaginosis as a shorter course oral treatment option than the current standard of care."

A round-up of college athletic news carries an item noting that Wayne State got a pair of baseball players who attended Kalamazoo Community College : Tim George and Chuck Pate. George hit .263 this season with two homeruns and 20 RBI's. Pate appeared in 12 innings and notched six strikeouts.

Woodie King Jr., founder and creator of two theatre companies in New York , will be given a special 2006 Ford Freedom Pioneer Award at the Detroit Opera House on May 15. He holds a doctorate in human letters from Wayne State University and has produced and directed many shows in Detroit .

TechTown Managing Director Marlo Jenkins is Detroit 's first certified provider of FastTrac, an entrepreneurship education program. She completed her training in Kansas City through the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

The April 24 Crain's Detroit Business story about developer/philanthropist A. Alfred Taubman's $3 million gift to Wayne State University was reprinted in the Michigan Chronicle's business section. The gift, estimated to be the largest single amount ever given to the Law School, will help fund construction of a new classroom building and a civil rights center named for Judge Damon J. Keith. Crain's Detroit Business writer Sherri Begin focuses on the longtime friendship between Taubman and Keith and notes that the planned new building will house classrooms, offices, meeting areas and an auditorium in addition to the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. "I believe in the idea of recognizing civil rights," Taubman said. "This is recognition of what (Judge Keith) is doing for his community and for his country." The gift comes in the midst of Wayne State's $500 million capital campaign, which has raised more than $300 million to date, according to Susan Burns, vice president for development and alumni affairs. A photo of Taubman and Keith and a sidebar highlighting details about the gift accompanies the story.

Crain's online edition ran an article similar to the one reported here yesterday from the Great Lakes IT Report about the university's funding of $1.2 million in nanotechnology-related projects by faculty members. A brief description was given of each of five projects that will receive funding under the program.

Under financial pressures brought by shrinking budgets, school districts nationwide and in Michigan are looking for alternative funding. Advertising in buses is one way they\'re drumming up additional money to pay for everything from teacher salaries to school maintenance. Cheryl Somers, associate professor of educational psychology at Wayne State University, comments about the advertising trend that is reaching out to children. \"A growing perspective is that parental involvement is important in mediating what children see through explaining, educating, qualifying, etc., for their kids,\" says Somers. "Because parents aren\'t on buses, the ads should be limited to wholesome messages such as those touting the importance of studying or drinking water."

The Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Quest (GLEQ) will hold an entrepreneurial discussion on \"Technology Transfer Opportunities for Entrepreneurs\" tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Michigan Information Technology Center, in Ann Arbor. It\'s part of the GLEQ\'s business commercialization program for entrepreneurs. Karen Studer-Rabeler, associate director of new business development for the University of Michigan, and Judy Johncox, director of the venture development office at Wayne State University, will discuss how entrepreneurs can engage the universities and access technology for commercialization.

Dr. George H. Yoo was named vice president of medical affairs at the Karmanos Cancer Center. Since 2002, he has been an associate professor in the department of oncology and in the department of head and neck surgery at Wayne State University. A photo of Yoo is included.

An editorial says the link between economic growth and a well-educated work force is clear. Michigan is 47th among states in the percentage of young people with college degrees and growth in per capita income here has been lagging badly compared to the increases in other states with larger rates of degreed residents. The editorial further cites that just a 5% increase in post-secondary graduates, Michigan could increase economic growth by 2.5% in the next decade. "The education challenge for Michigan comes at a time when too many K-12 systems, colleges and universities are cutting back due to stagnant or declining state support. If candidates for office this year expect educators to continue doing more with less, they need to say just how. Otherwise, it is past time to begin the hard conversation about whether Michigan, once again, needs to revamp its tax mechanisms that support public schools and higher education, with a particular eye on keeping the latter accessible to all."

Detroit Jewish News editor Robert Sklar opines about Wayne State's choice of holding the recent 2006 commencement proceedings on a Saturday, which is Shabbat, a holy day for Jews and Seventh-day Adventists. Sklar points out that a Sunday graduation wouldn't violate Christian law, but it would conflict with churchgoers and those who view that day as a day of rest much like Shabbat. He adds that holding graduation on a Friday like Michigan State University is one option; the program would end before Shabbat, which doesn't begin until after 8 p.m. this time of year. Friday, however, could be problematic for Muslim students, Sklar adds. He further asserts that Wayne State had been holding commencement on a Thursday night at Detroit's Cobo Center but construction there forced a move outside. Wayne State graduating law student Talya Drissman says the university did arrange for some accommodations near the football stadium and for kosher meals for religiously observant families. Drissman says more than 20 observant students at Wayne State would miss commencement this Shabbat.

The consulting firm Ernst & Young, L.L.P. of Troy has named 25 finalists for its Entrepreneur of the Year Award. President Irvin D. Reid, is among those listed. The winners will be announced June 8 at a banquet at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn . Contact and RSVP information is provided.