Can we do better for our college students?

A generation ago, college students could cobble together money for tuition and board through a summer job, scholarships and help from mom and dad. Not anymore. The average price of a year at a state school is now $14, 460 and more than double that at a private college. Only 24 percent of students pay for college without any financial aid. Meanwhile the state government gives lip service to higher education and whacks away at the budgets of state colleges and universities. This will discourage some from attending college and saddle others with massive debts.

August 28, 2005

How an Accounting Firm Went From Resistance to Resignation

Commenting on a complex accounting scandal, Peter J. Henning, professor of criminal law at Wayne State said, "KPMG viewed its conduct as above reproach, in a sense viewing itself as smarter than the IRS and Department of Justice by developing these creative tax shelters."

August 28, 2005

Editorial: Why Oakland should care who is Detroit 's mayor

A stronger revitalized Detroit would be good for Oakland County , and most observers understand that the two are inextricably linked in terms of regional image and economics. Many Detroit residents are funneling into Oakland County , increasing diversity overall and expanding the county's tax base. But it's also producing negative ancillary effects, as destination communities such as Southfield and Oak Park slowly show signs of racial re-segregation, said Kurt Metzger, a demographer at Wayne State 's Center for Urban Studies.

August 28, 2005

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Steve Strome, Chairman and CEO of Handleman Group and graduate of the WSU SBA, was the guest on \"Leaders on Leadership\" co-produced by the WSU School of Business Administration and Detroit Public Television. During the interview by host and SBA staff member Larry Fobes, Strome spoke about leadership in the highly competitive and dynamic business of music, video, and book account management for \"big box\" retail outlets. The audience of WSU business students asked about leading a retail music business in the age of internet-based music services. The program will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, 8/31 at 5:00 pm.

August 28, 2005

No Small Change: State can't afford House's business tax cut

Editorial Michigan simply can't take a chance on cutting business taxes - it would put universities, schools and other important programs at risk.

August 28, 2005

Wayne State hopes new engineering center speeds research

WSU President Irvin Reid has an ambitious plan to elevate the institution\'s scholastic and research endeavors. Working with major corporations and entrepreneurs, Reid wants to speed everything from cancer diagnosis and treatment to detection of environmental hazards. Over the next five years, Wayne State plans to add a $26 million engineering development center at its main campus. A new business school building and a medical education center at Wayne 's medical school at the Detroit Medical Center are also planned. Monday WSU will open a new 937-bed residence hall for upperclassmen and graduate students; as the student body is expected to grow from 34,000 to 40,000 by 2011. A photo of the College of Engineering 's smart sensor lab was featured with the story.

August 28, 2005

Students crushed by debt

The News did a nearly two-page feature with three articles and numerous charts and sidebars on college students and their rising debt levels. The number of student loans and their value has soared in recent years. Over the past two years borrowing is up 35 percent nationally. Richard Garcia, 50, of Livonia , is worried about paying his daughter's tuition when she transfers from Schoolcraft College to WSU, where, according to this article, 41 percent of the students take out loans.

August 28, 2005

Brief - "Barry Roth: Constructed Image Photography"

Photographer Roth, who teaches in Wayne State 's department of Art and Art History is having a show at the Huntington Woods Library.

August 28, 2005

Another coffee perk: antioxidants

Catherine Jen, a nutrition professor and chair of WSU's Department of Nutrition and Food Science, said previous research has shown that about one-third of people's antioxidants come from coffee, because it is such a popular drink.

August 28, 2005

Law school hosts 'Celebrate the Bar' event

Wayne State 's Law School will host a "Celebrate with the Bar" event Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the Spencer Partrich Auditorium from 4-7 p.m. Students are invited to attend an informal gathering with representatives from the State Bar of Michigan along with local and specialty bar associations.

August 26, 2005

Memos

Alan Reinstein, George R. Hubbard professor of accounting at Wayne State , was named chair-elect of the Teaching and Curriculum Section of the American Accounting Association.

August 25, 2005

Community committee to save CBS negotiates with WSU

Wayne State History Professor Jose Cuello highlighted a recent meeting between WSU administrators and the Community Committee to Save CBS (Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies). Cuello said the Aug. 17 meeting agenda involved negotiating the conditions that will allow CBS to continue as a center and open up the possibility of its growth and prosperity in the future.

August 25, 2005

In Our Opinion: Law enforcement to get training in recognizing vulnerable adult abuse

Wayne State 's Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) is commended in an editorial for their participation in a law enforcement training program on vulnerable adult abuse. In partnership with other organizations, DDI is offering training on vulnerable abuse for prosecutors, advocates and law enforcement officers to meet the needs of a growing aging population, and 54 million people nationwide with disabilities. Training sessions titled "Understanding and Investigating Vulnerable Adult Abuse and Neglect: The Role of Law Enforcement," will be offered throughout the state until November. Participants will learn skills needed to identify adult abuse, obtain accurate information from vulnerable adults and determine proper measures to offer assistance.

August 25, 2005

Wayne State workshops

The Wayne State University Alumni Association this fall will offer three new "CareerBoost!" workshops aimed at those who graduated from the university in the past 10 years. A description of the three workshops is offered and contact information provided.

August 25, 2005

Birth control pioneer also a playwright

"An Immaculate Misconception," a play written by Dr. Carl Djerassi, inventor of the birth control pill, will be presented by Wayne State University 's College of Fine , Performing and Communication Arts, Sept. 7-17, in the Hilberry Theatre. Department of Theatre Chair Blair Anderson likens the opportunity to present this play as a perfect amalgam of arts, science and education. "Dr. Djerassi understands education, he understands how to tell fiction and he understands chemistry. 'An Immaculate Misconception' is a synthesis of the three that is unique," Anderson said.

August 25, 2005

Carol Cain/Oakland: New mother gets creative with baby duds

Brinda Devine, real estate officer at Wayne State , is featured in Carol Cain's column. Outside her job at WSU, Devine runs an Internet-based company part-time from her home. The company sells creative clothing for young children. Devine employs two seamstresses, works at the business in the early morning and late evening, and is thinking about opening a store. A phone number and Web address for the business are given.

August 25, 2005

Ministers of influence

A story about Detroit churches providing platforms for speeches by mayoral candidates carries a sidebar that mentions that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and challenger Freman Hendrix will debate on Oct. 17 at Wayne State . The debate is sponsored by WDIV-TV and Clear Channel Radio.

August 25, 2005

Ex-Kmart CEO charged with fraud

Peter Henning, a former SEC and Justice Department lawyer and Wayne State University law professor, says he was surprised at how narrow the case is involving former Kmart executives currently being sued for their actions in the retail chain's bankruptcy. "It reminds me of the old song, 'Is that all there is?' Everyone had known for a long time that Kmart was a high-risk investment," Henning says. He also predicted lawyers will question whether the statements surrounding the vendors were "material" to a company with annual revenue of $37 billion.

August 24, 2005

Kmart: Big buys, bigger lies

Randolph Paschke, chair of the accounting department in the School of Business Administration , commented in a story about a lawsuit filed Tuesday against former Kmart Corp. Chief Executive Officer Chuck Conaway and his chief financial officer John McDonald Jr. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, alleges that Conaway and McDonald engaged in numerous deceptions to conceal actions that led to the largest bankruptcy in U.S. retail history in January 2002. Paschke said former Kmart shareholders will most likely have to accept their payoff in the form of justice, not monetary compensation.

August 24, 2005

Accounting firms vow not to kick hobbled KPMG

Stephen Calkins, an antitrust expert at Wayne State, agreed that the world's top three accounting firms - Deloitte & Touche LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - need a healthy KPMG to reassure Washington that there is competition in the industry. "Without KPMG, "life would be very awkward for the Big 3 accounting firms," Calkins told Bloomberg News.

August 24, 2005