Homecoming is this weekend: Be there!

Our kickoff to Homecoming Weekend 2017 begins this Friday, Sept. 29. with events for all ages! Students can dance the night away at the Unity Ball semi-formal dance. Matt Mio and his panel will be preparing a live taping of Ask the Professor. The Theatre Company is throwing a pre-season bash downtown at the Marlene Boll Theatre filled with performances, drinks and empanadas galore. We also have the Detroit Mercy Law Golf Tournament as well as several evening receptions around campus.

Saturday, Sept. 30 is jam-packed from morning until dusk. The Detroit Decades Dash 5K and Uptown Bike Ride start off our Homecoming festivities. Centered at the Fisher Fountain, the Homecoming Expo will complement the various food trucks, beer tent, activity zones and scavenger hunts, with music and our Titan Talks programmed throughout the afternoon.

After grabbing some food, assemble your strongest team for the annual St. Francis Club Tug-of-War, cheer on the Titans at the Women's Soccer game, enjoy our outdoor Mass or relax and make s'mores at Heat Up the Mall. A Step demonstration in Calihan Hall and the Night Market with the Live6 Alliance will bookend the weekend that evening.

Register today and don't miss out! See you this weekend! #titanshomecoming

Lace up and groove this Saturday at the Detroit Decades Dash

Walk, jog, run or crawl this Saturday, Sept. 30, through the University District at the 2nd annual Detroit Decades Dash! For you competitive 5K runners, the top male and female winners of the dash will receive a beautiful, framed Detroit Pewabic tile. For those participants looking to have some fun while exercising, our 1970s costume contest has cash prizes for best single and group costumes!

All participants in the 5K will receive a moisture-wicking shirt and finisher medal. There's no time to wait: sign up by Friday this week! While you're at it, watch this video! #decadesdash

Celebrate Spirit! videos are ready

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this year's Celebrate Spirit! event a success! This year's keynote video, "Driven to Serve," is now available online. Marketing & Communications also produced a highlight video of the Student Organization Fair, also available online. Be sure to like and share the videos on social media!

College of Health Professions announces appointment of new dean

Detroit Mercy announces the appointment of Neal Rosenburg, Ph.D., M.S., RN, as the new dean of the College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing. Rosenburg will begin his career at Detroit Mercy on Monday, Oct. 9. See the full release online.

Aneb Kgositsile Poetry Collection celebration, Sept. 29

University of Detroit Mercy Press and Broadside Lotus Press will host a celebration and book signing for Aneb Kgositsile's new poetry collection Medicine: New and Selected Poems on Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. This special event takes place at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in downtown Detroit. Kgositsile is a Detroit poet, human rights activist and educator. See the event page for more information.

Interdisciplinary project helps create wheelchair escalator for disabled

Through a special project with the John Dingell Veterans Hospital in downtown Detroit, University of Detroit Mercy Engineering Professors Darrell Kleinke and Nassif Rayess and Nursing Professor Molly McClelland worked with several Detroit Mercy engineering and nursing students to design and build the prototype of a powered platform lift called the Wheelchair Escalator. The product was designed to safely transfer a person in a wheelchair up a three- to 10-step staircase, moving vertically and horizontally, mirroring the action of an escalator. Read the full story online and watch the test run video.

Project: Safety Net and social media discussion

On Thursday, Sept. 28, CLASA will co-sponsor a program with the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, titled, "Project: Safety Net," addressing the problem of hate on social media. Saeed Khan will moderate the evening's program and a panel of community experts will share their perspectives at 7 p.m. in Room 113 of the Ford Life Sciences Building. See the event page for more information.

Alumnus highlight: Tom Page '71, '76

Former Detroit and Los Angeles police officer (now retired) Tom Page has taken on the roles of ad hoc ambassador for the city of Detroit and promoter and devotee of bicycling in the city. These two activities keep Page very busy. Read his story online.

Michigan Veteran Affairs Agency designates University of Detroit Mercy Gold-certified Veteran-Friendly School

The state of Michigan's Veteran Affairs Agency has once again designated University of Detroit Mercy a Gold-certified Michigan Veteran-Friendly School. The Michigan Veteran-Friendly School program is designed to formally recognize academic institutions of higher learning committed to supporting the needs of student veterans and dependents. Learn more online about how Detroit Mercy helps veterans achieve their higher education goals.