In the news

Report: Wayne State has $1B yearly economic impact

Wayne State University benefits the Southeast Michigan economy by more than $1 billion annually, according to a report released Tuesday in Lansing. The report, conducted by the Anderson Economic Group L.L.C., outlines the university's economic and fiscal impact, as well as its cultural and knowledge assets and the increased earnings of its students. "The report confirms the significant role of the university in contributing to Michigan's economy and future workforce," Wayne State President Irvin D. Reid said in a news release. "Our role as an educational partner with the state continues to be critical to the success of Michigan's economic future."

Dog eating bill rankles

A Hawaiian state legislator is pushing a bill that would ban the slaughter of dogs and cats for food, drawing protests from some Asian ethnic groups who believe the measure is aimed at unfounded and racist stereotypes of their cultures. Frank Wu, dean of the WSU Law School, believes the issue of eating dog is emphasized \"to caricature and condemn particular populations,\" namely Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and other Asians. Wu wrote about dog-eating in his book \"Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White.\"

Legacy of written word

Desiree Cooper writes that poet Dudley Randall, part of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 70s, founded the Broadside Press. Many of the poets he published became leading artistic voices, winning the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among other honors. "There was an intense energy here in Detroit,\" said Gloria House, a Wayne State professor emerita who taught in the department of Interdisciplinary Studies, is part of a collective that still operates the press. \"We had radical labor organizers, civil rights activists and Muslim politics. Randall was trying to publish little books of 20 pages or even broadsides of one poem so that it could get to the masses. It spread like wildfire.\"

Madonna's aggressive efforts lure more students

The Livonia university has reached its highest level of enrollment (4,600) in its 58-year history by offering new academic programs and opening two educational centers. Enrollment is up 2 percent this year, after a 16 percent increase the year before. In 2000, the university developed a five-year plan to boost enrollment by focusing on basics. "We don't spend a lot with self-promotion, we spend our investments on our programs," said Frank Hribar, vice president of planning and enrollment management at Madonna. Forensic science and sports management majors introduced last fall attracted 85 additional students. The university is also the only institution in the country to offer a master's degree in hospice education.

Federal Bar to honor Driker

Detroit lawyer Eugene Driker has been named to receive the Wade McCree Jr. Advancement of Social Justice Award at the Federal Bar Association, Eastern District of Michigan Chapter luncheon, Feb. 22. Driker is being saluted for more than 30 years of civic, philanthropic and legal services to the community, which include helping create the Wayne State University Law School's Wade McCree Minority Scholarship Fund and chairing the school's committee of visitors and Anthony Wayne Society. He is a member of the WSU Board of Governors.

Match penalty: Labor experts look at where NHL talks went offsides

Michael Belzer, professor of urban and labor studies in CULMA, is quoted in a front-page story about the stalemated NHL negotiations. He said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is using time-tested strategies to get the upper hand in negotiations. "From a bargaining perspective, the leverage is pretty strongly being wielded by the owners in this case," he observed. "They have stuck together." The article points out that Belzer graduated from Cornell two years before Bettman but does not know him.

TechTown manager nominated for award

An item in this report mentioned that Scott McZeal, program manager at TechTown, has been selected as one of 15 finalists nationwide in the 2005 Miller Urban Entrepreneurs Series Business Plan Competition. McZeal was chosen from more than 300 entrants, the finalists battled for one of five $20,000 awards. McZeal, also a third-year student in Wayne State\'s joint JD/MBA program, and his partner Robbyn Ennis placed as finalists with their business plan for The UrbanFlavor.com. An online entertainment and culture resource for African Americans, their site will begin serving the Detroit and Chicago markets in 2006 and expand to 10 cities in five years.