U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Susan Bieke Neilson, whose appointment to the 6th Circuit Court bench was confirmed by the Senate in October, died Wednesday night of pulmonary failure in Harper Hospital in Detroit . Neilson graduated from the University of Michigan Honors College in 1977 and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her law degree from Wayne State University School of Law in 1980.

Robert Sedler, a constitutional law professor at Wayne State , will participate in a debate at Oakland University titled "Affirmative Action: Pro and Con." The traveling debate, created by the anti-affirmative action group Toward a Fair Michigan, will run from noon to 1 p.m. on Feb. 1. A photo of Sedler is included.

Susan LeRoque Davis has joined the faculty of the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS) as an assistant professor in the Pharmacy Practice Department. A photo of Davis is included.

Wayne State University bestowed an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on William "Bill" Davidson of Bloomfield Hills. He is president and chief executive of Guardian Industries in Auburn Hills and majority owner of the Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment. He earned his business degree from WSU. A photo of Davidson accompanies the write-up.

A symposium on immigration and ethnic relations in European and North American cities will be held Thursday, Jan. 26, at WSU's David Adamany Undergraduate Library. Wayne State 's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, the Society of Active Retirees (SOAR) and the Free University of Brussels will host the symposium. "Given the recent upheavals about immigrant relations in cities of Europe, Australia and the Middle East , it is crucial to discuss successes and failures in the integration of immigrants," said Frederic Pearson, director of the CPCS.

"Sly Fox" by Larry Gelbart, a comic farce adapted form Ben Johnson's "Volpone," opens at Wayne State University's Hilberry Theatre at 8 p.m. on Feb. 3. "Sly Fox" plays through Thursday, March 30 in rotating repertory with "Electra" by Sophocles and "Anthony and Cleopatra" by Shakespeare. A photo of cast members is included. 'Midnight Caller' at Studio Wayne State's Studio Theatre will present "The Midnight Caller" by Horton Foote on Feb. 2-11. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m.

Mary Wallace, an audiovisual archivist with the Walter P. Reuther Library, was interviewed by Ryan Moitozo about the Detroit Lions photographic exhibit currently running at the Reuther. The exhibit, titled "Double Coverage: An exhibit of Detroit Lions History through photographs," features images chronicling Detroit Lions history from the team\'s beginning in 1934 to the present.

Channel 7 reporter Mary Conway interviewed Kurt Kieleszewski, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president, about the more than 200 Wayne State University student-athletes taking part in Super Bowl XL activities. The students will be dedicated snow removers and ambassadors during Super Bowl week. On Thursday evening, a training session took place in the Matthaei including ambassador orientation, distribution of the ambassador jackets and a Host Committee overview. Conway interviewed three student-athletes Dee Mays, women\'s tennis; Frank Lietke, football; and Aaron Higginbottom, football.

Peter Lichtenberg, director of Wayne State 's Institute of Gerontology , commented in a story about the importance of volunteering to the overall well-being of older people. Lichtenberg said staying connected to others helps preserve older people's mental and physical health. "It reduces disability. People who volunteer have less mobility and falling issues, probably because they are more seeking out, 'How do I keep strong?'"

A feature story examines the Healthier Black Elders Center 's mission which opened its doors for African-American, Latino and other minority medical researchers through Wayne State 's Institute of Gerontology (IOG). The center offers community fairs to share healthier-living tips, creates newsletters to let people know about research results and performs screenings for diseases plaguing many elderly African Americans. Comments from Peter Lichtenberg, IOG director, Hector Gonzalez, IOG faculty member, and Olivia Washington, director of the Healthier Black Elders Center and an associate professor at the College of Nursing , are included in the story.

Wayne State's Walter P. Reuther Library is hosting the exhibit \"Double Coverage: An Exhibit of Detroit Lions History Through Photographs,\" with an opening reception Thursday, Jan. 26, at 5 p.m. featuring former Detroit Lion Wally Triplett as a special guest.

A Wayne State student expressed concern about the university's plan to provide parking to commuters and Super Bowl visitors next week. She was hopeful that enough parking would be available to accommodate students during the days that commuters and Super Bowl visitors use the facilities.

NextEnergy, in partnership with Wayne State University , announced earlier this month the creation of a National Biofuel Energy Lab to be located in NextEnergy's new building in WSU's TechTown. Faculty, graduate students and Ph.D. candidates from the WSU College of Engineering will conduct research and experiments aimed at forming a solid technical foundation for the development of biodiesel fuels. Boidiesel fuel is made from sources such as vegetable oil, either salvaged from restaurants or obtained from organically grown crops. It is biodegradable, non-toxic and gives off fewer emissions than petroleum-based diesel fuel.

Wayne State is mentioned as one of the regional sites for this year's FIRST Robotics competition. The annual competition involves high school teams, who have adult advisors, building and operating multi-functional robots that will compete in a game with strict rules. Participating teams compete for college scholarships and numerous other awards. The WSU competition is slated for March 16-18.

Michigan\'s public universities have offered thousands of sparsely attended classes, allowed thousands of students to pad grades by taking the same classes over and over, and sometimes failed to monitor or correct faculty performance. Those findings -- issued in state audits -- suggest that taxpayer-supported universities could do more to control costs in dire economic times. The auditors\' concerns come as students and parents face stiff annual tuition increases. In spot checks at six universities, auditors found more than 3,800 instances of students taking the same course three or more times. More than 1,500 Wayne State University students did so, mainly to replace poor or incomplete grades, a practice auditors suggested was an inefficient use of taxpayer money. Beginning next fall, Wayne State students must get permission from academic advisers before taking courses a third time.

Wayne State University and Children\'s Hospital of Michigan have launched a new research project involving little kids who are depressed and youngsters with obsessive compulsive disorder. Professor David Rosenberg, of Wayne State 's School of Medicine and chief of Psychiatry at Children\'s Hospital, says these conditions are medical conditions that respond to medical treatment. He says they can now use MRI\'s to look at the brains of these kids and determine which treatments work best.

Women are outpacing men at campuses across the country. At Wayne State the ratio is 60 percent female to 40 percent male, while at the University of Michigan it's a closer race 51 percent female and 49 percent male. Oakland University is only 37 percent male.

During the morning drive-time newscast, the Detroit Lions photographic exhibit at the Walter P. Reuther Library was touted as a "great Super Bowl event for the whole family." The exhibit, titled "Double Coverage: An exhibit of Detroit Lions History through photographs," features images chronicling Detroit Lions history from the team\'s beginning in 1934 to the present. Former Detroit Lion Wally Triplett will be a featured guest during the Opening Reception at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. The first African-American draftee to play in the NFL, Triplett was picked by the Lions in the 19th round of the 1949 draft.

A brief highlighting scheduled Super Bowl events includes information about the Walter P. Reuther Library's exhibit titled "Double Coverage: An exhibit of Detroit Lions History through photographs." Described in the brief as "one of the first and most unusual Super Bowl soirees," the exhibit will feature more than 100 photos, memorabilia and a special guest, Roary, the Lions' mascot. The public is invited to visit the exhibit beginning Friday, Jan. 27, and it will run until April 1.

Wayne State University President Irvin Reid is poised to receive a 32 percent compensation increase over five years if the Wayne State Board of Governors approves his pay and benefit raise today. Under the proposal set for a vote, Reid would receive an annual increase in his base salary and benefits worth $126,000 by 2010, bringing his total yearly compensation to $516,760. The proposed pay raise comes on the heels of an 18.5 percent increase in student tuition and after Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon decided this month to donate her pay raise to her university, saying it was the right thing to do in this tough economic climate. \"I don\'t think we should be doing this at this time,\" said Paul Massaron, a member of the WSU Board of Governors who opposes Reid\'s pay increase. He said people at the top need to make sacrifices first. Reid, president since 1997, donated $600,000 to the university with his wife in 2004 and declined a pay raise last year. The board doesn\'t give written annual reviews, but it characterized Reid\'s performance as \"outstanding.\" Jacquelin Washington, chairwoman of WSU\'s Board of Governors, said Reid has done \"a wonderful job\" as president. \"We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber as our president,\" she said. The board may change the details of the proposed compensation package before a final vote at 2 p.m. today.