Faculty, Staff and Administrators

Faculty/Staff Announcements from Campus Connection

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• January 22: Titan Winter Blast returns Jan. 24, featuring chili cook-off, Titan basketball and more

  Thursday January 22, 2026
  

  

  The annual Titan Winter Blast, Detroit Mercy’s signature winter event, returns Saturday, Jan. 24, followed by a UDM men’s basketball contest with Oakland University, all taking place on the McNichols Campus.

  All Titans — students, alumni, staff, faculty, friends, family and guests — are invited for the winter festivities, camaraderie and fun inside of the Whitty Student Fitness Center from 12-3 p.m.

  Various teams of chili chefs from across the University’s campuses will turn up the heat at the wildly popular chili cook-off! Snuggle up for some horse-drawn trolley rides and have an indoor winter blast playing cornhole and games, participating in activities and cookie decorating, and more! Refreshments will be provided by Eastern Market Brewery.

  Following the fun, head over to Calihan Hall to cheer on men’s basketball as they battle rival Oakland at 3 p.m.

  Cost for attendance is $5 for students and $20 for alumni, faculty, staff and guests. Children 12 and under are free. Admission includes tastings at the chili cook-off, food and refreshments, all games and activities plus a ticket to the men’s basketball contest.

  Register for TWB.

  

   

• January 21: Introducing recipients of 2025–26 Feminist Scholarship Grants

  Wednesday January 21, 2026
  

  The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) Program is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025–26 Feminist Scholarship Grants. This program supports faculty scholarship that centers gender and women’s experiences and advances critical, intersectional analyses of social identities, including race, class, sexuality and other dimensions of identity.

  Congratulations to the following awardees and projects:

  • Patrice Wade-Olson, assistant professor, McAuley School of Nursing — Enhancing Trauma-Informed Practices in LGBT+ and HIV Care: A Pre- and Post-Test Study of Team-Based Training
  • Kirsten Silwanowicz, adjunct professor, School of Law — Bias in the Machine: Legal Strategies for an Inclusive AI Future
  • Alexa Rihana-Abdallah, professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering — How is Technical Leadership Assigned in Engineering Student Teams and How Does it Vary by Gender, Race and First-Generation Status?
  • Lee Eshelman, associate professor of Psychology and director of Master of Arts Program in Clinical Psychology — Restoring Intimacy: A Qualitative Study of Consensual Sex Among Sexual Assault Survivors

  Grant recipients will present their work at the WGS-sponsored colloquium during the Fall 2026 semester.

• January 21: Stories the shape us: ‘Redemption Road,’ special screening set for Feb. 11

  Wednesday January 21, 2026
  

  

  As part of Black History Month, Detroit Mercy will hold a special screening of the award‑winning documentary Redemption Road, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 5:30–8 p.m., in Room 113 of the Ford Life Sciences Building.

  The documentary tells a story of transformation, tracing the life of Yusef Bunchy Shakur from a childhood shaped by abandonment and violence to his emergence as a respected community leader and thinker.

  The screening will be followed by a conversation with Shakur. All members of the campus community are welcome to attend.

  This event is supported through a grant from the University’s Mission Microgrant Program.

  For more information, please contact Stacey Stevens at stevenst@udmercy.edu.

• January 21: Go Move Challenge returns Feb. 1

  Wednesday January 21, 2026
  

  

  The Go Move Challenge is back for 2026.

  This month-long fitness competition brings together faculty and staff across Jesuit universities nationwide to see which campus can log the most minutes of physical activity throughout the month of February. You can participate individually or as part of a team, and every minute counts.

  Throughout the month, we will be rolling out new fitness classes, mini challenges, weekly prizes and end-of-month awards for both individuals and teams. Stay tuned for further details.

  Register here.

  

• January 21: Detroit Mercy Eye Institute offering $35 exams for Titans

  Wednesday January 21, 2026
  

  

  The Detroit Mercy Eye Institute is currently offering the Titan community comprehensive eye exams for just $35.

  Faculty, staff and students at the University can takes advantage of the $35 exams, 50% off optical frames, contact lens exams starting at $70 and 30% off prescription lenses, among other deals and services.

  Titans may utilize their Heritage Vision or UnitedHealthcare (Spectera) benefits for additional allowances.

  The Detroit Mercy Eye Institute, located at 41555 W. 12 Mile Road in Novi, is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Call 248-675-0800 to schedule an appointment.

  Learn more.

• January 20: Explore creative writing inclinations Jan. 22 with CWC

  Tuesday January 20, 2026
  

  

  Detroit Mercy students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends are invited to join UDM’s Creative Writing Collective (CWC) on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 5:15-6:30 p.m.

  Mel Converse and Ronan Mansilla will lead a conversation on “Going Cosmic: Poetry in Detail” for this first installment of the winter semester. The gathering will take place in Room 201 of the Briggs Building.

  No writing experience is necessary to join the CWC. You are welcome if you have an interest in exploring or developing your creative inclinations.

  Save the date for future Creative Writing Collective events this semester:

  • Wednesday, Feb. 11, 5:15-6:30 p.m., Room 201 of the Briggs Building, led by Amanda Hiber, senior lecturer in the Department of English
  • Tuesday, March 3, 5:15-6:30 p.m., Seibert Center for Innovation and Collaboration, Engineering Building first floor, led by Poet-in-Residence Stacy Gnall and Senior Adjunct Instructor Michael Lauchlan

  Please contact english@udmercy.edu with questions or to join the CWC mailing list. Keep up with the Detroit Mercy English Department on Instagram and Facebook @detroitmercyenglish.

• January 20: Industrial/Organizational Psychology to host chat with alumnus Arman Bonislawski, Jan. 22

  Tuesday January 20, 2026
  

  

  Detroit Mercy’s Industrial/Organizational Psychology M.A. Program will host an unscripted chat featuring alumni speaker Arman Bonislawski ’23 on Thursday, Jan. 22, from 5:30-6:45 p.m., in Room 234 of the Commerce & Finance Building.

  The conversation, titled Real Talk. Real Work Journeys. We Owe It to Each Other, is an opportunity for students to explore real-world career pathways in I/O Psychology through honest dialogue and professional insight.

  All are welcome to attend this free event.

  Bonislawski currently serves as people operations coordinator at Allstar Services, where he supports day-to-day people operations, including recruiting support, onboarding and offboarding, HR administration and employee relations. He works closely with leadership and operations teams to help with process improvement initiatives for the technical side of HR, talent, training, benefits and project management.

  Registration is encouraged.

  For more information, contact Program Director Kathleen Zimmerman-Oster at zimmerka@udmercy.edu or 586-873-1743.

  Register here.