Payoffs to journalists blur lines of independent media

Ben Burns, director of the journalism program and Matthew Seeger, chair of the department of communication at Wayne State University, wrote an opinion piece about recent revelations that the U.S. government has paid journalists for good coverage. "The result is a dangerous loss of faith that the information we have is factual, and that those reporting it are honest." Pictures of Burns and Seeger accompany the article.

February 2, 2005

Tom Adams: Excelled in football and advertising

An obituary on civic leader and advertising executive Tom Adams notes that he was a Wayne State graduate and former member of the university's Board of Governors. Mr. Adams, 85, starred in football at Wayne State, where he majored in psychology, and was later drafted by the Chicago Cardinals pro football team but joined the Navy instead in 1941. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wayne State University athletic department or to a favorite animal charity.

February 2, 2005

Group banks on riverfront to change image of Detroit

Robin Boyle, an urban studies professor in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, says industrial cities around the world have reclaimed their riverfronts and improved their images. Commenting about a commitment by leaders of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to raise $110 million to create 5 miles of green space along the Detroit River, Boyle adds that the new uses for the river also signal a shift from the industrial production to a more information economy. \"There is no banging metal on the river anymore, but it is home to the headquarters of the largest automaker in the world,\" Boyle said. \"It\'s a very strong example of how the city has changed.\"

February 2, 2005

People in the news

The Warren Symphony will premiere "Island Dances" on Feb. 13, a new composition by Wayne State Professor James Hartway. Hartway, a distinguished professor of music and director of the division of composition and theory, has composed more than 50 works. A photo of Hartway is included.

February 2, 2005

Setback won't halt water-quality classes

A brainstorming group of representatives from Wayne State University, Lake Superior State University and local water-quality leaders will meet Feb. 18 to continue discussing a curriculum plan for St. Clair County Community College. The college intends to unveil at least part of a new water-quality curriculum by fall designed as a one-year undergraduate water-quality program.

February 2, 2005

Michigan's universities are community citizens

Guest columnist Daniel Little, chancellor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, lauds Michigan's 15 publicly supported state universities for their contributions to workforce development and economic growth. Little cites Wayne State University as an institution performing "transformational research on diversity and immigration patterns" through its Metropolitan Information Center. Little says the research "informs the decisions of policy makers in addressing shifting population needs in the Detroit area."

February 1, 2005

'Bernard J. Firestone: Joy in Solidarity' exhibit opens at Wayne State University

Wayne State's Walter P. Reuther Library, in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, will present the "Bernard J. Firestone: Joy in Solidarity" exhibit on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Firestone, an alumnus of Wayne State earning undergraduate and graduate degrees, provided years of service to dozens of philanthropic organizations, workers' rights, educational reform and causes of humanity.

February 1, 2005

Fanclub's ARTrageous! lives up to its billing

Saturday, the the Fanclub Arts Foundation showcased works by local artists and Fanclub grant recipients -- from one-of-a-kind graphic art and photography to handbags and jewelry -- were displayed for viewing and purchasing. A special showing of wearable art from Wayne State University and International Academy of Design and Technology students was also part of the show.

February 1, 2005

$200,000 project will be first in-depth study in area

Oakland County and Wayne State are conducting a study of the county\'s housing needs. Wayne's Center for Urban Studies will spearhead the $200,000 study. Kurt Metzger, director of research for the Center, said comprehensive housing studies are typical in cities seeking federal housing grants. \"To have a countywide plan that incorporates 61 cities, villages and townships is unique. We\'re going to try to bring in as much as we can. It\'s looking at the county to see how accessible housing is for a broad range of people.\"

February 1, 2005

Watkins takes job at WSU

State schools chief Tom Watkins left his job and will take a position with the Wayne State College of Education. Watkins says in his resignation letter that he has been offered a job to work with Paula Wood, dean of Wayne\'s College of Education, on school reform and urban education issues. He thanks President Irving Reid for helping him get the post. This will be Watkins\' second job at Wayne. He was special assistant to President David Adamany for public school initiatives from 1991-96.

February 1, 2005

Parents push for restoring 'old math'

A study, performed by Gregory Bachelis, WSU math professor, surveyed college students who graduated from a high schools that used new math compared to ones whose schools kept traditional math instruction. According to Wayne State's study, the program has failed in preparing students for college-level math.

February 1, 2005

Hilberry opens 'I hate Hamlet' by Paul Rudnick

Background on the play "I Hate Hamlet," a comedy playing through March 31 at WSU's Hilberry Theatre, is provided in this article, which also gives ticket information. A photo of Patrick Moltane, who has the lead role, accompanies the article.

January 31, 2005

Conference on regional collaboration Feb. 18

Wayne State University is noted as a co-sponsor of the Feb. 18 Regional Redevelopment Summit at the Roostertail Club. Nearly 200 attended the summit in its first year and organizers are hoping to draw 300 for this year's event. The event focuses on the benefits of regional collaboration on redevelopment and public policy.

January 31, 2005

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Shelley Irwin interviewed Classics Professor Michele Ronnick on her photo installation on Black Classicists at the Holland Museum. The exhibit will run through the month of February.

January 31, 2005

Hold onto your wallet

The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 permits US companies to repatriate cash from overseas operations at a tax rate of 5.25 percent, rather than the standard 35 percent. The limited-time \"tax holiday\" is turning into the corporate gold rush of 2005. \"Companies are searching for ways to move jobs offshore, and they\'re doing that because of labor costs, not because of any lack of capital,\" says Michael McIntyre, a tax law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit.

January 31, 2005

A chance to get fired

The schedule of casting calls for NBC's "The Apprentice" show is given in a short item in the Rumblings column. Thursday's interviews at Wayne State are for WSU alumni only.

January 31, 2005

Oakland, WSU Put Students First with Shared Pharmacy Program

This editorial lauds Wayne State\'s recent agreement with Oakland University regarding WSU\'s PharmD program. ...State universities are clamoring for more money from the state, but they are going to have to make more decisions like the one recently made by Rochester\'s Oakland University. Instead of creating its own graduate pharmacy school, the university joined in a creative agreement with Wayne State University. Undergraduates at Oakland University will be able to complete the final year of their bachelor\'s degree and the first year of their pharmacy doctorate at Detroit\'s Wayne State University at the same time. It will save them a year\'s tuition and prevent the creation of two state-supported graduate pharmacy schools within 30 miles of each other.

January 31, 2005

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During the noon newscast, Lila Lazarus discussed Exercise and Sleep: A Clinical Trial in Menopausal Women, a federally-funded research grant conducted by Dr. Jean Davis of the College of Nursing. The segment included information on how women can be included in the research project.

January 31, 2005

HUGHES NAMED ACTING SUPERINTENDENT

Jeremy Hughes, currently the state's deputy superintendent of public instruction and the department's chief academic officer, was named the acting state superintendent by the head of the State Board of Education Monday, succeeding outgoing Superintendent Tom Watkins, who is headed to a job at Wayne State University.

January 31, 2005

Holland exhibit focuses on educated blacks

"Until recently, the mark of a learned person was having a command of Greek and Latin," explained Michelle Valerie Ronnick, classics professor at Wayne State. She was responding to a question about "Twelve Black Classicists," a traveling exhibit she developed that pays tribute to several African-American scholars and writers who loom large in classical literature. The exhibit is currently at the Holland (Mich.) Museum.

January 31, 2005