The Wayne State University basketball program is on the upswing, and Belleville High School standout Rob Igbawua is a player with plenty of upside. Wayne State University basketball coach David Greer says, "…from the defense standpoint, [Igbawua] has the ability to play collegiately right now."

Nancy Galster, a recruiter for Wayne State's honors program, is noted in the magazine's "Portrait of Hope" section as a volunteer tutor with ProLiteracy Detroit. "I feel like I've cut the 47 percent a little bit," said Galster referring to Detroit's illiteracy numbers. A photo of Galster accompanies the piece.

New head football coach Paul Winters is profiled in a feature story. The Warriors' eighth head coach and first black coach says "I'm looking to have a team that competes hard and tries to find a way to win. The biggest thing is I don't want to accept excuses on why we can't win. There are no excuses for losing. It's my job to turn it (the program) around with a change of attitude. And with that, results will come." Winters has solid credentials, from playing and coaching in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to coaching under Barry Alvarez at the University of Wisconsin. A sidebar with the 2002 game schedule is included on the page.

Wayne State University's part-time MBA program anticipates a class of 45 percent women, higher than the University of Michigan's business school which forecasts its fall MBA class at 31 percent women, and Michigan State University, at 30 percent women.

Carl Freeman, biology professor in the College of Science, was part of a delegation that traveled to a Pittsburgh water plant to learn more about water quality.

Wayne State University Board of Governors member Paul Massaron will lead a group studying how to encourage more students to attend college. The group was established through a commission appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to double the number of people in Michigan with post-secondary degrees.

Kurt Metzger, research director in CULMA's Center for Urban Studies, comments about the increase of new homes in Wayne County. "During the last year, Wayne County really picked up the pace," he says. "That's attributable to the renaissance in Detroit."

Michigan's state government leaders, having pledged to be players in the biotech industry in 1999, have since funded biotech research efforts at Wayne State University, and other institutions.

Michael Belzer of the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, is quoted in a story about use of GPS technology by truck fleet owners to track their drivers. In his book "Sweatshops on Wheels," he talks about the low wages, long hours and unsafe and unsanitary conditions that many truckers work under. "New methods make it easier but do they make more money at it," he asks.

Robin Boyle, professor of urban development in the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, says the proposed "Africa Town" project in Detroit is born out of frustration. According to the proposal, a fund would be established that would lend city money to entrepreneurs, but only if they are black. "But this idea is quite unreal. There's a lot of posturing here." Boyle says such a fund would be not only bad policy but illegal.

David Bonior, a former Democratic congressman who teaches labor issues at Wayne State's College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs, commented on John Kerry's campaign promises for increases in employment numbers. "Kerry has to pound away on the economy and the loss of manufacturing jobs and the 5 million people who have lost health care in this administration," Bonior said.

Columnist Tom Walsh notes in a story about WTVS's (Channel 56) decision to move to Wixom that one locally produced show is "Leaders on Leadership," in partnership with Wayne State University's business school.

Professor Bonior also was a guest on the "Lynn Cullen Show" speaking about worker's rights.

Professor Frederic Pearson, director of CULMA's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, recently addressed an audience of about 200 at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City about the chances for the democratization of Iraq. "There is some hope, if we get the right balance" of U.S. and Iraqi leaders in the security forces there, Pearson said. He added, however, that "Americans are perplexed that we're seen not as liberators but as occupiers. We're going into one of the most anti-colonial places in the world." A photo of Pearson is included.

Columnist Karen Dumas, writing about a controversy involving WDET-FM manager Michael Coleman when he was at another station, says she is impressed that Wayne State and WDET are "standing behind Coleman. . . . More than all, we should recognize the integrity of the Wayne State University for standing behind their employee and for showing us all the importance and principles of teamwork and true leadership; a class in which we should all enroll." Dumas points out that many people jump to conclusions before they know all the facts.

Wayne State won its first GLIAC men's basketball tournament championship since 1999 with 73-71 win over Ferris State in Big Rapids on Sunday. Wayne State is 22-7 and will learn later Sunday know where it will play in the NCAA Division II tournament's Midwest Regional. http://www.detnews.com/article/20110306/SPORTS0203/103060332/1133/sports0203/Wayne-State-men-win-GLIAC-basketball-tournament http://www.freep.com/article/20110306/SPORTS08/110306010/1056/SPORTS08/Wayne-State-73-Ferris-State-71-Warriors-win-GLIAC-title http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=999&DateTime=3%2F6%2F2011+11%3A58%3A10+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=999&playclip=True&RefPage= http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1004&DateTime=3%2F6%2F2011+11%3A27%3A52+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1004&playclip=True&RefPage= http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=3%2F6%2F2011+5%3A48%3A16+PM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2785&playclip=True&RefPage= http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2790&DateTime=3%2F7%2F2011+7%3A45%3A43+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=2790&playclip=True&RefPage=

Al Hermsen, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, was interviewed in a story about the state possibly pulling the Michigan Promise scholarship, which would affect 96,000 students statewide. Wayne State University will credit student accounts with hopes that the state will follow through. "To lose a $1,000 scholarship at this date could be devastating and could change students enrollment plans," said Hermsen.

In February 2000, the WSU dance department was renamed the Maggie Allesee Department of Dance after a generous gift of $2 million from Allesee, a longtime Metro Detroit dance and cultural arts advocate and philanthropist. Guests at the Fifth Annual Spring Gala dinner, held at The Whitney, enjoyed a full evening of cocktails and elaborate meals. Following the dinner party, a concert \"Dancing the Legacy\" was held at Wayne State\'s Bonstelle Theatre. Allesee\'s gift is the largest of its kind to any university dance program in the country and created the first individually named department at WSU.

King H. Yang, a professor of biomedical and mechanical engineering at WSU, has studied computer modeling as it relates to vehicle crashworthiness and occupant injuries for over 27 years. Yang believes that numerical simulations will eventually replace conventional crash testing. "There is a lot of information about injuries that we cannot get from using crash dummies, but is readily available from the computer simulations." Yang believes that as engineers continue to develop computer models, they will one day be able to pinpoint the type of injuries that will occur as a result of a given crash.

400 show up in Charles Pugh's forum to help Detroit, Detroiters Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh said he was elated at the turnout of about 400 people last night at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium for a forum on volunteering to help Detroit and Detroiters. He hosted the meeting with WDET-FM (101.9) radio talk-show host Craig Fahle, who has held a series of "Call for Action" shows on how people in the region can help to transform Detroit. Pugh and Fahle plan another meeting for 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Community House, 380 S. Bates in Birmingham. The second meeting will also promote volunteering in Detroit but it will be a chance for suburbanites to meet Pugh and give him suggestions for improving Detroit and making it more appealing to outsiders, he said. http://www.freep.com/article/20120222/NEWS01/120222081/400-show-up-Charles-Pugh-s-forum-help-Detroit-Detroiters http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1004&DateTime=2%2F23%2F2012+6%3A46%3A09+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1004&playclip=True&RefPage=