Detroit Mercy Campus Connection

August 8, 2017

Lace up for a groovy race: Detroit Decades Dash registration is open!

Detroit Decades Dash logo and photo from 2016 at start line

The second annual Detroit Decades Dash "time-warped" again, this time to the 1970s, and we couldn't be more excited! Whether you're running in the Fun Run, 5K or strutting your stuff in our costume contest, join us for a funky time during Detroit Mercy's Homecoming on Saturday, Sept. 30. This community run is open to everyone and will take runners through the beautiful neighborhoods north of Detroit Mercy. Participants will receive a race shirt and custom medal. Cash prizes will be awarded for best male, female and group costumes! Register online today and share with all your running family and friends.

Upcoming community events on Livernois

The Detroit Mercy-sponsored Live6 Alliance will host its next installment of the community dialogue series, Speakeasy, on Friday, Aug. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Detroit Sip. Public Safety will deliver an update about the community and open a discussion about safety in our neighborhood. For more information, contact Live6 Alliance Director Lauren Hood at 313-610-6004 or info@live6detroit.org.

The next installment of Market On The Ave, Live6's farmers and artisan market, will be noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12. Market On The Ave will continue on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, running through October, at the lot across from the University, between Florence and Grove Street. Click here for more information.

President's Convocation, Aug. 16

Faculty, administrators and staff are encouraged to attend the annual President's Convocation on Wednesday, Aug. 16, on the McNichols Campus. Let us join together as colleagues and celebrate as we prepare for the new academic year.

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with Mass in the St. Ignatius Chapel in the Commerce & Finance Building, followed by a continental breakfast at 9 a.m. in the lobby of the Student Fitness Center. The Convocation program begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Student Fitness Center and concludes with a buffet lunch. Join us afterward at the Buysse Ballpark across campus for the annual faculty softball game, as well as other activities including board games, corn hole, horseshoes and croquet. If you are interested in volunteering as a liturgical minister or choir member for Convocation, register online.

GoodTurn app logo

Ford partners with Detroit Mercy to create a better world

Thanks to a unique partnership with University of Detroit Mercy, nonprofit organizations that work with Ford Motor Company volunteers have a new way of connecting with willing workers.

Detroit Mercy recently released GoodTurn, an iPhone app that connects nonprofits with materials to move with volunteers who have vehicles to move it. College of Engineering & Science Interim Dean Katy Snyder led a team of alumni, faculty, students and staff who came together to design and build GoodTurn in an impressively short six-month time span. Read the full story online.

Last chance to register for Colleague Development Days

All faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to participate in the seventh annual Fall Colleague Development Days on Thursday, Aug. 17, and Friday, Aug. 18, on the McNichols Campus. The Thursday event offers 21 concurrent sessions, which will assist in updating and educating faculty, administrators and staff.

On Friday, two plenary sessions will help faculty, staff and administrators "meet, understand and teach today's learners: Generation NeXt." See the session overview for more details or visit the Colleague Development Day website. If you have questions, contact the event's coordinator Sheryl Johnson-Roulhac at 313-993-1017 or careerlink@udmercy.edu.

Detroit Mercy partners with prestigious institutions in China for Engineering and Financial Economics education

University of Detroit Mercy is partnering with two prestigious Chinese universities to bring a cohort of students to Detroit this fall. While here, the students will work in Detroit Mercy’s state-of-art labs with renowned faculty, and earn their bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

University of Detroit Mercy is partnering with three prestigious Chinese universities to bring a cohort of students to Detroit this fall. While here, the students will work in Detroit Mercy's state-of-art labs with renowned faculty, and earn their bachelor's and master's degrees. See the full story online.

Volunteer and help first year students at PTV, Aug. 23-24

All Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to volunteer and help incoming first year students in their half day of service, as part of the orientation program PTV (Prologues, Transitions and Viewpoints), Aug. 23-24. This year, from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., most groups will be focused on improving the Fitzgerald neighborhood surrounding the McNichols Campus. If you are interested, contact Director of the Institute for Leadership and Service Tim Hipskind, S.J., at hipskijt@udmercy.edu.

Library exhibit: "The Life and Times of the Heidelberg Project"

Heidelberg Project house

University of Detroit Mercy traces the life and times of Detroit's famed Heidelberg Project in its McNichols Campus Library summer exhibition, using photographs, flyers, newspaper and magazine articles, original artworks, and other unique material. Since it began in 1986, the Heidelberg Project has garnered critical acclaim and controversy, both of which have been covered extensively by the press. Yet the project's context is not as well known. Come explore and discuss how it relates to the city of Detroit, its nearby neighborhood, the local art community and the international art world.

"The Life and Times of the Heidelberg Project," which will be on display through Tuesday, Aug. 22, documents not only the project's press coverage, but also its influences, such as Detroit street artist Rosetta Archie; its connections with Detroit's theatre, poetry and arts scenes; its commentary on social issues and urban problems; and its impact on both Detroit's east side and the international art world. For more information about the exhibit, contact McNichols Campus Library Technician and Preservation Specialist Maurice Greenia, Jr., at 313-993-1795 or greeniam@udmercy.edu.

Celebrate Spirit! Logo

Celebrate Spirit!, Sept. 14

All Detroit Mercy students, faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to attend the annual Celebrate Spirit!, Thursday, Sept. 14. Celebrate Spirit! is the official welcome to the new school year, and will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Fitness Center, featuring Mass celebrant Thomas Florek, S.J. The School of Dentistry has produced a video, Driven to Serve, as the keynote presentation this year.

Following the Mass, a picnic and the Student Organization Fair will be held around the Fisher Fountain. The McNichols Campus class schedule will be changed on Sept. 14 to accommodate Celebrate Spirit! attendance. See the Celebrate Spirit! website for more information.

Celebrate Spirit! 2017 is co-sponsored by University Ministry and the School of Dentistry, celebrating its 85th anniversary of Detroit Mercy Dental's founding.

Thumbs Up!

Professor of Law Lawrence Dubin was quoted in the MLive article, "Flint police officer buys recall petition copies with check from mayor's campaign," Aug. 3.

Professor of History Roy E. Finkenbine participated in the development of an episode of Southern Hollows, a podcast on southern history produced in Memphis, Tenn. Listen to the episode online.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the African American Studies program Alex Zamalin was recently interviewed by WDET Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson on Zamalin's new book, Struggle on Their Minds: The Political Thought of African American Resistance.

Campus Connection is available online at www.udmercy.edu/campus_connection/. To submit news and information for publication in a future issue of Campus Connection, please visit www.udmercy.edu/campus_connection/forms/submit.jsp.

More University news and event information is available online at www.udmercy.edu/about/events.