"Our students worked extremely hard and were able to overcome last minute challenges, managing to perform well in all three competition events (Autonomous Challenge, Navigation Challenge, and the Design Competition)," said Electrical Engineering Professor Mark Paulik. "The scores from each of these events are combined to determine the overall First Place Grand Award winner," he added.

The IGVC is an annual international competition created to offer cutting-edge design experience to engineering students. The competition consisted of three challenges.

Senator Carl Levin

Michigan Senator Carl Levin was present at the competition. The University of Detroit Mercy team was presented with their First Place Grand Award. University of Michigan Dearborn placed second while Princeton placed third in the competition.

"This win not only reflects the hard work and competitiveness of our team but it confirms the wisdom of our faculty in developing an innovative curriculum that employs autonomous vehicles as a vertically integrative platform," said UDM Engineering and Science Dean, Leo Hanifin. "All of the students, faculty and staff of the College of Engineering & Science congradulate the IGVC team on their extraordinary accomplishment."

UDM Economics Instructor, Joseph Weglarz, will serve as director of the new Center. "The goal of UDM's Center for Economic Education is to promote economic literacy in the schools through teacher professional development while increasing the number of economic education programs from kindergarten through grade 12 as well as on the university and adult levels," he said.

The UDM Center achieves these goals by offering teacher training activities, providing consulting services, performing community outreach such as the on-going symposia series, conducting research, and developing and disseminating standards focused curriculum materials to fit the needs and interests of the individual communities.

The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) is a nationwide network that leads in promoting economic literacy with students and their teachers. NCEE's mission is to help students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy.

The (Clinical Nurse Leader) CNL position was created to address the growing need for clinical nurse leaders who understand the complexity of healthcare delivery systems, the importance of evidence-based practices and outcomes of care at the point of service.

To qualify for the position, individuals must have a bachelor's degree in Nursing and successfully complete seven semesters of the CNL master's degree program offered at UDM's College of Health Professions (CHP).

The curriculum combines courses from two McAuley School of Nursing master's degree programs: Nurse Practitioner and Health System Management. The University and health system must also create a partnership to ensure that nurses are able to practice the CNL role upon graduation. The program was launched earlier this year through Trinity Health with a class of 17 nurses from Saint Mary's Health Care in Grand Rapids.

"The CNL will have the advanced clinical knowledge found in our nurse practitioner core combined with the systems and leadership knowledge from our health systems management core," says Tricia Thomas, assistant professor and coordinator, Clinical Nurse Leader program.

According to Thomas, the AACN created a role that will attract and retain high quality nursesâ€" a move she applauds as the health system attempts to resolve the critical nursing shortage.

• participating in the UDM Sandwich Bus
• packing and delivering food for Focus: HOPE
• collecting funds for the Archdiocese of Detroit's Christmas Adopt-a-Family program
• volunteering at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen

According to Committee chair Michael P. McBride '99, '03, the committee selected projects that would promote student participation and networking opportunities.

McBride says, "Last year we collected so much money for our Adopt-a-Family campaign, just from the Alumni Board, we were able to adopt two families, each with eight people. Detroit is a city full of service opportunities and to see UDM alumni and students reach out in such an overwhelming manner is very humbling."

Adds McBride, "UDM has a great presence in this community, and we all enjoy continuing that tradition with the College of Business Administration projects."

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture has sponsored a student design competition along with two other accredited schools of architecture in southeastern Michigan, the Master of Community Development Program at UDM, WARM Training Center, the Woodbridge Community Development Corporation and the City of Detroit also helped sponsor the competition.

The competition requires students to design an eco-village on a five-acre site in Detroit's Woodbridge Neighborhood and is intended to both promote green design in Detroit and to make students more aware of green design principles and standards.

The UDM team composed of Edmund Bardhi, Johanna Allan and Kenyotta Brown, received one of the four equal prizes.

School of Architecture Dean Stephen Vogel explains the criteria for judging, saying, "The eco-village will be a mixed income community, with a minimum of 30 percent of the users requiring affordable housing. There will be no physical design differentiation between affordable and market rate housing. Residents will be a mixture of empty nesters, single parents, families, and young urban professionals." In addition, he adds that co-housing concepts or other space-saving alternative living styles are encouraged.

The competition was held at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) with four monetary prizes awarded.

This area, bounded by Randolph, Centre, and East Grand River, and centered around Harmonie Park, is slated to become a small-scaled culture, music, and entertainment district, mirroring Detroit's larger entertainment district.

Primarily, the district should promote economic development and synergy among the businesses, and be a year-round entertainment destination.

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center conducted workshops last summer to seek stakeholder ideas and recommendations and integrated them into its final plan.  The team presented the Paradise Valley Cultural and Entertainment District plan late last year at the Harmonie Club Building. This included recommendations for land use, open space design, and redevelopment strategies, as well as cultural and artistic elements. Further, the plan will be a catalyst for a series of events being planned for the new district.

While landscaping has begun, building has not. Project Manager Virginia Stanard says, "As it stands now, the design work has been completed, and the DDA is seeking additional funding for the project." $10 million has been committed to the project, but the DDA is still seeking nearly $7 million more for renovations and upgrades. Electrical repairs in the district will begin this summer. The timeline for the rest of the project and beginning of construction is contingent on funding.

Ray McCallum's Press Conference

McCallum becomes the 20th head coach in the rich history of Titans basketball. He replaces Perry Watson, who retired from the position on March 5.

"This is a tremendous day. UDM has a great basketball tradition and I'm glad to be part of the next chapter," coach McCallum said. "I have recruited in the area throughout my coaching career and I know the passion for basketball Detroit fans do possess. I'm very pleased that the UDM administration has chosen me for this position."

McCallum brings 11 years of head coaching experience with him to UDM, having previously served in that role at his alma mater, Ball State (1994-2000), as well as Houston (2001-04). He took four teams to post-season play during his career at those schools. His experience is expected to pay dividends in bringing Titans basketball back to prominence.

"Coach McCallum's track record speaks for itself, but I am also very pleased with the way he has put emphasis on the word 'student,' in talking of the many student-athletes from a wide variety of backgrounds that he has worked with during his career," Fr. Gerard Stockhausen, S.J., Ph.D, President, said. "His vision for Titan basketball is very consistent with the mission of our University. We welcome coach McCallum and his family to the University of Detroit Mercy."

"Coach McCallum brings with him all of the key elements we were looking for in our new head basketball coach," Gaither added. "He has a wealth of head coaching experience and he is a proven recruiter. Both of those qualities stood out during our search process. We expect them to pay dividends for the Titans. At the same time, his commitment to academics is exactly what we sought to benefit the student-athletes in our men's basketball program. We think he is a great addition to our coaching staff."

McCallum has brought a winner's touch with him to all of the stops he has made in his 24-year coaching career, which began at Ball State in 1983-84 as a volunteer assistant coach.

He served as an assistant at Wisconsin for the next nine seasons, helping a program that hadn't been to post-season play since 1947 to NIT berths in 1989, 1991 and 1993. He had a brief stint as an assistant at Michigan after that latter campaign, before quickly returning to Ball State to make his head coaching debut during the 1993-94 season.

The Cardinals posted a 126-76 record during McCallum's seven-year tenure. McCallum directed Ball State to two NCAA Tournament appearances (1995, 2000) and an NIT berth (1998) and became the first coach in Ball State history to post seven consecutive winning seasons. During his head coaching career at Ball State, McCallum recruited and coached Bonzi Wells, who was the 11th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft and currently plays for the Houston Rockets. When he left BSU for Houston in 2000, McCallum's .624 winning percentage was the fourth-best in the MAC's 53-year history.

McCallum served as head coach at Houston for four seasons. In 2002, he led the Cougars to an 18-15 mark and a berth in the NIT, Houston's first post-season tournament appearance in nine years. Houston finished 9-7 in Conference USA's National Division that year, and advanced to the league tournament semi-finals for the first time. During his stay in Houston, he played an integral role in the development of Andre Owens, who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers and is one of eight NBA players McCallum has coached during their college careers.

Most recently, McCallum has been a key assistant on the coaching staffs at Oklahoma (2004-06) and Indiana (2006-08), and was a part of four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament with those teams. Recruiting classes at both schools, while McCallum was on their staffs, ranked among the Top 5 in the nation. Oklahoma won its first-ever Big 12 Conference Championship in 2005 while McCallum was a part of the Sooners staff. Among the coach's protgs at Indiana was a pair of 2008 Associated Press All-Americans, D.J. White and Eric Gordon.

"I'm excited to have Ray join our family of men's basketball coaches in the Horizon League. He is an experienced, veteran head coach and I'm sure he will do a fantastic job at UDM," HL commissioner Jon LeCrone said. "He's great for our league and he's great for UDM. With his experience and background, he's really a very good fit. We've just added another outstanding coach to our league."

An outstanding player in his own right, McCallum was a member of two state championship teams at Central High School in Muncie, IN. As a senior in 1979, he was a starting guard and was named the Most Valuable Player of the state championship game after leading Central to its second straight state title.

He stayed in Muncie to play collegiately at Ball State, where he was named the MAC's Freshman of the Year after leading the Cardinals in scoring with 16.5 points per game. As a sophomore, McCallum again led the Cardinals in scoring, this time with 18.4 points per game, and helped them finish the season with a 20-10 record and a share the MAC championship. Ball State also earned a NCAA Tournament invitation for the first time in school history that year. The following season, McCallum led the Cardinals in scoring once again with a 17.6 average, and Ball State won its first outright MAC Championship.

As a senior, McCallum was named MAC Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP. He also earned first-team All-MAC honors for the third straight year, ending his career as the MAC's all-time leading scorer with 2,109 points. Additionally, he won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation's best senior under six-feet tall. He became the first BSU athlete to have his jersey retired in any sport. McCallum graduated from Ball State in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in industrial technology.

One week after graduation, the Indiana Pacers selected him in the 1983 NBA Draft. One of the final players cut in training camp, McCallum played briefly in the CBA before returning to Ball State to begin his coaching career.

McCallum and his wife, Wendy, are the parents of a daughter, Brittany Rae (18), and a son, Ray Michael (16).

-Detroit Titans-

The Ray McCallum File

Personal

Date of Birth: March 6, 1961

Hometown: West Memphis, AR (Raised in Muncie, IN)

Wife: Wendy

Children: Brittany Rae (18), Ray Michael (16)

High School: Muncie (IN) Central, 1979

College: Ball State University, 1983 (B.S., Industrial Technology)

Coaching Experience

Ball State Univ.: 1983-84, Volunteer Assistant Coach

University of Wisconsin: 1984-93, Assistant Coach

University of Michigan: 1993, Assistant Coach

Ball State University: 1993-2000, Head Coach

University of Houston: 2000-04, Head Coach

University of Oklahoma: 2004-06, Assistant Coach

Indiana University: 2006-08, Assistant Coach

Head Coaching Record

Ball State University

Year Record Post-Season

1993-94 16-12

1994-95 19-11 NCAA

1995-96 16-12

1996-97 16-13

1997-98 21-8 NIT

1998-99 16-11

1999-00 22-9 NCAA

Total 126-76

University of Houston

Year Record Post-Season

2000-01 9-20

2001-02 18-15 NIT

2002-03 8-20

2003-04 9-18

Total 44-73

Overall Record: 170-149 4 Post-Season

Berths

Assistant Coaching Record

University of Wisconsin

Year Record Post-Season

1983-84 8-20

1984-85 14-14

1985-86 12-16

1986-87 14-17

1987-88 12-16

1988-89 18-12 NIT

1989-90 14-17

1990-91 15-15 NIT

1991-92 13-18

1992-93 14-14 NIT

Total 134-159

University of Oklahoma

Year Record Post-Season

2004-05 25-8 NCAA

2005-06 20-9 NCAA

Total 45-17

Indiana University

Year Record Post-Season

2006-07 21-11 NCAA

2007-08 25-8 NCAA

Total 46-19

Ford PAS is an educational program built on the success of the award-winning Ford Academy of Manufacturing Sciences (FAMS). FAMS was developed in 1990 by the Ford Motor Company as part of its efforts to encourage high school students to pursue their education - and build successful careers in business, engineering, and technology.

Ford PAS, developed in partnership with Education Development Center, is an academically rigorous, standards-based program that introduces students to the concepts and skills necessary for future success. The program links classroom learning with the challenges students will face in post-secondary education and with the expectations of the workplace they will face as adults. These links are forged through community-wide, cooperative efforts and innovative partnerships that join local high schools, colleges and universities, and businesses. Through these coordinated learning opportunities, Ford PAS equips students with information and provides experiences to help them make decisions about their future education and careers

During their visit, students from Advanced Technology Academy (Dearborn), Cody, Mumford and Southeastern High Schools (Detroit), Shrine High School (Royal Oak, Southfield High School and Southfield Regional Academy (Southfield) and West Bloomfield High School will take a tour of the UDM campus and participate in fun activities, games, exhibitions, and programs that focus on career explorations (9th and 10th grade students) and financial aid (11th grade), There will also be a graduation recognition for 12th grade students.

During the ceremony, the University will also award an honorary degree to Maurice D. Cox, director of Design for the National Endowment of the Arts. A leading architect, educator and urban design advocate, Cox has devoted his career to improving urban design across the country.

A native of New York City, Cox received a Bachelor of Architecture from Cooper Union School of Architecture in 1983. He spent 10 years in Florence, Italy in professional practice and partnering with Giovanna Galfione in the Studio di Architettura. Six of those years were also spent as an assistant professor of Architecture with Syracuse University's Italian Program.

In 1993, Cox joined the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Architecture, where he taught graduate seminars with an emphasis on community-based collaborative efforts in urban design. In 1996, Cox with partners Craig Barton, Giovanna Galfione, and Martha Rowen founded the architectural practice of RBGC Architecture, Research and Urbanism. In 2006, he also became a partner in the Community Planning + Design WORKSHOP in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Throughout his career, Cox has been an advocate for citizen involvement in city design. He served on the city council in Charlottesville, Virginia for eight years, two of which he was the city's mayor. There he promoted citizens' involvement in the city's civil activities, which led to the creation of a new transit center downtown. Frommer's Cities Ranked and Rated selected Charlottesville as "Best Place to Live" out of 400 cities in the U.S. and Canada during Cox's term as mayor. According to Cox, "Well-designed cities are not a luxury"they are a public necessity." His groundbreaking design in Bayview, Virginia, was the subject of an award-winning documentary, "This Black Soil," which was featured in a full episode of "60 Minutes." The community-minded designer has also been featured in Fast Company magazine as one of America's "20 Masters of Design," the New York Times, the Washington Post and Architecture Magazine.

Cox served as co-director of the Brookings Institute study of downtown Detroit in 2006. His work has focused on the study of Detroit, involving his graduate students through semester-long projects. He currently is studying the shrinking population of urban cities, with a major emphasis on Detroit.

Cox's long-standing commitment to the field of architecture has earned him many awards and honors, including the Cooper Union School of Architecture's most distinguished alumni award, the Presidential Medal, and the Cooper Union John Hejduk Award for Architecture. In 2005, he received Harvard University's Graduate School of Design's Loeb Fellowship.

Millions of Americans with tooth decay and other oral diseases are not seeing dentists, mainly because they cannot afford care, according to a study by Public Health Service, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

The overall oral health of Americans has improved substantially with the advent of fluoride and better dental education, but minorities, the poor and the elderly still have too many cavities, untreated and decaying teeth and diseases from gingivitis to oral cancer, the study found.

University of Detroit Mercy's Dental School and Clinic moved to its new location in January to a facility approximately 211,000 square-feet, more than twice the size of the former building. The new facility features a high-tech simulation lab with 100 stations, 190 patient operatories.

Cost at the University's Clinic for dental care is approximately half the cost of private dentistry. With more than 85,000 patient visits each year, the new location will give UDM the opportunity to serve more patients and accept additional students to the dental program.

The UDM School of Dentistry is one of two in the State of Michigan. One-third of all dentists in Michigan have graduated from the University's Dental School and nearly half of the graduating class remains in Michigan.

Located on UDM's new Corktown Campus, the Dental School and Clinic is located one block east of I-96 Jeffries and just minutes from I-94, I-75 and the Lodge Freeway.

University of Detroit Mercy is committed to quality education, service of faith, promotion of justice and compassionate service to persons in need. Accordingly, the university and its students, staff and administration take an active role in strengthening Detroit through community outreach and partnership with like-minded organizations.

Community outreach has always been an essential part of a University of Detroit Mercy education. Students from every College and School at UDM provide community outreach to those in need. While the Dental School offers low cost services and assistance to the underserved and seniors, other services include the Law School's Veteran's Law Clinic, Urban Law Clinic, the Mobile Law Office and the School of Architecture's Urban Design Center to name just a few.

For more information on the Community Open House or to schedule a dental appointment, call the UDM Dental Clinic at 313-494-6700.

Typically, the program requires two years of study after completing a four-year undergraduate degree but the College of Health Professions also offers a unique five-year accelerated degree program for highly qualified freshman. Students can earn a bachelor's of science degree in biology and a masters of science degree in Physician Assistant studies within five years.

The student-centered program emphasizes issues such as health promotion and disease prevention; primary care delivery in urban communities and the team approach to delivery of care to populations with special needs. The College of Health Professions states that due to a projected shortage by 2020, the physician assistant is one of the "fastest growing health care professions."

Beginning last month, faculty, staff and students have had the opportunity to register to receive e-mails and voice or text messages on the cell phones or "smart phones" during emergencies on any of the three campuses. In the event of an emergency, messages are transmitted immediately to any or all campuses based on the issues at hand.

UDM has provided Wayne County with the University e-mail addresses ("udmercy.edu") of all students, faculty, and staff, which will only be used for this purpose. Alerts may also be sent to participants via cell phones, landlines, and pagers. The free program is funded by federal Homeland Security grants and Birmingham-based Codespear has provided the software.

According to Wayne County Executive Robert A. Ficano, the system, "Better meets the demands of those who rely on a cell phone or home computer for instant communication."

University students, faculty and staff can register different devices by logging into http://www.udmercy.edu/publicsafety/e alerts/index.htm.

Contact UDM's Help Desk at http://helpdesk.udmercy.edu or 313-993-1500 if you have any questions or need assistance in changing your contact information.

Klemczak, who was appointed to the Chief Executive Nurse position by Governor Jennifer Granholm in 2004, earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UDM and a Master of Science in Nursing from Wayne State University. Throughout her 30-year career in nursing, she has been recognized for her professional leadership in nursing, specifically in nursing workforce and health policy development.

Klemczak has held positions as a staff nurse and leadership positions with the City of Detroit, the Wayne County Health Department and the former Michigan Department of Health (now MDCH). She also served as director of Faculty and Clinical Practice and assistant professor of Nursing at Michigan State University.

Upon appointing Kelmczak to her current position, Granholm stated, "The state needs an outstanding experienced nurse like Jeanette working to attract, train, and retain dedicated healthcare professionals in the nursing workforce. As part of Michigan's healthcare team, Jeanette will be the expert we turn to when it comes to nursing."

Klemczak previously visited UDM in 2005 as the keynote speaker of the College of Health Professions Alumni Week, and discussed such issues as the importance of student clinical placements, licensing and nurse-staff ratios.

The Corktown Campus is located off I-96 at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The UDM School of Dentistry relocated to its new site in January 2008 from its previous location on Outer Drive in Northwest Detroit.

The dedication is part of the School of Dentistry's 75th Anniversary celebrations. Since 1933, the School has awarded degrees or certificates to approximately 5,000 dentists, 2.000 dental hygienists and about 400 dental assistants. Approximately 350 postgraduate students have received specialty certificates and/or master's degrees. Annually, the School's clinics and outreach programs serve about 15,000 people, totaling 83,000 patient visits. Nearly one-third of the dentists practicing in Michigan are UDM School of Dentistry graduates.

The competition is intended to promote green design in Detroit and to make architecture students more aware of green design principles and standards. Three monetary prizes will be awarded by a jury panel of judges comprised of Jacob Corvidae from WARM Training Center; Mike Corby, AIA from Grand Rapids; Mark Nickita, AIA from Detroit; Lori Singleton, ASLA from Detroit; and chair Teddy Cruz, AIA from San Diego, CA.

The three accredited schools of architecture in southeastern Michigan "the University of Michigan College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Lawrence Technological University College of Architecture and Design, and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture" sponsored the student design competition to design an eco-village on a five-acre site in Detroit's Woodbridge Neighborhood. UDM"s Master of Community Development Program, WARM Training Center, the Woodbridge Community Development Corporation and the City of Detroit also helped sponsor the competition. Approximately 12-15 student teams submitted competition entries.

The design of an eco-village puts the focus on environmentally friendly, affordable housing. The competition criteria require the design to encompass a mixed income community with a minimum of 30 percent affordable housing; no physical design should differentiate between the affordable and market rate housing. Residents would include a mix of empty nesters, single parents, families, and young urban professionals. Design concepts also needed to include space-saving alternative living styles.

According to UDM School of Architecture Dean Stephen Vogel, "The village is intended to be economically, socially and ecologically sustainable. And finally, the village should be inspirational in order to encourage others to become part of the experiment."

Mulally was named President and CEO of Ford Motor Company on September 5, 2006, succeeding William Clay Ford, Jr., who remains as Executive Chairman of the company's Board of Directors. As the new president, he was instrumental in the company's first profitable quarter over the past two years. By overseeing cost-cutting methods, creating new excitement with the Ford brand and reviving the popular Taurus, he has been able to increase FordMotor Company's market share.

After graduation in 1969, Mulally began his career as an engineer at The Boeing Company, moved up as president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and was promoted to the company's executive vice president. During his lengthy career with Boeing, Mulally was credited with reviving the company in the mid-2000's and was named by Aviation Week & Space Technology 2006's "Person of theYear." BusinessWeek magazine named him one of " The Best Leaders of 2005".

The auto executive earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from University of Kansas and received a master's degree in managementa s a Sloan Fellow from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Recently, Mulally has held positions on the advisory boards of MIT, University of Washington, University of Kansas, NASA and the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. He is a current member of United States National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of England's Royal Academy of Engineering. He also serves on Ford's Board of Directors.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome such an accomplished leader in the business world to speak to our students," says Hriday Prasad, director of UDM's masters degrees in Product Development (MPD) and Engineering Management (MEM). "It is an honor to have Alan Mulally speak one-on-one for an intimate classroom experience at the University," he added.

As of March 20, the event guest list is full.

Colaianni, the 2008 Engineering Alumnus, earned his bachelor of science in electrical engineering in 1956. By presidential appointment he served in the United States Court of Federal Claims from 1970-1984. He then became Partner-In-Charge of the Washington Office of the New York legal firm Pennie & Edwards until 1998 where he filed and defended patent infringement cases. Judge Colaianni has taught at The Catholic University of America and The American University, Currently he is partner at Patton Boggs LLP. Judge Colaianni is an advisor to the UDM's new Engineering - Law Program and is a member of the College of Engineering and Science Executive Advisory Board. He is also active in his parish as a Eucharistic Minister.

The Science Alumnus of the year, Dr. Wood graduated in 1953 with a bachelor's of science in physics. Dr. Robert Wood has had a distinguished career with the US Department of Energy as Director of the Physical & Technological Research Division where he won numerous awards including the Distinguished Career Service Award. Wood also served as a consultant with that department for an experimental program to stimulate competitive research. He has also served as a consultant to NASA in space radiation biology and research. 1n 1986, Wood established the J. Douglas & Dorothy K. Wood Endowed Scholarship at UDM. Dr. Wood has also been active in his church, Habitat for Humanity, The Washington Chorus and The Outreach Singers (a chamber group performing in hospitals).

The cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and award ceremony at 7 p.m. Tickets are $80 each or $800 per table and it is black tie optional. Guests are asked to R.S.V.P. by March 26, 2008.

One of the country's leading social philosophers, Bellah is best known for his work related to individualism and community and for his lead authorship of Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life and The Good Society.

His other publications include: Tokugawa Religion, Beyond Belief, The Broken Covenant, The New Religious Consciousness, Varieties of Civil Religion, Imagining Japan: Japanese Tradition and Its Modern Interpretations, and most recently, The Robert Bellah Reader.

The Elliot Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, Bellah will discuss how we can understand the presence of God in the midst of a highly secular society, analyzing the social and cultural forces that make it difficult to experience that presence, and addressing the contribution of a Catholic imagination to helping to resolve the difficulty.

In December 2000, the highly acclaimed educator received the United States National Humanities Medal from President William Jefferson Clinton. The award states, "The President of the United States of America awards this National Humanities Medal to Robert N. Bellah for his efforts to illuminate the importance of community in American society. A distinguished sociologist and educator, he has raised our awareness of the values that are at the core of our democratic institutions and of the dangers of individualism unchecked by social responsibility."

Dr. Bellah will also be around campus the following day. There will be a lunch and an informal conversation with him about the issues he raises in his talk on Thursday, April 3, from 12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the President's Dining Room. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome.

Mr. Haller will present a lecture on "Managing Projects: A Contractor's Perspective" to Masters of Product Development (MPD) and Masters of Engineering Management (MEM) and Six Sigma Black Belt certification students. Following the lecture, students and guests will have the opportunity to talk with Haller one-on-one after the talk.

"We are extremely honored to have Rick Haller at UDM, as he shares his insight and direction for the future" said Hriday Prasad, UDM Director of Product Development.

Mr. Haller earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan in 1972 and engaged in business graduate studies at Eastern Michigan University. Executive business studies at the University of Michigan and Harvard University followed. Mr. Haller recently earned a bachelors degree in Theological Studies at Sienna Heights University in Adrian, Michigan.

He has made strong commitments of service to several professional and community organizations, including the Construction Industry Institute, CII Executive Committee, University of Detroit Mercy, and Focus Hope.

Aside from his position with Walbridge Aldinger, he is also the President of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Engineering Society of Detroit.

Walbridge Aldinger Company has a long and distinguished history, covering 92 years of service in the construction industry offering program management, construction management, general contracting, turnkey and design build services worldwide. Founded in 1916, the company has grown steadily to become one of the top 50 construction organizations in the country. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Walbridge can also be found throughout North America and abroad serving both strategic locations and specific markets.

Other speakers include: Jamie J. Muter, president of Muter and Associates discussing "The Real Estate Market: An Assessment:" Paul M. Veryser, vice president of PMA (Precision Metal Working Association) talking about prospects of the auto industry and supplier issues and The Detroit News Automotive Editor, Manuel Lopez discussing Michigan's new auto economy and our future. "Equity, Unions, and the Revenge of the Consumer" will conclude the symposium by UDM Economics Professor Donald Byrne.

The event is sponsored by the University of Detroit Mercy Economics Department, Macomb University Center, Clinton Township and Michigan Council on Economic Education.

The Detroit Free Press Business Writer John Gallagher is the keynote speaker for the event. One of the city's best reporters on the latest architectural projects, he has covered building and urban development news since 1987. Gallagher also co-authored the AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture (WSU Press, 2003) and is currently at work on another book about Michigan architects due out this year.

The event is free and open to all current and past Architecture students, faculty and staff as well as the University community.

In Jones's lecture, "Hugo Chavez: From Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution" he will discuss the left-wing Venezuelan president as a master politician, an inspired improviser and an unashamed socialist. The controversial leader's policies have been long criticized and clashed with the current Bush Administration. Jones latest book Hugo!, the first English-language biography of Chavez chronicles his rise to power, the coup and Venezuela's future.

Jones is a reporter at Newsday and worked in Venezuela for eight years mainly as a correspondent for the Associated Press. His work has also been featured in Atlantic City Press where he has been recognized several times by the Philadelphia Press Association. He is a graduate of Fordham University with a master's degree in social studies from Columbia University.

The event is free and open to the public.

The second annual event will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008 across the street from the University's McNichols entrance. MBA students, faculty, staff and friends will volunteer their time to help clean up the outside of Gesu Parish, including the school and playground.

The College of Business Administration at University of Detroit Mercy invites everyone to join the school by helping out. Volunteers are asked to bring rakes, shovels, garbage bags and gloves and all will be treated to lunch in UDM's Commerce and Finance Building following the event. Gesu Parish is located at 17204 Oak Drive in Detroit.

Across the nation there are a variety of ways in which Jesuit MBA Cares is helping. Marquette University in Milwaukee and John Carroll in Cleveland will be collecting food and working in local food banks during the day of service.

During his tenure at UDM, Watson's teams claimed three conference championships, in 1994, 1998 and 1999. He retires with a career win-loss record of 261-198, totaling more victories than any other Titan coach besides the legendary Bob Calihan.

University of Detroit Mercy President Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., praised Watson's legacy. "UDM has indeed been blessed to have Perry Watson as head men's basketball coach for the past 15 years. He has been totally dedicated to our student-athletes and their success on the court, in the classroom and in their lives."

UDM Athletic Director Keri Gaither Gaither announced that Watson will be recognized for his years of service to the basketball program at the Titans' 2008 post-season banquet, to be held on March 17 at Detroit Golf Club.

For more, see the DetroitTitans.com story.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." What if the drafters used the words "practice of religion" instead of "religion" How would this change the jurisprudence surrounding this part of our Constitution? Griffin will address this compelling question, focusing on government funding for religious organizations, public school prayer and free exercise claims.

Professor Griffin is the inaugural holder of University of Houston's Larry and Joanne Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics, and teaches constitutional law, torts and legal ethics. She is the author of Law and Religion: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press, 2007), which combines her academic interests in law and religion. The book offers an interdisciplinary approach to both law and religion. It combines a thorough academic review of broad legal coverage extending beyond the Supreme Court's First Amendment cases to other federal and state cases about a wide range of religious issues.

Griffin holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. She has been a visiting professor at the George Washington University Law School, the University of Alabama School of Law, the University of Utah College of Law, and Georgetown University Law Center, and has held research fellowships at the Harvard University Program in Ethics and the Professions as well as the Emory University School of Law Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Religion. Prior to joining the Houston faculty, she clerked for the Honorable Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and was an assistant counsel in the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility. Griffin was elected to the American Law Institute in 2002.

UDM's annual McElroy Lecture is made possible through a major gift from the Philip J. McElroy estate to establish the Center of Law and Religion at UDM's school of Law. Philip J. McElroy was a recognized corporate and civic leader and received his bachelor, master, and doctor of law degrees from the University. In 1948 he established a law firm in Farmington Hills, presently known and McElroy and Pheney. He passed away in February 1993. Throughout his life, Mr. McElroy maintained a steady commitment to his alma mater.

In addition to the dynamic partnership that will produce the Detroit production of "The Play About the Baby" four major productions of Edward Albee's work will be presented in and around New York during the 2007-08 season. Collectively entitled, The Albee Season, the plays include "Peter and Jerry" at Second Stage Theatre, "Me, Myself and I" at McCarter Theatre, "The Sandbox" and "The American Dream" at Cherry Lane Theatre and "Occupant" at Signature Theatre. The productions span 50 years of Albee's career. Edward Albee will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 12, 2008.

"The Play About the Baby" is directed by Breathe Art co-founder and UDM adjunct faculty member Courtney Burkett and includes UDM theatre students David Kowalczyk (Dearborn), Marissa Thorndyke (Dearborn) as Boy and Girl and professional actors Peter Cody (Windsor) and Wendy Wagner (West Bloomfeild) as Man and Woman.

Performances of "The Play About the Baby" are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for "The Play About the Baby" are $15 regular admission and $13 discount admission for Senior citizens, UDM employees, and alumni. Non-UDM students with a valid student ID pay $9. UDM and Marygrove students with a valid student ID pay $5. The play will be performed at Marygrove College Theatre (8425 W. McNichols Rd.) March 28 - April 6 and The Furniture Factory (1462 Third Street Detroit, MI). To reserve tickets, call 313-993-3270.

The most recent group from Taiwan arrived on the McNichols Campus in late January. The 17 students attended classes from Feb. 4-15 and will return to Taiwan on Feb. 22. The 15 upcoming graduates will attend additional classes for two weeks upon their return on April 25, after which they will participate in UDM's Commencement, May 10.

Instructors from both universities teach program courses with UDM business faculty delivering four courses in Taiwan and four in Detroit. During their first year of study, students start their cohort in September; they arrive at UDM in early February for two courses and return to Taiwan until April when they will return again to UDM for another two courses. Upon completion of all courses, students participate in commencement and receive dual degrees from UDM and Fu Jen Catholic University.

The GEMBA program allows professors to bring more global business issues into class. Course topics include E-Commerce, Modeling and Executive Decision Making, Strategic Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Students also have the opportunity to attend other classes taught by GEMBA instructors, as well as participate in various "field trips" such as a visit to a female-owned brewery in Birmingham and a law firm in downtown Detroit.

From March 1 - March 8, 2008, 41 people will be participating in the volunteer opportunities across the country, including 30 students, faculty, administration, alumni and friends of the University.

The volunteers will be split up into six different groups and will travel to the following locations:

• Mississippi / New Orleans, Louisiana - Hurricane Katrina rebuilding
• Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina - home repair for the elderly and/or disabled
• Burnsville, North Carolina - working with the children of Hispanic immigrants
• Los Angeles, California - working with the homeless and immigrants
• Anthony, New Mexico - working at a women's center, partially spending time in Mexico for a cross-cultural border experience.

Dedicated to education through community service and experiential learning, ASB seeks to educate student volunteers about specific social issues by immersing them in diverse cultures and environments across the country. The participants travel together and live in a community atmosphere, sharing chores, meals and reflection opportunities.

Over 20,000 students at hundreds of college campuses across the country participate in ASB programs each year. ASB is organized by the UDM's University Ministry which is open to persons of all faith and offers several programs that vary from retreats to service opportunities for UDM students, faculty, and staff. The programs enable members to grow in faith, spirituality, and make connections with their academic studies and professional interests.

Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors including scope and innovativeness of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

"College students are tackling the toughest problems in America, demonstrating their compassion, commitment, and creativity in by serving as mentors, tutors, health workers, and even engineers," David Eisner, the organization's chief executive  officer said. "They represent a renewed spirit of civic engagement fostered by outstanding leadership on caring campuses."

In congratulating the winners, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said, "Americans rely on our higher education system to prepare students for citizenship and the workforce. We look to institutions like these to provide leadership in partnering with local schools to shape the civic, democratic and economic future of our country."

"There is no question that the universities and colleges who have made an effort to participate and win the Honor Roll award are themselves being rewarded," said American Council on Education President David Ward.  "Earning this distinction is not easy.  But now each of these schools will be able to wear this award like a badge of honor."

The Honor Roll is jointly sponsored by the Corporation, through its Learn and Serve America program, and the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, USA Freedom Corps, and the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. The Corporation administers Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, a program that supports service-learning in schools, institutions of higher education and community-based organizations. For more information, go to http://www.nationalservice.gov.

"The Role of Religion in Societal Transformation: The Case of Zimbabwe" will be held on Monday, March 24, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the Life Science Building, Room 113 on the McNichols campus.

Kaulemu will discuss the interaction between the church and the Zimbabwe culture, explaining the creative ways they have tried to engage with the government to recreate and develop a more humane society. He will share his stories on how organizations have joined together by using their traditions in Christian Social Teaching to initiate programs and activities, saving a country from total collapse.

Kaulemu received his philosophy training at the University of Zimbabwe and Oxford University. While in Zimbabwe, he was a lecturer in Philosophy and chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Classics, and Philosophy. Kaulemu is currently a Visiting Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center International in Washington D.C.

The lecture entitled "The Making of Social Ethics: Peabody, Pickering, and the Politics of the Color" will be held Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 7 pm at the Maureen A. Fay, O.P. Center, adjacent to the new College of Health Professions Building on the McNichols Campus. The event is sponsored by UDM's Religious Studies Department.

Dorrien is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at the Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. An Episcopal priest, he was previously the Parfet Distinguished Professor at Kalamazoo College, where he taught for 18 years and served as Dean of Stetson Chapel.

Dorrien has authored 12 books and over 150 articles about ethics, social theory, philosophy, politics, and history. His work has been praised repeated for their "intellectual creativity," "immense erudition," and "stylish prose," naming him one of the most rigorous theological historians of our time.

A frequent lecturer at universities, divinity schools, conferences, civic groups, and religious gatherings, he has a long history of involvement in social justice, human rights, environmental and anti-war organizations. His recent book, Imperial Designs, grew out of his extensive lecturing against the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Leer este lanzamiento en español

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech), Mexico's leading private law school recently created The North American Lawyer Multiple Degree Program, more commonly known as The NAFTA Lawyer Program. It is the only known joint-degree program, providing students with the educational background necessary to practice law in both the United States with a J.D. degree and an L.E.D degree in Mexico.

"The launch of this groundbreaking program offers students who are bilingual in Spanish and English a unique opportunity," said Mark C. Gordon, Dean of UDM Law, and the Program's co-founder. "By aligning UDM Law with one of most prestigious Spanish-language law schools in Latin America, The NAFTA Lawyer Program prepares our students to represent clients in both the United States and Mexico and enables them to compete in a more global economy. Sstudents who choose not to continue their studies in Mexico can study Mexican law in Detroit and take one-third of the credits required for their U.S. law degree in Spanish."

Instead of completing the degrees separately within seven and a half years, students can complete both degrees in five. University of Detroit Mercy students would spend three years at UDM and two at Monterrey Tech., Students who begin at Monterrey Tech would spend three in Mexico and two at UDM.

The UDM School of Law will also offer 14 Mexican law courses in Detroit in Spanish by professors from Monterrey Tech. Students who may not want to participate in the full program can choose these courses as electives, which may count toward one-third of the credits required for their U.S. J.D. degree. UDM may be the only U.S. mainland law school to provide Spanish-speaking students with this opportunity.

"We are very pleased to enter this pioneering agreement with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, an institution demonstrating very progressive thinking," said Dr. Salvador Trevino, Dean of ITESM's Monterrey Campus School of Business (of which Law is one division).

While there are several joint-degree programs between Mexican and American law schools, they are traditionally focused on providing American and Mexican LL.M. (Masters in Law) degrees or other kinds of certificates, which do not necessarily give students the educational credentials necessary to practice law in either country. Some states in the United States permit students to take the bar exam with an LL.M. degree while others do not.

This is not UDM Law's first foray into creating unprecedented joint-degree law programs. The school has also joined forces with the University of Windsor Faculty of Law (in Ontario, Canada), and the two institutions offer students the only three-year J.D./LL.B program in the world. Now UDM Law has taken a bold step to include Mexico's esteemed Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech).

While some students may choose to participate only in the American/Mexican aspect of The NAFTA Lawyer Program, others may apply to participate in the joint Canadian degree program as well. It would take students more than 10 years to obtain this trifecta by studying separately at each institution. However, as program participants, students can do so in six years, receiving a U.S. J.D., a Canadian LL.B, and a Mexican L.E.D.

"As cross-border issues have become increasingly prevalent in today's global business environment, more and more law firms are looking to expand their practices, especially throughout Latin America," said former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Hon. Henry Cisneros. "The NAFTA Lawyer Program provides a remarkable opportunity for Mexican Americans and all bilingual students to turn their language skills and aspirations into a significant employment advantage.

"The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and Mexico's Monterrey Tech are putting themselves at the forefront of training the types of students that firms with international practices will be looking to hire. It is also noteworthy that UDM Law is now the leader in the US in providing bilingual students with the opportunity to take many courses in Spanish."

The Director of ITESM's Monterrey Campus Law School, Lic. Marlon Omar López Zapata, LL.M., agrees. "It is one thing to talk about being a NAFTA lawyer, it is quite another to have the training in two - or even three - NAFTA legal systems. This unique program will give students throughout the hemisphere a distinct advantage in practicing law in the 21st century."

The two will share their personal experiences with war-torn Iraq, discussing the casualties, the growing number of refugees, and the long-waited reconstruction and re-development of the country's community and identity.

Jarrar is an Iraqi political analyst, currently based in Washington, D.C. A professional architect, Jarrar received his degrees from the University of Baghdad and the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan, where he researched community-based post-war reconstruction in Iraq. He became Iraq's director for the only door-to-door casualty survey group in post-war Iraq. He is currently the Iraq consultant for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Washington, D.C.

McCann served in the 133rd Signal Battalion of the Illinois National Guard from 2000-2006 as a MSE Systems Switching Operator. In 2003, McCann and the other members of her Battalion were deployed to Iraq for a 15-month tour of duty.

Jarrar and McCann are on a tour coordinated by the AFSC; it is co-sponsored by Michigan Coalition for Human Rights and Detroit Friend.

A Constitutional Law Professor at UDM since 1975, Brown will take the stage, performing with the Chrysler Theatre SACC and Actors Theatre of Windsor for their 2008 legal benefit in a production of  12 Angry Men. The performance will take place on Friday, February 15 at  8 p.m.at the Chrysler Theatre in downtown Windsor. The cast consists primarily of lawyers from Canada, but includes two legal professions from the states. Brown and another attorney who needs no introduction, Geoffrey Fieger will complete the cast.

The performance will benefit several Canadian charities, including the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, the 2008 Windsor International Fringe Festival and the Faculty of Law and Centre for Studies in Social Justice at the University of Windsor. An afterglow will follow the performance with a cash bar in the theatre lobby.

In 12 Angry Men, the defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide ifa young man is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open / shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors.

A former chairman of the Aging and the Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools, Brown was also commissioner of the American Bar Association Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly, a member of the Senior Justice Committee of the State Bar of Michigan, and director of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. Healso serves as a Trustee of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan and is a member of the Salvation Army's Advisory Board for Metropolitan Detroit, serving as vice-chairperson.

Tickets may be purchased from the Chrysler Theatre at http://www.chryslertheatre.com/or by calling 519-252-6579. For more information, contact Yvette Chapman at 313-596-0206 (chapmayv@udmercy.edu) or Professor Brown at 313-596-0219 brownrn@udmercy.edu)

The viewing of "Don't Call Me a Saint" will be held on Thursday February 21, 2008 at 7pm. in the Life Science Building, Room 115 on UDM's McNichols campus.

The documentary on Catholic Activist Dorothy Day, "Don't Call Me a Saint" follows the notable life of a women with a strong mission to help others. For the first 30 years of her life, Day was a determined advocate for social justice, an active member of the Communist Party, and led an eccentric social life. After converting to Catholicism, she changed much of her personal behavior and fought strongly for equality. She helped start the Catholic Worker newspaper, and helped create charitable organizations that are still viable today. The film had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

Father Thomas Lumpkin attended Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and received the Bishop Henry Donnelly Award for Outstanding Clergy Alumnus. Father Tom's ministry is within Day House, a Catholic Worker community he co-founded in 1976 that offers hospitality to homeless women and families. He co-manages Manna Community Meal, a Catholic Worker soup kitchen, and celebrates Mass and visits inmates at the Wayne County Jail.

Marianne Arbogast is the former associate editor of The Witness, an Anglican-Episcopal magazine. She has written about the development of the animal soul and animal rights in the Christian tradition. She now lives in Detroit where she also sits on the board of directors for Manna Community Meal.

Opening on February 1st and playing until February 17th. The story, set in a town on the east coast of Ireland in the late 1950s, swirls around the Donnelly sisters- the responsible, devoted Eveline and her younger, more glamorous and more selfish sister, Kathleen. The two are mourning the death of their mother after a long illness. In their very different ways, they are trying to break free of their depressed father, Peter. Wings is a fiercely lovely meditation on the high price paid in the quest for personal freedom and the equally high price exacted for remaining true to others. It is as soaring, and as rueful, as its richly poetic title.

The play directed by theatre veteran and UDM faculty member and Yolanda Fleischer includes UDM theatre students Jennifer Altimore (Midland), Curtis Green (Redford), David Kowalczyk (Dearborn) Susan Boonenburg (Dearborn), Joel Frazee (Columbus, OH) and featured professional guest artists David Bokas and Peggy Thorp. Bokas was nominated for a Wilde Award last season for his performance in UMD's production Malice Aforethought.

The Theatre Company of the University of Detroit Mercy will perform And Neither Have I Wings to Fly at the Marygrove College Theatre February 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for And Neither Have I Wings to Fly are $15 regular admission and $13 discount admission for Senior citizens, UDM employees, and alumni. Non UDM students with a valid student ID pay $9. UDM and Marygrove students with a valid student ID pay $5. For tickets and additional information call the box office at 313-993-3270.

UDM Law is the only law school in the country with an MLO, a recreational vehicle that has been outfitted as a law office. For the national tour, General Motors is donating a specially designed, state-of-the-art RV that follows ADA accessibility guidelines, including a wheel-chair lift, oversize bathroom and same-level floor throughout the coach.

Through the MLO, volunteer attorneys and UDM Law faculty and students counseled and/or otherwise assisted over 800 people during the past year. The MLO has made numerous stops at regional senior centers, churches, and other similar facilities, as well as regular stops at facilities where veterans congregate.

"When we started our Veterans Clinic, we were overwhelmed by the response and the requests for assistance from veterans both in Michigan and around the country," said Mark Gordon, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. "Our veterans deserve the best care available, and with the nationwide launch of our MLO, our Veterans Clinic will be able to help additional low-income veterans seeking federal benefits assistance."

To maximize the reach and impact of UDM Law's national MLO tour, a number of local attorneys and legal support groups will be assisting low-income veterans in a pro bono capacity in each city. During the tour, UDM Law will provide training on federal benefits issues to attorneys around the nation who are willing to donate time to assist veterans on a pro bono basis. The law school is also asking additional law firms and attorneys across the country to volunteer providing pro bono assistance to veterans.

"These veterans have given more than we can ever repay," said Gordon. "UDM Law is ready to give what it can and we know that many other attorneys and groups are doing the same. We hope that by drawing attention to those who are already helping, we will also encourage those who have not yet stepped forward to answer the call as well."

Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. is the television sponsor of MLO events in six major markets: Detroit, San Antonio, Houston, Orlando, Miami, and Jacksonville.

After the kickoff in Detroit, the tour's first stop will be in San Antonio, Texas from Wednesday, February 13 through Friday, February 15 at the American Legion Alamo Post #2 and at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.

Additional tour stops are planned for the following cities:

After Jacksonville, UDM Law will continue the tour throughout the year stopping in places such as Savannah, Atlanta, Fayetteville/Jacksonville, Raleigh Durham, Winston Salem, Charlotte, Knoxville, Nashville, Lexington, Louisville, Bloomington (Indiana), Indianapolis, Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Harrisburg, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Boise, Spokane, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, State College, Buffalo, Syracuse, Boston, and Hartford.

In November, the school created a freestanding veterans clinic and launched a statewide tour of its Mobile Law Office. With the help of law school faculty and attorneys acting in a pro bono capacity, law students have been able to provide representation and other forms of assistance for Michigan's veterans in their efforts to seek federal disability payments. The MLO has already visited Grand Rapids, Flint, Lansing, Battle Creek, and Traverse City, and additional tour stops are planned for, but not limited to, Pontiac, Benton Harbor and Muskegon.

Helping U.S. Veterans in Need

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 24 million veterans in the United States.

In 2004, using Veterans Affairs data, the Knight Ridder newspaper group found that an estimated 572,000 veterans nationwide were eligible but were not accessing disability payments and services, largely because they are unaware that payments are owed to them.

Providing An Important Public Service

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law has significant experience in addressing disability issues, and its Urban Law Clinic, established in 1965, was the first law school clinical program in Michigan. Most recently, the Urban Law Clinic has represented senior citizens in obtaining Social Security Disability and SSI benefits, including recovering retroactive benefits in a number of cases that brought over $20,000 per claim to seniors who had been waiting an extensive period to get a hearing.

UDM Law offers a wide range of clinical programs, including the Urban Law Clinic (helping seniors with disability, consumer protection, predatory lending, and identity theft issues) and the Immigration Clinic (in which students represent refugees seeking asylum). Students in the Appellate Advocacy Clinic write briefs for indigent clients on appeal (in coordination with the State Appellate Defenders Organization); students in the Mediation Clinic mediate cases in the Oakland County courts. The School recently began piloting a criminal law clinic, and introduced an Environmental Law Clinic in the 2008 winter term.

As part of the school's commitment both to serving the community and ensuring that law students receive practical training as lawyers while in school, the UDM Law faculty recently voted to require all UDM Law students to participate in either a clinic or an externship while in law school.

The UDM Law Veterans Clinic is based in Michigan. It only provides assistance related to state issues under Michigan law and/or to federal veterans benefits issues. When in states other than Michigan, the MLO will only provide assistance with respect to federal veterans benefits issues.

With the help of dentists, dental hygienists, faculty, staff and students, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry will provide free oral health care services to more than 175 children from low-income families on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on UDM's new Corktown Campus.

UDM, in partnership with the Detroit, Oakland and Macomb District Dental Societies will once again participate in the American Dental Association's "Give Kids a Smile" program that began in 2002.

"There are so many children in our area that have not seen a dentist," said Mert Aksu, associate dean of the School of Dentistry. "UDM's dental clinic provides care to the homeless, the elderly and AIDS patients, and this event reflects the University's mission to help others," he added.

"Give Kids A Smile" is a program designed for children, ages five to 12. After each screening, participants will take home a free oral health kit containing toothpaste, floss… and a big smile.

For more information, contact University of Detroit Mercy Dental Clinic at

313-494-6700.  Find directions to Corktown Campus on the Campus Locations web page.

Since 1985, the UDM professor has hosted his renowned "Super Bowl Ad Nauseam," a live discussion analyzing the Super Bowl and their effectiveness to get viewers to buy their products/messages.

The yearly event will be held Monday, February 4, 2008 at noon in the Life Science Building, Room #115 of the McNichols campus.

In conjunction with his discussion, he also teaches a Promotion Management class at UDM and is co-founder of the website, "The Marketing High School with Paul Galbenski of Oakland County Schools and Immersive Engineering. Both Bernacchi and Galbenski developed marketing and advertising coursework related to the Super Bowl and created a website, "The Marketing High School", found at Themarketinghighschool.org for high school teachers to use throughout the nation.

"This event gets larger every year," Bernacchi explained, "and if high school students are talking about the game, why not have them learn about the business behind the messages," he added. According to Bernacchi's newsletter Under the Mike-roscope, Super Bowl ads will cost $2.7 million for 30 seconds this year. That works out to be $90,000 per second or 67 ½ times that of Super Bowl I where ads cost $40,000 for 30 second.

The Super Bowl is the most watched television event each year and he tells students to forget what is happening on the field… the real game is in the commercials. He asserts, "Super Bowl ads are the biggest ad game in town each year. Many of us watch the ads and fast-forward through the game."

During the AdNauseum event, Bernacchi discusses advertising and what students should look for while watching the spots. "When the night is over," Bernacchi says, "There will be some winners and some big losers. We look forward to analyzing the spots the next day with UDM and high school students from across the country." Those schools who are unable to attend will be able to view the Super Bowl lecture on the program's website and can vote for the most effective spots.

Pizza, pop, and snacks have been donated for the occasion courtesy of Pizza Papalis (of Southfield). The event is open to all UDM students, faculty and staff as well as all interesting high school marketing and business classes. Media are always welcome.

Krohn is the creative director and visionary behind Krohn Design in Los Angeles, California. Combining elements from her knowledge in art history and architecture, Lisa manipulates forms and ideas creating something completely original. She has won numerous awards for her innovative designs including the Grand Prize in the Forma Finlandia, Daimler Chrysler Award for Innovation in Design. Krohn is influenced by the fascination between people and technology, seeking to find a relationship that replicates the organic solutions found in nature.

Krohn studied art and art history at Brown University. After her time at Brown she went on to train as a designer at Cranbrook Academy of Art receiving a Fulbright to Milan to work under renowned designer, Mario Bellini. She has worked with clients such as Herman Miller, Alessi and Walt Disney Imagineering.

Lisa Krohn's talk is free and open to the public. Continuing education points will be offered for this event. For more information please contact the UDM School of Architecture at 313-993-1532, or contact Associate Professor Amy Green Deines at deinesag@udmercy.edu.

Over 211,000 square feet, the School's new location is more than twice the size of its prior home, featuring a high-tech simulation lab with 100 stations, 190 patient operatories and dedicated areas for pediatric, endodontic, and orthodontic dentistry. Cost for dental care is approximately half the cost of private dentistry. With more than 85,000 patient visits each year, the new location will give UDM the opportunity to serve more patients and accept additional students to the program.

"At UDM, it is crucial that we aspire to develop graduates who lead and serve in their community, and exciting new projects such as this will allow us to continue to prepare future dental professionals for our community," said UDM President Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J.

"The urban context at the University of Detroit Mercy matters," he added. "We choose to be committed to this city as our sponsors, the Jesuits and Sisters of Mercy, have from the University's earliest beginnings, nearly 130 years ago. It is the University's place to be present, and to learn from our actions and our service in our city."

Located on UDM's new Corktown Campus at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the Dental School and Clinic is one block east of I-96 Jeffries and just minutes from I-94, I-75 and the Lodge Freeways. The Campus has secured, lighted parking for 860 cars.

The UDM School of Dentistry is one of two in the State of Michigan. One-third of all dentists in Michigan have graduated from the University's Dental School and nearly half of the graduating class remains in Michigan.

The new dental school location was selected based on a variety of factors including examining demographic trends, current patient data, and financial information as well as opportunities to expand student enrollment and increase dental services within the community. The move also allows for an expanded faculty practice and will enable the School to develop service relationships with area businesses and insurers.

"The City of Detroit is excited and supportive of the University of Detroit Mercy's decision to enhance and expand its presence in downtown Detroit and the McNichols Campus," said Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. "The educational programs and services offered on the University of Detroit Mercy's campuses will draw individuals from the greater Detroit metro area to this location and continue the great pace of downtown development."

UDM is committed to quality education, service of faith, promotion of justice and compassionate service to persons in need. Accordingly, the university and its students, staff and administration take an active role in strengthening Detroit, through community outreach and partnership with like-minded organizations.

Community outreach and giving back to the community has always been an essential part of a University of Detroit Mercy education. Students from every College and School at UDM provide community outreach to those in need. While the Dental School offers free and low cost services to the underserved and seniors, other services include the Law School's Urban Law Clinic and the Mobile Law Office and the School of Architecture's Urban Design Center to name just a few.

To make an appointment, call the UDM Dental Clinic at: 313-494-6700.

"The Concept of Hope in the Thinking of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." will be held on Friday, January 18, 2008 at 10 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom of the McNichols campus. His second talk, "When the House is on Fire: Finding Hope in the Midst of Democratic Despair" will be held at 7 p.m. in the Life Science Building, Room 113.

Dawson, will discuss the three key aspects of hope in the thought of Dr. King. As well as the "bitter reality of the current state of black life," the conditions of education and healthcare and "hope for a better future."

He earned a B.A. from Cornell College, M. Divinity from Princeton Theological University and an M.A. from University of Missouri. In 2006, Dawson also became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Missouri. He was ordained by the United Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. and the National Baptist Convention.

Fr. Brackley is a leader in social justice ministries, author and theology/ethics professor at the University of Central America in El Salvador. He is a long-time advocate for engaging social issues of our time, and the understanding of the Catholic faith in dialogue with other religions. He is very passionate in helping students discover their vocation to love and serve.

His works include The Call to Discernment for Troubled Times: New Perspectives on the Transformative Wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola (Crossroads, 2004), and Divine Revolution: Salvation and Liberation in Catholic Thought (Orbis Books, 1996).

Prior to coming to UCA, where he volunteered to go immediately following the murder of his six brother Jesuits and their two co-workers, he taught at Fordham University and worked in Manhattan's Lower East side and the South Bronx as a social ministry worker.

He entered the Jesuit order in 1964, ordained a priest in 1976 and received his doctorate in theological ethics from the University of Chicago in 1980.

As part of the program, the University will offer a $5,000 down payment to qualifying employees that are buying a home in one of the three University neighborhoods. JVS, a Southfield-based non-profit human service organization, will partner with the University to help employees secure an additional $5,000 from HUD. JVS will also offer classes to help buyers financially prepare to purchase a home and maintain their investment.

The campus housing areas included in the program are: McNichols Campus from Wyoming, to the Lodge Fwy., to Linwood and 8 Mile Rd.; the Corktown Campus from Grand Blvd. to the Lodge Fwy., to Michigan Ave.; and the Riverfront Campus from the Lodge Fwy. to E. Lafayette Blvd. to Brush St., to Woodbridge St. to Orleans St.

University of Detroit Mercy has continued to offer students a quality education with a strong commitment to the city of Detroit through community outreach and partnerships. This program strongly reflects the urban university's mission in creating more of a "sense of community" for its employees.

"This benefit is a win-win for the University, our employees and the communities we serve," said President Stockhausen. "Over 130 years ago, we made an important commitment to the city of Detroit, and initiatives like this are important in continuing UDM's investment in our city's growth."

A Detroit resident, President Stockhausen also chairs the Board of Directors of University Commons, a community development organization in northwest Detroit comprised of neighborhood associations, Livernois Avenue businesses, Marygrove College and UDM.

For more information on the Employee Homeownership Program, contact University of Detroit Mercy's Human Resources department at 313-993-1036.

JVS is a nonprofit human service organization that annually serves nearly 19,000 people from four locations in metro Detroit. The agency is a leading provider of career development, employment, vocational rehabilitation, senior adult, youth and housing services.

"Just because clients cannot afford mental health counseling doesn't mean they don't have the right to receive services at a high quality," said Sheri Pickover, assistant professor, Counseling and Addiction Studies.

The clinic, located on UDM's McNichols Campus in Reno Hall, has become a place where second-year graduate Counseling students put their classroom knowledge to the test by facilitating ongoing sessions with clients seeking treatment for a wide range of issues, including grief or loss, addiction, emotional management and truancy. The clinic's mission is to best meet the needs of individuals who do not have access to mental health services or cannot pay for it. Most clients are court-referred, have no insurance or are on a long waiting list at their community health center.

Working at the clinic allows students to fulfill their 40-hour, face-to-face program requirement, which is one component of their comprehensive, rigorous academic training. They are supervised by counseling staff and share cases with returning program alumni who donate their counseling services.

While she can't ensure that every student counselor will have a personal transformational experience before leaving the clinic, Pickover knows for certain that their hands-on work prepares them for their upcoming internships.

"I often hear that UDM interns are head and shoulders above other interns because of their direct work experience with clients," says Pickover.

The critical shortage of nurses and educational faculty is both a public health concern and an economic development opportunity for Michigan. The focus of the Michigan Nursing Corps award is to help increase the number of educational and clinical nursing faculty and reduce the long wait periods currently experienced by nursing students.

Dean of the College of Health Professions Suzanne Mellon, PhD, RN, received the award last month by the State of Michigan's Department of Community Health and the Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

UDM's open house is an opportune time for transfer and graduate students to meet one-on-one with advisors that represent the 60 plus academic programs offered. Information on how to finance a UDM education will be available along with on-site admission, which is offered to those interested in an undergraduate degree.

To make a reservation, or for more information concerning the open house, call the UDM Admissions Office at 313-993-1245, toll-free at 1-800-635-5020, or e-mail admissions.events@udmercy.edu.

Location directors scouted 10 different schools and decided that University of Detroit Mercy would best mirror Harvard University. A large production crew rolled onto UDM's McNichols Campus and shot scenes in the Chemistry Building lecture hall, June 30. The scenes are planned for the series pilot episode.

The cast of Prince includes Warren Christie and Aidan Quinn (who were on campus), as well as Rutger Hauer, Andie MacDowell, Piper Perabo, and Aunjanue Ellis. The pilot episode is directed by Jack Bender, executive producer and director of ABC's hit series, Lost. (The crew at UDM included 12 Lost crew members who are on hiatus from Hawaii.)

Photos from the UDM shoot are online at Kodak Gallery. (Click the Slideshow image, then the "Play" button to view all.)

Sabini earned his doctorate and undergraduate degrees from the Instituto Unversitario di Architettura di Venezia in Italy and a masters degree in architecture from State University New York Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo). With a background in 20th century theoretical issues in architecture, Sabini has written extensively on the subject and teaches seminars on architectural theory. The professor also instructs studio courses in architectural and urban design.

As a practicing architect, Sabini supervised Orchard School Playground Conversion and Fairview Park Charette in Cleveland, two of many of his service learning projects. He is   also the advisor for Tau Sigma Delta, Kent State's chapter of the Honor Society in Architecture and Allied Arts.

Leo Hanifin, Dean of the College of Engineering & Science, noted that the United States is facing a crisis in the development of engineering talent.

"Forty-five percent or more of all Chinese college students currently study engineering compared to just 4.5 percent in the United States," he reported. "Nationally, low enrollments at engineering schools are tied to poor high-school preparation and low interest levels, especially among women and minorities."

Speaking in Traverse City at an Aug. 11 management seminar hosted by the Center for Automotive Research, Hanifin pointed out that studies indicate that 80 percent or more of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) comes from the introduction of new technologies, adding that "engineers are essential for technological innovation."

He said factors that will contribute to the nation's shrinking pool of engineering talent include:

• Massive retirements among "baby boomer" engineers,
• A general drop in the number of college-age students,
• Fewer foreign engineering students studying in the U.S.,
• Fewer foreign students choosing to remain here after graduation, and
• Increased global competition for technical talent.

"More and better-educated engineers are needed if our nation and its auto industry are to thrive or even survive," he said. "The problem of low engineering enrollments can only be solved by decisive action that includes changes in public policy and national programs, as well as increased collaboration within the educational community, government and the private sector."

Hanifin pointed out that UDM has been a leader in the development of collaborative programs such as the Product Development Leadership Coalition (PDLC) and the Michigan Ohio University Transportation Center (MIOH). The PDLC is a collaborative effort involving the Rochester Institute of Technology, MIT, U.S. Navy and six global corporations. Led by UDM, MIOH focuses on research and education in alternative fuels, intelligent transportation systems and supply-chain efficiency.

To remain competitive, major changes will be required at both a state and national level, Hanifin warned. "After our engineers and technological entrepreneurs are educated, we'll need to gather them in adequate numbers to concentrate their technical and creative capabilities in order to form 'engines for innovation' similar to what occurred several decades ago in California's Silicon Valley," he said.

"We've seen this phenomenon occur more recently in Bangalore, India; in Helsinki, Finland; in Dublin, Ireland, and in Singapore. We need to take similar initiatives here.

"The future of industries, economies and nations rests squarely on the shoulders of technological innovators. If we want a brighter future for our state and for our nation, we need to collaborate on aggressive programs and public policy to attract, educate and assemble those innovators."

The dental student organization began this project to raise awareness of oral cancer, a silent killer of over 7,000 American men and women each year. Major risk factors are tobacco and heavy alcohol use. If detected in its earliest stages, oral cancer is easily treated.

The first 300 registered walkers will receive free T-shirts with the Oral Cancer Walk logo. All walkers must have at least one sponsor and a minimum of $20 in sponsorship pledges. Prizes to raffle and fun family entertainment will be present during the registration period.

For more information, please contact udmsnda@gmail.com or call the UDM Dental Clinic at: 313-494-6700.

Rademacher is the third-leading scorer in Titans history with 1,686 career points. She returns to UDM after four years on the staff at UW-Green Bay, which won four Horizon League regular-season championships and two post-season titles (2005 and 2007) during her tenure on the coaching staff. Before joining the Phoenix, Rademacher spent seven years as an assistant coach at Western Michigan.

"We're really excited to have Autumn back on the UDM campus," Gaither said. "She has a great working knowledge of Titan basketball and the Horizon League, and I think she'll do a terrific job as our head coach. We had a solid pool of candidates to look at, and (senior associate athletic director) Daron Montgomery did an excellent job heading up the search process. I have great confidence in Autumn's ability to turn our women's basketball program back around."

Rademacher feels it's quite special to coach at a school she once represented as a player.

"I am thrilled to be named the new head women's basketball coach at the University of Detroit Mercy. I want to thank the administration for believing that I am the right person to lead this program and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to coach at my alma mater," Rademacher stated. "After walking into Calihan Hall last week, seeing all the familiar faces and receiving such a warm welcome, I knew instantly, there really is no place like home."

During her tenure at Green Bay, the Phoenix compiled a sparkling 104-22 record, dominating the Horizon League in the process while making a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.

Rademacher helped Western Michigan to a 108-100 mark during her seven years with the Broncos. They squad advanced to post-season play four times during her stint there, including a berth in the 2003 NCAA Tournament following its Mid-American Conference tournament title.

Rademacher played for the Titans from 1993-97. She earned first-team All-Conference honors in 1996 and again in 1997, and was a second-team and All-Newcomer Team honoree as a freshman in 1994. She currently ranks in the Top 10 in multiple statistical categories after four seasons as a starter at UDM, including career assists (third, 439) and career three-point field goals (second, 201). She led the Titans to a Horizon League post-season championship, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, as a 1997 senior.

A native of Traverse City and a third-team All-State selection at Traverse City High School, Rademacher graduated from UDM in 1997 with a degree in criminal justice.

Partnerships already established in the VA Nursing Academy include the VA medical center in Gainesville with the University of Florida; the VA medical center in San Diego, California with San Diego State University; the VA medical center in Salt Lake City with the University of Utah; and the VA medical center in West Haven with Fairfield University in Connecticut. VA expects to add several more nursing-school partnerships.

“The expanded role of VA in the education of nurses will ensure the Department has the nurses needed to continue our world-class health care for veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “The VA Nursing Academy expands our teaching faculty, improves recruitment and retention, and creates new educational and research opportunities.”

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has reported that in 2006 more than 38,000 qualified applicants were turned away from entry-level baccalaureate degree programs in nursing schools because of insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and clinical mentors. VA currently provides clinical education for approximately 100,000 health professional trainees annually, including students from more than 600 schools of nursing.

VA’s “Enhancing Academic Partnerships” pilot program enables competitively selected VA-nursing school partnerships to expand the number of nursing faculty, enhance the professional and scholarly development of nurses, increase student enrollment by about 1,000 students and promote innovations in nursing education.

The VA Nursing Academy is a virtual organization with central administration in Washington. It expands learning opportunities for nursing students at VA facilities, funds additional faculty positions so competitively selected nursing school partners will accept additional baccalaureate-level students, and increases recruitment and retention of VA nurses. The five-year, $40 million program began in 2007.

For more information about the program and the partnership with University of Detroit Mercy, contact the VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations web site at www.va.gov/oaa.

The Sunshine Boys are two veteran vaudevillian actors, Al Lewis (David Regal) and Willy Clark (Arthur Beer). The famous duo, known over the course of forty-odd years as "Lewis and Clark", not only grew to hate each other but, during the final year of their act, never even spoke to each other off-stage. Clark, who was not ready for retirement, resented Lewis for opting to leave show business and breaking up the act. It is now 1972 and CBS has invited the team to reunite for a television special on the history of comedy. Find out if Lewis and Clark can pull it together for one last laugh! Witness this reunion of David Regal and Arthur Beer, 25 years in the making, for a night of terrific comedy.

David Regal, (Hamtramck/Detroit, MI) is a founder of the Theatre Company of University of Detroit Mercy. Graduating from the first MFA class of the Hilberry Theatre at Wayne State University, Regal took a leading role in developing the Theatre Company at UDM. Regal is currently the Artistic Director of the Theatre Company where he acts, directs and teaches. Regal has performed across the country and has won numerous awards, including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and the Lee Hills Award. Tim Allen, Keegan Michael Key and David Patrick Kelly, among many others, credit Regal with being their acting coach. Most recently, Regal was the Artistic Director at Meadowbrook Theatre.

Dr. Arthur J. Beer (Warren, MI) has taught, acted, and directed for The Theatre Company since 1975. Before that, he was Director of Theatre at Thiel College, Jacksonville University and The Athens Centre. He has won Best Actor, Best Director and Lifetime Achievement awards from The Detroit Free Press, and numerous acting and directing awards from The Detroit News, The Oakland Press, Between the Lines, Pittsburgh Press and others. He has won the Hopwood and Gesu playwriting awards and is Playwright-in-Residence at The Theatre Company, which has produced five of his original plays and adaptations, including the world premiere of Malice Aforethought: The Sweet Trials and its revival in the 2007 season. Beer and his wife, Mary Bremer, founded and have directed the Classic Theatre Study Abroad program in Greece each summer for the past 25 years. He is currently academic chairman of the Performing Arts Department. He has directed 200 plays and acted in a like number.

Directed by Andrew Huff, The Sunshine Boys opens on Sept. 26 and runs three weekends through Oct. 12. The Theatre Company's performances are held Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Marygrove Theatre on the campus of Marygrove College, 8425 W. McNichols Road.

General admission is $15. Admission for senior citizens, UDM and Marygrove faculty, staff, and alumni is $13. Student admission is $9; UDM and Marygrove students pay only $5 with appropriate ID. The Theatre Company's box office is located in Reno Hall on the McNichols Campus of the University of Detroit Mercy. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. through 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For tickets, call the theatre box office at 313-993-3270. For more information visit us at theatre.udmercy.edu.

The Theatre Company wants GREAT THEATRE for you! It is not too late to take advantage of The Theatre Company's best offer on tickets by purchasing season tickets to all four shows for only $46, a savings of 30 percent off regular ticket prices. Season tickets are on sale now through Oct. 12. UDM and Marygrove students can buy season tickets for $15: that's four plays for less than $4 a performance. Student season tickets are also available for high school and other college students for the unbeatable rate of $25 for all four shows.

Photo/Design: by: Greg Grobis

The Theatre Company opens with Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys starring two sensational Detroit theatre community veterans, Arthur Beer and David Regal. In The Sunshine Boys, directed by Andrew Huff, two veteran vaudevillian actors, Al Lewis and Willy Clark, are forced to relook at their once famous act. This famous vaudevillian team, known as “Lewis and Clark” over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act. Clark, who was not ready for retirement, resented Lewis for breaking up the act when he opted to leave show business. It is now 1972 and CBS is inviting the team to reunite for a special on the history of comedy, with the pair representing the vaudeville era at its best. Enjoy one of Neil Simon’s funniest comedies and find out if Lewis and Clark can pull it together for one last laugh. The Sunshine Boys opens on September 26 and runs three weekends through October 12, 2008.

The season continues with Paula Vogel’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize for drama winner, How I Learned to Drive. Directed by David Regal, How I Learned to Drive tells a wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. How I Learned to Drive is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road from life behind the wheel. How I Learned to Drive opens on November 14 and runs three weekends through November 30, 2008.

Next in line is Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate. Directed by Yolanda Fleischer, Speech and Debate is a hysterical yet touching tale of three teens’ quest for fame and free speech. Misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie have never met but come together to expose their teacher’s shocking online secrets while forming their high school’s first speech and debate club. This helps them realize their chance to be heard at last- by the school and the world. This year’s Broadway sensation, Speech and Debate is a quick-witted, bold and timely comedy which shows that three voices are stronger than one. Speech and Debate opens on January 30 and runs for three weekends through February 15, 2008.

The final show of the season, The Threepenny Opera, is a collaboration between UDM’s Theatre Company and Marygrove College’s Departments of Music and Dance. Composer Kurt Will and playwright Bertolt Brecht transformed saccharine, operetta and musical forms with a sharp political perspective and the sound of the 1920s Berlin cabaret into what Newsweek calls “the greatest musical of all time.” Will’s acidic harmonies and Brecht’s piercing texts created a revolutionary new musical that inspired such subsequent hits as Cabaret, Chicago, and Urinetown. Directed by Aaron Moore and musically directed by Shawn McDonald, The Threepenny Opera opens March 20 and runs three weekends through April 5, 2008. Get your tickets early for this massive blockbuster hit that is sure to sell out!

University of Detroit Mercy wants GREAT THINGS for you, and the Theatre Company wants GREAT THEATRE for you! Take advantage of the Theatre Company’s best offer on tickets by getting your season tickets to all four shows for only $46.00. That is a savings of 30% off regular ticket prices. Season tickets are on sale now through October 12, 2008. UDM and Marygrove students can buy season tickets for a rate of $15 with appropriate ID, that's four plays for less than $4 a performance. Student season tickets are also available for high school and other college students for the unbeatable rate of $25.00 for all four shows with student ID.

The Theatre Company’s performances are held Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Marygrove Theatre on the campus of Marygrove College, 8425 W. McNichols Rd. The Theatre Company’s box office is located in Reno Hall on the University of Detroit Mercy's McNichols campus. Hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For tickets, call the theatre box office at 313-993-3270. For more information visit us online at theatre.udmercy.edu.

This festive event will take place on Thursday, Sept.18, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on UDM's McNichols Campus. "Celebrate Spirit!" gathers the entire University community together to rededicate everyone to UDM's mission, to renew friendships, and to welcome new friends. The yearly event is part of a religious tradition that dates back to the great European universities in the Middle Ages who celebrated the new school year. 

The service will be celebrated by UDM President Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J. and guest speaker Rev. Jim Wallis, President and Executive Director of Sojourners Magazine. Wallis is also a bestselling author, public theologian and commentator on the interface of faith and religion with politics and policy.

Wallis’ latest book is The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post–Religious Right America.  His previous book, God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 4 months. Wallis’ columns have appeared in major newspapers, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and both Time and Newsweek online.

He also regularly appears on radio and television, including shows like Meet the Press, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The O'Reilly Factor, and is a frequent guest on the news programs of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and National Public Radio. He has taught at Harvard's Divinity School and Kennedy School of Government on "Faith, Politics, and Society."

Wallis will also be speaking on the topic “Faith in the Public Square” in Calihan Hall at 7:30 p.m.  The talk is also free and open to the public.  For more information on Rev. Wallis’ appearance, visit www.udmercy.edu/wallis/

He also regularly appears on radio and television, including shows like Meet the Press, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the O'Reilly Factor, and is a frequent guest on the news programs of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and National Public Radio. He has taught at Harvard's Divinity School and Kennedy School of Government on "Faith, Politics, and Society."

Wallis was raised in a Midwest evangelical family. As a teenager, his questioning of the racial segregation in his church and community led him to the black churches and neighborhoods of inner-city Detroit. He spent his student years involved in the civil rights and antiwar movements at Michigan State University. While at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, he and several other students started a small magazine and community with a Christian commitment to social justice which has now grown into a national faith-based organization. In 1979, Time magazine named Wallis one of the "50 Faces for America's Future."

He lives in inner-city Washington, D.C. with his wife, Joy Carroll, one of the first women ordained in the Church of England and author of Beneath the Cassock: The Real-life Vicar of Dibley; and their sons, Luke (9) and Jack (4). He is a Little League baseball coach.

Visit Wallis and Sojourners at their website www.Sojo.net and his daily blog at www.GodsPolitics.com .

The talk is sponsored by UDM’s University Ministry is free and open to the public.  For more information on Rev. Wallis’ appearance, visit www.udmercy.edu/wallis/

	See the entire article from WXYZ-TV's "Detroit 2020", Incentive Plan to Help Three Neighborhoods, Nov. 10, 2011

As part of the program, the University will offer a $5,000 down payment to qualifying employees that are buying a home in one of the three University neighborhoods. JVS, a Southfield-based non-profit human service organization, will partner with the University to help employees secure an additional $5,000 from HUD. JVS will also offer classes to help buyers financially prepare to purchase a home and maintain their investment.

The campus housing areas included in the program are: McNichols Campus from Wyoming, to the Lodge Fwy., to Linwood and 8 Mile Rd.; the Corktown Campus from Grand Blvd. to the Lodge Fwy., to Michigan Ave.; and the Riverfront Campus from the Lodge Fwy. to E. Lafayette Blvd. to Brush St., to Woodbridge St. to Orleans St.

University of Detroit Mercy has continued to offer students a quality education with a strong commitment to the city of Detroit through community outreach and partnerships. This program strongly reflects the urban university's mission in creating more of a "sense of community" for its employees.

This benefit is a win-win for the University, our employees and the communities we serve. Over 130 years ago, UDM made an important commitment to the city of Detroit, and initiatives like this are important in continuing our investment in our city's growth.

JVS is a nonprofit human service organization that annually serves nearly 19,000 people from four locations in metro Detroit. The agency is a leading provider of career development, employment, vocational rehabilitation, senior adult, youth and housing services.

Updated: November, 14, 2011

The University of Detroit Mercy College of Engineering & Science is sponsoring the 2008 Ford Innovation Symposium on Monday, Sept. 15, 2008 at 6 p.m. in Engineering Building, Room 237. Symposium speakers will discuss some of the current and future innovations that have brought Ford Motor Company to the top.  One of the most exciting innovations today is Ford’s award-winning SYNC system, which Ford reports should bring the automaker $1 million in sales by early 2009.

"American consumers are looking for new cutting-edge vehicles that are efficient, intelligent and green," said Leo Hanifin, dean of the College of Engineering & Science at UDM.  "And companies like Ford Motor Company are continually driving hard to provide consumers such innovative products."

The Ford Symposium will be led by Derrick Kuzak '73, '77, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development and University alumnus. In this role at Ford, Kuzak has overall responsibility for all aspects of the company's Product Development System and leads the team responsible for offering more Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand products, faster.

Kuzak began the global role in December 2006.  Prior to that, he joined The Americas leadership team in August 2005, when he was named vice president, North America Engineering. In that role, he was responsible for engineering signoff of all North American vehicles and had direct responsibility for key commodities and common platform parts.

Prior to that assignment, Kuzak served as vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe, where he led the design and engineering of vehicles that accounted for the major proportion of the European market and significant growth areas in the world's emerging markets.  He was also Ford of Europe's executive director, responsible for current and future medium car programs. Kuzak moved to that position in 2000, leading development processes for the most important vehicle segment in Europe, which included the Ford Focus.

Kuzak joined Ford in 1978 as a research engineer. Born in Detroit in 1951, he holds both B.E.E. and M.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit, where he also achieved a doctorate in Systems Engineering.

Other symposium speakers from Ford Motor Company include:

• Jim Buczkowski, director, Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering
• Amy Garby, Innovation project leader
• Joe Pierucci, manager, Advanced Product Strategy
  
• Hermann Salenbauch, director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team

"SYNC is already a hit among customers for its exceptional Bluetooth-connectivity for mobile phones and full voice control of media devices including MP3 players on the road, but we’re not stopping there," said Kuzak.

"Ford is answering customers' calls for even greater connectivity with the best technology solutions from companies like Microsoft and SIRIUS, connecting customers with mobile devices, important information they need on the road and bringing the experience to life with the latest in navigation technology and branded audio," Kuzak said.

Starting this year, Ford began pioneering a new era of satellite communications, aggressively moving beyond music and into data delivery.  With the launch of Ford’s next-generation navigation systems, the company will become the first automaker to offer SIRIUS Travel Link.

Seating for the Ford Innovation Symposium is limited. Guests are asked to RSVP prior to the event by contacting Melanie Dara at (313) 993-1218.

The bike tour includes rest stops to point out places of interest and a hot dog break at midnight at Detroit's famous Lafayette Coney Island. The cyclists should return to campus around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning.

"The bike ride has become one of our student’s favorite ways of kicking off the school year," said Dorothy Stewart, director of student life. "Each ride picks up more momentum from both faculty and students. This is an excellent opportunity for new students to see Detroit and even native Detroiters to see our city from an entirely different perspective, at night."

For more information, contact Adam Hollman, coordinator of intramural sports at hollmaap@udmercy.edu.

To contribute to the fundraising event, download a special ticket from http://healthprofessions.udmercy.edu or contact Nancy Dillon at 586-924-7257 prior to visiting the restaurant. While dining, present the ticket to your server to contribute. A total of 20% of the UDM sales will benefit the college’s lab project.

Aksu earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Psychology from the University of Michigan Dearborn, a Masters in Health Services Administration, a D.D.S. from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and a J.D. from Wayne State University. Aksu is a former attending staff of Henry Ford Health Systems, a member of the State Bar of Michigan, and is a Fellow with the American College of Legal Medicine.

The new dean has held numerous administrative positions at the school, including associate dean for clinic administration and most recently executive associate dean.

Through his strong leadership, he began a number of activities to further the mission of UDM and the school.  He was the founding chairperson of the Department of Patient Management, enhanced community outreach opportunities, and fostered an environment of patient care, based on a comprehensive care model.

Through strong collaboration with faculty and staff, the School strengthened the delivery of oral health care and implemented a state-of-the-art electronic patient record system. Aksu was responsible for creating the vision for what is today the new location of the School at the Corktown Campus on Martin Luther King Drive.

And the future has never looked better as the new dean has helped position the dental school for strong growth in educating additional dental professionals and providing care for more patients who are underserved.

The University of Detroit Mercy is Michigan’s largest private Catholic University, with approximately 100 academic majors and programs. Sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Regional Community of Detroit, the University has campuses located in downtown and northwest Detroit.  UDM is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and the largest of 18 Mercy institutions of higher education in the United States.

For the seventh consecutive year, University of Detroit Mercy is listed in the top tier of Midwestern Master's Universities in the 2008 edition of U.S.News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges.”

Immediately following the Mass, a luncheon will be held at UDM School of Law.  The event is free and open to the public.  For more information, please visit the school web site and click on events.

For more information regarding upcoming events, please call or e-mail Kristen Kerr, Events Manager for the School of Law, at 313-596-0265 or kerrke@udmercy.edu.

As part of the event, pedometers will be given out to help track the number of steps each participator has taken.  Prizes will be awarded to the most ambitious, over-achievers who reach and exceed their own goals.

For more information contact Rasheeda McDuffie at shanitulani@gmail.com.

The Carney Latin American Solidarity Archives (CLASA), at the University of Detroit Mercy, is co-sponsoring a presentation with Michigan Coalition for Human Rights and the Jesuit Province of Detroit.

For more information contact CLASA Director, Gail Presbey at 313-993-1124 or presbegm@udmercy.edu. The CLASA web site is available at http://liberalarts.udmercy.edu/clasa/.

Over 400-neighborhood children from grades K-5th will be attending “Safety Street” this year, dressed in their favorite costumes, collecting candy from UDM students who are also wearing their Halloween attire.  UDM students will also offer, free face painting to children during the event.

Registered student organizations will be building their own, creative Safety Street facades on Thursday, October 23, 2008 from 7 p.m. - midnight in the Student Center Ballroom on the McNichols campus.  The night before is always  and evening of fun and comradery. Fraternities, sororities, student groups, even the School of Dentistry participates by giving out free toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss. The School of Architecture was the first to establish Safety Street for children. Now, the entire UDM  community gets involved in the campus event.

 For more information regarding the event, contact Student Life at 313-578-0341.

As an English professor in her late twenties, Li’l Bit (Susan Boonenberg) looks back at the lessons and values she learned growing up with a dysfunctional and enabling family in small town Maryland, and particularly the values imparted by her Uncle Peck (Andrew Huff) during weekly driving lessons. She’s drawn to her Uncle, a drinker married to her Aunt Mary (Anne Di Iorio), who shows deep interest in her education and in teaching her how to drive, while also demonstrating a little too much interest in her blooming young-adult body.

Despite the serious subject matter, How I Learned To Drive has many comic elements. Vogel’s play delicately sidesteps the expected condemnation of this situation to look at the basic humanity that binds these two characters. Li’l Bit’s feelings of insecurity lead her to turn to a flawed relationship where she can bask in the admiration of a troubled older man. Meanwhile, Uncle Peck’s sexual abuse of his young niece yields powerful and unexpected emotional consequences for him. Five actors (Cynthia Szczezny, Mary Bremer, Joel Frazee, Autumn Thiellesen, Christopher Jakob) portray all the other characters that affect their lives, including their quirky, intimidating rural Maryland family.

How I Learned To Drive is noteworthy for the many awards that Paula Vogel won for the work, including the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Its initial off-Broadway run lasted for fourteen months. In addition to the Pulitzer, the play also was awarded an Obie, a New York Drama Critics’ Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Circle Award and the Lucille Lortel Award. It has been produced all over the world and Vogel’s screenplay has also been developed for HBO. Her other plays include The Long Christmas Ride Home, The Mineola Twins, The Baltimore Waltz, Hot’N’Throbbing, Desdemona, And Baby Makes Seven, and The Oldest Profession.

Award-winning director David Regal will be directing How I Learned To Drive which opens on November 14 and runs three weekends through November 30. The Theatre Company’s performances are held Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Marygrove Theatre on the campus of Marygrove College, 8425 W. McNichols Rd.

General admission is $15. Admission for senior citizens, UDM and Marygrove faculty, staff, and alumni is $13. Student admission is $9; UDM and Marygrove students pay only $5 with appropriate ID. The Theatre Company’s box office is located in Reno Hall on the campus of the University of Detroit Mercy. Hours of operation are 12:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For tickets, call the theatre box office at 313-993-3270. For more information visit us online at theatre.udmercy.edu.

The University of Detroit Mercy’s Theatre Company wants GREAT THEATRE for you! It is not too late to take advantage of the Theatre Company’s best offer on tickets by purchasing season tickets to the remaining three shows for only $36.00, a savings of 20% off regular ticket prices. Season tickets are on sale now through November 30. UDM and Marygrove students can buy season tickets for $12: that’s three plays for $4 a performance. Student season tickets are also available for high school and other college students for the unbeatable rate of $18.00 for all four shows.

Other speakers include: Ryan Mackinder, financial associate at Thrivent Financial J. discussing  “Capital Based Macro-Economics,” David R. Bruhan, vice president and portfolio manager at Gregory J. Schwartz and Company, Inc. who will talk about “Capital Markets: An Overview,” Harry C. Veryser, senior lecturer at UDM discussing “A Program for Monetary Reform” and Paul M. Veryser, vice president of Precision Metal Working Association (PMA) discussing “Manufacturing: Requirements for Recovery.”

The event is sponsored by the University of Detroit Mercy Economics Department, Macomb University Center, and UDM Center and the Michigan Council on Economic Education.

Seating is limited and guests are asked to RSVP to Maryrose Patrick at 313-993-1589.

There will be a variety of activities that will expose students to the fields of science and engineering. Competitions will also take place to expand and challenge the minds of students and generate higher levels of interest in science and engineering curriculum. Student competitions include a catapult contest, an egg drop contest, a challenging game of jeopardy, a screaming contest, a straw tower building contest, a toothpick bridge contest, a machine building contest, and a fun game of king-of-the-hill.

Many other activities will be included in Tech Discovery Day. The students and faculty of the Chemistry Club will put on the annual Chemistry Magic Show. There will also be a wide range of displays from local companies and departments throughout the school. An awards presentation at 12:20 p.m. in Calihan Hall marks the day’s finale. All registered school students will receive a free Tech Day t-shirt for participating in the event.

The UDM is being sponsored by Chrysler Foundation, Ford Motor Company, BASF and DENSO.  For more information, please contact Dan Maggio at 313-993-1435 or go to http://eng-sci.udmercy.edu/pre-college/tdd/index.htm

James Timberlake, founding partner of KieranTimberlake, will discuss several current projects and talk with a panel of  respected Michigan architects.

Timberlake received his B.A. from the University of Detroit Mercy and later a M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he is a founding partner of Kieran Timberlake Associates LLP, based in Philadelphia. His company received the 2008 Architecture Firm Award, the highest honor bestowed on a firm by the American Institute of Architects.

He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and Endowed Professor in Sustainability at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Timberlake has served as the Eero Saarinen Distinguished Professor of Design at Yale University, Max Fisher Chair at the University of Michigan, and has taught at Princeton University, the University of Texas at Austin, and other institutions.

In addition, Timberlake, recently finished the Cellophane House- a five-story house created offsite fabricated and displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  The inspiration for this creation drew from several ideas, including the concept of actually living transparently.

In the past several years, he has also co-authored two books: Manual, The Architecture of KieranTimberlake, and Refabricating Architecture. Timberlake’s forthcoming book, Loblolly House: Elements of a New Architecture, (written with Stephan Kieran, FAIA) is a case study of their award-winning residential project.

This lecture is free and open to the public.  For more information contact the UDM School of Architecture at 313-993-1512.

For over 20 years the Poets’ Theater has provided writing workshops; presentations by writers, thinkers, and artistic performers who have impacted literacy in Detroit and/or globally; and open mike sessions for metro Detroit’s community and student writers. These events take place the third Sunday of each month.

On November 16th at 3 p.m., the Poets’ Theater will feature renowned poets Jessica Care Moore and Aurora Harris. Readings will be followed by an open mike session.

For more information, contact Rosemary Weatherston, Director, Dudley Randall Center for Print Culture at weatherr@udmercy.edu.

This event is open to the public and a  $5 donation is suggested but not required.

Jessica Care Moore, formerly from Detroit, is an internationally renowned poet/publisher/activist/rock artist/playwright and actor, winning famed five times on “Showtime at the Apollo” winner and featured on Russell Simmon's HBO Series, Def Poetry Jam.

After her legendary win on the Apollo stage, Moore paved her own path and launched a publishing company of her own – Moore Black Press and published her best selling book; The Words Don't Fit In My Mouth, and her second collection of poetry, The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto, MBP is home to some of the most well known poets of her generation in the world.

She has performed for audiences all around the world, including, England, Holland, Scotland, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Berlin, Paris and Toulouse. The artist has been widely published in several major anthologies. She is the youngest poet featured in the Prentice Hall Anthology of African American Women Writers.

Moore has shared stages with the late great Ossie Davis, CeCe Winans, Anthony David, Norah Jones, Amiri Baraka, Patti Labelle, Roy Ayers, Mos Def, The Last Poets, Sonia Sanchez and many more.

She is currently working on her third release, God is Not an American, along with a multi media solo show scheduled for a NYC premiere in April 2009 at the famed Apollo Theater.

Aurora Harris is also an award winning published and performance poet, educator, community worker, conference organizer and mentor. She is the former coach and member of the Detroit National Poetry Slam teams (1995-2004). Harris is currently an honors graduate student at Eastern Michigan University in the Social Foundations of Program-Cultural Studies. And a former editorial sssistant of Educational Studies: the Journal of the American Educational Studies Association.

Aurora has been featured with the Last Poets, Jessica Hagedorn, Russell Banks, Jayne Cortez, Sekou Sundiata, Khari Kimani Turner and jazz artists Straight Ahead, Marcus Belgraves, Teddy Harris and Roy Hargrove. Publications include: Educational Studies; New Working Class Studies, Cornell University Press; Broadside Press Poets In The House; One Note; What Words Are There?; Wayne State Literary Review; Tilting the Continent: Southeast Asian American Writing; Abandon Automobile, Wayne State University Press, Drumvoices Review, Southern Illinois University. In her spare time she works as a reporter for Encode Media Group and Colours T.V.

To apply for admission, participants must bring a completed application for admission (or complete one on-site), their high school transcripts and ACT or SAT test scores.  The University will be admitting students on-site and waiving the school’s application fee.

For more information visit UDM Admissions web site, admissions.events@udmercy.edu to RSVP for this event or call 313-993-1245.

Detroit, December 7, 2008 – In honor of the school’s Project SALUTE, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) will be presented with an American flag that flew over Iraq by the Air National Guard 110th Fighter Wing of Battle Creek.  The presentation will take place before the Detroit Lions game at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 7.

During the past year, UDM Law has toured the country in its Mobile Law Office (MLO), providing free legal information and assistance to ensure representation to thousands of low-income veterans on federal disability and pension benefit matters.

This summer, the 110th Fighter Wing deployed its A-10 Thunderbolts to Iraq.  Air Force Lt. Colonel Lisa Ryan, wife of UDM Law student Sean Ryan, requested the American flag be flown in honor of Project SALUTE.  The 110th Fighter Wing’s Commander honored that request on June 20.

UDM Law is the only law school in the country with an MLO, a Recreational Vehicle that has been outfitted as a law office.  For the Project SALUTE national tour, General Motors donated a specially designed, state-of-the-art RV that follows ADA accessibility guidelines, including a wheel-chair lift, oversize bathroom and same-level floor throughout the coach.

“It’s a great honor to accept this flag from the Air National Guard 110th Fighter Wing of Battle Creek,” said UDM Law Dean Mark Gordon.  “We are proud to be part of a national effort to assist veterans, but we realize there is more work to be done. We will continue to speak with veterans around the country as part of our Project SALUTE and will assist those veterans in need in any way we can.”

Through Project SALUTE, volunteer attorneys and UDM Law faculty and students have counseled and/or otherwise assisted approximately 2,000 veterans over the past year during over 80 stops in Michigan, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Tennessee.  Over the next several months, UDM Law’s Project SALUTE will be visiting locations in Georgia, Texas, Puerto Rico, North Carolina, and South Carolina, among others.   While on tour, UDM Law students and faculty provide educational information to veterans regarding their federal veterans benefits, meet individually with veterans requesting assistance with their particular issues, and provide training to local attorneys willing to assist veterans pro bono with federal benefits claims.

The UDM Veterans Law Clinic is based in Michigan.  It only provides assistance related to state issues under Michigan law and/or to federal veterans benefits issues.  When in states other than Michigan, the MLO will only provide assistance with respect to federal veterans benefits issues.

About University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

Founded in 1912, UDM is a Catholic law school sponsored by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  The school is approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.  UDM recently received the prestigious 2006 Judy M. Weightman Award, from the ABA’s Student Lawyer Division, in recognition of the school’s outstanding public interest programs and contribution to the community.  In addition, UDM Law recently was one of five law schools in the nation honored by the National Jurist in its January, 2007 issue with a listing on the National Jurist Clinical Honor Roll. 

Located in the heart of downtown Detroit, the School is within walking distance of federal and state courts, law firms, and the city's municipal centers.  The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is committed to the principles of equal educational opportunity.

For more information about UDM Law, please visit www.law.udmercy.edu or call 1-888-UDM-LAW4.

UDM also placed second in the magazine’s “Economic Diversity Among Top-Ranked Schools” category and ninth in racial diversity of Midwest Regional Universities.

"We are pleased to once again be recognized in the top tier of our peer institutions," said University of Detroit Mercy President, Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J., Ph.D. "The University's unique combination of high academic quality at a good value with a diverse student body makes UDM an ideal choice for students as evidenced by the record number of new students attending the University over the past few years."

University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne County Commissioner Keith D Williams, University Commons, Oakman Blvd. Community Associate, 6th District Advisory Board and the 12th Precinct Coalition are sponsoring a "Detroit Mayoral Candidates Forum."

The event will take place on Thursday, December 11, 2008 from 6-9 p.m. in the Fountain Lounge on University of Detroit Mercy’s McNichols campus.  Charles Pugh from WJBK-Fox 2 Detroit and WJLB Radio will be moderating the event.

Confirmed candidates to date: Dave Bing, Mayor Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr., Sheriff Warren Evans, Freeman Hendrix, Joseph Warren Holt, Nicholas Hood, III, Duane Montgomery, Jerroll M. Sanders, D. Etta Wilcoxon and Coleman A. Young, II.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the mayoral candidates and learn about their own visions for guiding Detroit into the future.  Topics for discussion will include: the importance for better education, keeping our streets safe, the need for better health care and ways to strengthen Detroit’s economic development.

The mayoral candidates are running to fill the remainder of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s term, which expires at the end of 2009.  There will be a special primary on Feb. 24 for the top two candidates who will advance to the May 5 general election.

Sponsors have asked for no campaign literature to be allowed or distributed inside the forum. For more information, call University of Detroit Mercy at 313-993-1254.

The colorful, easy-to-navigate site includes many new features that will be of service to the Titan student-athletes and coaches, their families and other UDM fans, and the media.

“Our new web site is still another step forward for the Detroit Titans athletics program. I am excited that we are able to launch a great new web site today after all the months of preparation that have gone into the project," athletic director Keri Gaither said.

“Just like our new logo, our new tennis complex, our new track and soccer complex, our three new sports and our new head basketball coaches, this is another improvement and step up we are making in our athletics program. This continues to be such an exciting time for Titan Athletics.”

Visit often!

The Theatre Company opens with Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys starring two sensational Detroit theatre community veterans, Arthur Beer and David Regal. In The Sunshine Boys, directed by Andrew Huff, two veteran vaudevillian actors, Al Lewis and Willy Clark, are forced to relook at their once famous act. This famous vaudevillian team, known as “Lewis and Clark” over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate each other but never spoke to each other off-stage throughout the final year of their act. Clark, who was not ready for retirement, resented Lewis for breaking up the act when he opted to leave show business. It is now 1972 and CBS is inviting the team to reunite for a special on the history of comedy, with the pair representing the vaudeville era at its best. Enjoy one of Neil Simon’s funniest comedies and find out if Lewis and Clark can pull it together for one last laugh. The Sunshine Boys opens on September 26 and runs three weekends through October 12, 2008.

The season continues with Paula Vogel’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize for drama winner, How I Learned to Drive. Directed by David Regal, How I Learned to Drive tells a wildly funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling relationship between a young girl and an older man. How I Learned to Drive is the story of a woman who learns the rules of the road from life behind the wheel. How I Learned to Drive opens on November 14 and runs three weekends through November 30, 2008.

Next in line is Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate. Directed by Yolanda Fleischer, Speech and Debate is a hysterical yet touching tale of three teens’ quest for fame and free speech. Misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie have never met but come together to expose their teacher’s shocking online secrets while forming their high school’s first speech and debate club. This helps them realize their chance to be heard at last- by the school and the world. This year’s Broadway sensation, Speech and Debate is a quick-witted, bold and timely comedy which shows that three voices are stronger than one. Speech and Debate opens on January 30 and runs for three weekends through February 15, 2008.

The final show of the season, The Threepenny Opera, is a collaboration between UDM’s Theatre Company and Marygrove College’s Departments of Music and Dance. Composer Kurt Will and playwright Bertolt Brecht transformed saccharine, operetta and musical forms with a sharp political perspective and the sound of the 1920s Berlin cabaret into what Newsweek calls “the greatest musical of all time.” Will’s acidic harmonies and Brecht’s piercing texts created a revolutionary new musical that inspired such subsequent hits as Cabaret, Chicago, and Urinetown. Directed by Aaron Moore and musically directed by Shawn McDonald, The Threepenny Opera opens March 20 and runs three weekends through April 5, 2008. Get your tickets early for this massive blockbuster hit that is sure to sell out!

University of Detroit Mercy wants GREAT THINGS for you, and the Theatre Company wants GREAT THEATRE for you! Take advantage of the Theatre Company’s best offer on tickets by getting your season tickets to all four shows for only $46.00. That is a savings of 30% off regular ticket prices. Season tickets are on sale now through October 12, 2008. UDM and Marygrove students can buy season tickets for a rate of $15 with appropriate ID, that's four plays for less than $4 a performance. Student season tickets are also available for high school and other college students for the unbeatable rate of $25.00 for all four shows with student ID.

The Theatre Company’s performances are held Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Marygrove Theatre on the campus of Marygrove College, 8425 W. McNichols Rd. The Theatre Company’s box office is located in Reno Hall on the University of Detroit Mercy's McNichols campus. Hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. For tickets, call the theatre box office at 313-993-3270. For more information visit us online at theatre.udmercy.edu.