President’s Town Hall Meeting summary, January 31, 2008

Below are highlights from President Stockhausen’s Town Hall Meeting, Jan. 31, 2008:

In the News

Dental School—The move of the Dental School to the Corktown Campus went well, and the entire project (with still a lengthy punch list) will be completed within budget. Classes and clinics are now under way in the new location. Feb. 2, the Dental School hosted the annual Give Kids a Smile event to provide free dental screenings for about 250 children.

Employee Homeownership Program—UDM’s Employee Homeownership subsidy received good press and positive feedback from neighborhood associations who are eager to work with Human Resources on this initiative.

Academic Affairs

Academic Program Review—More than 20 undergraduate and graduate programs are currently in review. The process includes both an external (peer) and internal review.

School of Law—In November, the School of Law’s Mobile Law Office kicked off a statewide tour to assist veterans; on Feb. 7 it began a national tour to help veterans seeking federal benefits assistance. This initiative has received lots of good press in Texas.
The Law School also has a new and unique Environmental Law Clinic in which the professor is also a designated Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, who, with students, will handle Department of Justice environmental enforcement actions on behalf of the U.S. government.
In addition to its Windsor program, the Law School will initiate a new law degree program in Mexico with Monterey Tech; this will be the only NAFTA law program in the country.

Honors Program—Through the development of a strategic plan, the Honors Program has a stronger, cohort identity and is better positioned to recruit prospective students. The Admissions Office is now using the Honors Program as a recruitment opportunity, inviting prospective freshmen with strong GPAs to apply to UDM’s Honors Program.

Grants—The College of Engineering & Science has received three grants from the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and one from the University Transportation Center (UTC), as well as $40,000 for three years from Ford Motor Company. The College of Business Administration’s Business Turnaround Management Program has received a $50,000 grant from the Business Turnaround Management Association—the largest grant the Association has ever given. The School of Law has received a $200,000 grant from the State of Michigan to expand its Veterans Law Clinic

College of Liberal Arts & Education—Detroit Free Press staff writer Sheryl James is currently a Communications adjunct faculty member; James is a 1991 Pulitzer Prize winner and a 1992 Pulitzer finalist, both for Feature Writing. CLAE's new program in Economics at the Macomb University Center has been designated as a National Council on Economics Education center.

School of Architecture—Faculty and students have been working on three design projects of note:

Students in the joint Civil & Environmental Engineering/Architecture program recently completed the design of Genesis House Three, a homeless shelter.
The Detroit Collaborative Design Center is developing an urban design plan for the Paradise Valley Cultural and Entertainment District near Harmonie Park.
Architecture students working with Architecture Professor Steve LaGrassa won 3rd place in a health care design competition in Chicago for their design of an emergency hospital center.

Enrollment

Winter Term II total enrollment is up 2.3 percent compared to last year with student credit hours up 2.6 percent; this is the fourth consecutive winter term with enrollment increases. The fall 2007 incoming freshman class was the largest in 20 years. Freshman applications and admits for fall 2008 are up about 20 percent with deposits up 36 percent from last year at this time.

Athletics

Although it’s been a difficult season for our basketball teams, it was great to celebrate Homecoming with two wins and to welcome back former student athletes. UDM student athletes have several achievements to celebrate: the men’s Golf Team won the Horizon League Championship; 65 percent of student-athletes were named to Term I Athletics Director Honor Roll (which requires 3.0 GPA or greater); the Softball Team, with a 3.448 CUM GPA was ranked 8th nationally by the National Fast Pitch Association—this marks their 10th year in the top 10.

Human Resources

MHERC—The University is now participating in the Michigan Higher Education Consortium (MHERC) to post faculty job openings. This collaborative effort will expand the University’s ability to recruit more broadly.

Capital Projects

Riverfront Campus—Phase I design work and construction documents are finished. Timing to begin the project is subject to fund raising.

McNichols Campus—Planning and design work is in process. Timing to begin project is subject to fund raising.

Addressing deferred maintenance and capital improvement issues will require significant expenditures from our operating budget for many years to come.

Gifts

Total gifts to the University are up by $500,000, but the number of donors is slightly down. New planned gifts are up by $700,000 with greater emphasis on this area as part of the quiet phase of UDM’s comprehensive campaign,

Emergency Preparations

Emergency Plan—A task force of the Facility Planning, Standards, and Safety Committee has reviewed and updated the University’s Emergency Plan. The updated plan is currently available on the Public Safety web site: www.udmercy.edu/publicsafety.

Emergency Alerts—UDM’s participation in the Emergency Alert System through Wayne County Department of Homeland Security is live. When the alert system is implemented, notification will be posted on the UDM home page, Public Safety web page and on the Wayne County system via e-mail, cell, text, pager, etc.