Faculty, Staff and Administrators

Faculty/Staff Announcements from Campus Connection

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  • March 18: Lenten reconciliation offered March 21 at St. Ignatius Chapel

    Monday March 18, 2024
    A graphic featuring a cross, with text reading, Reconciliation Offered, Thursday, March 21, 1-2 p.m., St. Ignatius Chapel, contact Fr. Jeff Dorr, SJ, dorrje@udmercy.edu, 'Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.' - St. Francis de Sales.

    Reconciliation will be offered inside of the St. Ignatius Chapel on Thursday, March 21 from 1-2 p.m.

    The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a most natural way to celebrate God’s forgiveness and love.

    For more information, please contact Fr. Jeff Dorr, S.J., at dorrje@udmercy.edu.

    A graphic featuring a cross, with text reading, Reconciliation Offered, Thursday, March 21, 1-2 p.m., St. Ignatius Chapel, contact Fr. Jeff Dorr, SJ, dorrje@udmercy.edu, 'Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.' - St. Francis de Sales.

  • March 18: Gesu Church offers end-of-life seminar

    Monday March 18, 2024

    Gesu Church is hosting a daylong seminar Saturday, April 13 to help people better understand the spiritual, medical, ethical and legal issues of dying.

    “Dignity at the End of Life” is a program for adults of all ages to equip them with tools and information to help them or loved ones make decisions about end-of-life details, talk with patient advocates and medical professionals, understand advanced directives and more.

    Presenters will be Rev. Diane Smith, director of Ministry Engagement at Angela hospice; Merilynne Rush, whose company The Dying Year focuses on medical end-of-life issues; David Nantais, director of Mission Integration at Trinity Health Ann Arbor; and attorney Mark Lezotte.

    The program is 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13 at Gesu School Social Hall at Quincy Street and McNichols in Detroit.

    To register, email hoopingtonpatricia@gmail.com.

  • March 18: RSVP for Commencement 2024

    Monday March 18, 2024
    Three photos showcase various graduates during 2023 commencement ceremonies inside of Calihan Hall.

    Graduating Class of 2024, we are looking forward to celebrating you during commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 11!

    RSVP is required to attend the ceremonies. Please visit udmercy.edu/commencement for more information!

    The two McNichols Campus ceremonies this year are:

    • Undergraduate (Bachelor) ceremony — 11 a.m.
    • Graduate (Master, Specialist, Doctoral) ceremony — 4 p.m.
    Full Commencement info!

    Three photos showcase various graduates during 2023 commencement ceremonies inside of Calihan Hall.

  • March 18: Cushing Distinguished Lecture series features New Testament scholar

    Monday March 18, 2024
    Brian BlountBrian BlountBrian Blount

    The Department of Religious Studies presents the 2024 Cushing Distinguished Lecture series, featuring Brian Blount, who is a prolific scholar of the New Testament.

    The lecture series is set for Wednesday, April 3 at 5 p.m. inside of the Student Union Ballroom. Blount’s lecture is titled, “I Wonder if Jesus Daydreamed?”

    President Emeritus of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Blount’s primary work has been in the Gospel of Mark, the Book of Revelation and in the area of cultural studies and hermeneutics. He has published dozens of articles and is the author of six books. In 2018, Blount served as President of the Society of Biblical Literature.

    The Cushing Distinguished Lecture is an annual lecture hosted by the Department of Religious Studies and made possible through generous grants from Dr. Grant and Barbara Cushing, alumni of the graduate program of Religious Studies.

  • March 18: Submit nominations for Student Leadership and Service Awards

    Monday March 18, 2024

    Know a student who went above and beyond this year? Nominations are now open for the Student Leadership and Service Awards and will be accepted by Thursday, March 28!

    An unbiased committee will review all nominations, so please be detailed in your submissions!

    The Student Leadership and Service Awards reception will be Thursday, April 11 at 4:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

    Awards categories include:

    • Rising Star Student Leader (First-Year Student or Sophomore): This award is given to a first-year student or sophomore level student who demonstrates leadership qualities in multiple areas of campus. They consider their community in their everyday decisions and are working for positive change around them. This person may not have a title but their actions and commitment to the process of leadership are noticeable to their peers and constituents.
    • Student Leader of the Year (Junior or Senior): This award is given to a junior or senior level student who demonstrates leadership qualities in multiple areas of campus. They consider their community in their everyday decisions and are working for positive change around them. This person may not have a title but their actions and commitment to the process of leadership are noticeable to their peers and constituents.
    • Titan Spirit Award: This award is given to a student who demonstrates Titan Spirit every day. They love their school, and they are not afraid to show it. Their pride for their school is demonstrated in their involvement, decisions, actions and even the color scheme of their clothes. This person never waivers when choosing to root for the home team!
    • Student Employee of the Year: This award is given to a diligent student who is employed somewhere on campus. This student adds value to their office or department they work in and are dedicated to their role. Without dedicated student employees this campus would not be able to run efficiently. This student is a true model of what it looks like to help keep a workplace moving in a positive direction.
    • Student Organization of the Year: This award is given to the registered student organization who has contributed positively to campus all year. They achieve their organization mission while contributing to the University’s overall mission. They are committed to their members and provide opportunities, initiatives, and/or events for campus to see their efforts clearly. This group is driven, excited, and displays their positive values.
    • Program/Event of the Year: This award is given to a student or group of students who has hosted a phenomenal program on campus. This program has given students at Detroit Mercy an opportunity to enjoy each other, learn something new, or come together for a common purpose. This event adds value to campus and is a positive addition to the campus culture.

    For more information or with any questions, please contact Emily Johnson at 313-993-1593 or johnsoem6@udmercy.edu.

    Submit nominations here!
  • March 14: OMI liturgy and lunch followed by talk on sustainable human behavior, March 20

    Thursday March 14, 2024

    Two important mission-related events will be held back-to-back on Wednesday, March 20 with the Office of Mission Integration’s monthly liturgy and lunch, followed by a talk and discussion on “Climate Change Mitigation via Informed Sustainable Human Behavior.”

    The liturgy and lunch is set for noon in the St. Ignatius Chapel, with Fr. Patrick Kelly, S.J., presiding and Sr. Judy Mouch, RSM, offering the reflection on a theme related to UDM’s educational mission. There will be a pizza lunch afterwards in the Commerce & Finance Building, Room 213.

    After lunch at 1:15 p.m., also in Room 213, Jason Giovannettone, director of Climate and Sustainability for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, will give a talk and host a discussion about “Climate Change Mitigation via Informed Sustainable Human Behavior.”

    Giovannettone will speak about the Sisters of Mercy’s efforts on assessing current carbon emissions throughout all SMA campuses, and finding ways to reduce future emissions due to energy usage, fleet vehicles and long-distance travel. He’ll also look at our current consumption of single-use plastics and composting/recycling programs. For each of these, he will stress informed decision-making focused on knowing the true effects of our efforts to become more sustainable.

  • March 14: Women’s History Month Q&A: Get to know Marwa Abdel Latif

    Thursday March 14, 2024
    Marwa Abdel Latif headshot

    March is Women’s History Month and to recognize that, Detroit Mercy’s Marketing & Communications department is introducing you to a few interesting women on the McNichols Campus throughout the month. MarCom student intern Hisham Almadani spoke to Marwa Abdel Latif, assistant professor of Chemistry, for a Q&A. Her responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.  

    Marwa Abdel Latif headshotMarwa Abdel Latif 
    Position: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
    Years at UDM: Four

    What does Women’s History Month mean to you?   

    That is a loaded question for me, because as a woman, particularly right now seeing how much women struggle in the world in war zones and seeing the role of women. I’m Palestinian-Lebanese and seeing the unfortunate events that are happening in the Middle East right now and how the women are rising to save children and families and so on makes me think about my role as a whole of what I can do.

    When I think about women’s history month, I don’t know why they [only] have a month. They’re there every day, right? All I can think about this particular year is the sacrifices that women have to endure in this current environment, global environment and how we can be of support to them. That’s all I can think of as a woman supporting their initiatives, so I recall having to go and look for fundraising events, for instance, for the crisis that’s going on right now in Palestine and trying to get some funding going on so they can help support the food and many other things. I have thought about it before in previous years, but this year it has a special flavor for me. Looking at the role of women right now in conflict and how they are leading fundraising, leading storytelling, leading nursing and sacrificing their life to help others. 

    Who is your female role model? 

    I don’t have one. Women have so many identities and it is very difficult to have one role model because of our multiple identities.

    If I wanted to be a giving person, there’s probably going to be a woman in my life that is known to be very giving?  Like my mom, she is extremely selfless, she’s always giving and helping even at the expense of her own well-being. But if I think about it academically, I have a lot of women models.I have my advisor. A lot of times you want to think about role models as someone who won a Nobel Prize, but sometimes these role models are the people that you interact with day-to-day that really impact your life. One of them is Dr. Karen Brewer – she was one of the strongest academic women I have seen in my life. She was at Virginia Tech and she was leading these multi-million dollar grants. She would always offer assistance to me when I was completing my Ph.D. and she would always come to me and say “Ask for help, this is how we grow.” 

    The other role model was Amanda Morris, and she continues to be a role model. She’s now an assistant chair and she’s leading a lot of positive change that is needed to be a more inclusive environment. So, I cannot choose one role model. Every time I pass through my career, there’s a new role model. I see an aspect in this faculty or in this member in the community that is very comforting at a certain level. It could be academic, it could be emotional, it could be from a service perspective.

    How do you strive to be a mentor to other women? 

    I try to be a role model to all. I come from a family of seven kids, and I have three brothers and three sisters. Being in that type of family, I could already see that there are certain aspects that you need to assist and be a mentor for women that are not present in men, but there’s also certain ways to be a mentor for men that are not present in women. I strive to be a mentor to all, because if you strive to be a mentor to all, you’re going to be able to address all of the diversity. 

    What challenges have you faced as a woman in your field and how have you overcome them? 

    One of the major challenges I have faced was the expectations of a woman. For instance, I’ve led many events as a student, and if we’re having an event, I was expected to do more of the “important” duties, but not the academic ones. I would have to think about going and buying groceries and thinking about the food and the setup. 

    Small things like this tells you that you have to be so vocal. So when I was an undergrad, I recognized if I want something to be delivered, I needed to be vocal about it and send it across in a very legit (and respectful) manner. I think it was until the last year of college that I actually started thinking, if I were to do this over again, I will make sure that I’m vocal, that I will look for resources, that I will ask for resources in leading many of the events and changes that I would like to see. So when I went to graduate school, the moment I went in, I started getting involved in clubs, making sure that my ideas were heard and delivered appropriately and circled myself with people who see the same vision as I do. I liked the fact that there were many people with different visions, but if you want to get something through, you have to have a community around you. So I recognize having a voice is very important. But more importantly, having people who believe in you and believe in that same vision to support you through the way is also important. 

    Why were you interested in becoming a professor? 

    I wasn’t – teaching is difficult and is really challenging. You can master something but teaching it is a whole different level. I always loved chemistry. I’ve always thought I’m gonna go to pharmaceutical companies to use my chem skills and just be a businesswoman one day. But then as I went through my journey for the Ph.D., I became involved in a lot other than research. I was involved a lot in teaching, too.

    Things developed really quickly and then one day I got several emails from faculty from the department. They were all “we want to recommend you for the academic excellence teaching award,” which is the highest honor for any teacher assistant.  I was like, “you must be joking.” There’s three top awards – one was on research, one on teaching excellence, and the third one was service and leadership excellence – I was nominated for two out of three in the same year.

    That’s when I thought, “can I be a faculty?” It was really others’ encouragement to go into teaching; it was not something that I had in mind.

    What is your advice for young women? 

    I would say your power is beyond measures. Seek opportunities and be very aggressive in getting into your opportunities, because it is very common that women get halted from higher leadership positions.

    One of the things that we notice in women and this is something that is happening in many of our careers, I have so many female friends that have to make a decision to stop their career in order to pursue being a mother – and the other way around, too, they have to to give up being a mom at a certain age just so they can pursue their career. That commitment even until today is not present as a challenge for men.

    Be creative, be aggressive and make the change that needs to be made for yourself. Be be the creative change that you want to see in order to make sure that women are able to get where they need to be.

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Thursday March 14, 2024

Associate Professor of Religious Studies Fr. Patrick Kelly, S.J., spoke about “Sport, Human Flourishing and the Common Good” at the Jesuits Friends and Alumni luncheon March 7 on the McNichols Campus. In his remarks he highlighted the late Titan Earl Cureton as an example of someone who live a full life “after basketball” by using his gifts to help young people in Detroit to develop their gifts so that our entire community is enriched. View Kelly’s talk.

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