School & College News

This exciting, educational, and, innovative summer program is a one-week (June 24 - June 28, 2013) commuter camp for students currently enrolled in the 9th-12th grades who are interested in gaining exposure to the world of Architecture. Students will be introduced to fundamental concepts of architecture, design, and engineering through a variety of hands-on projects while working within a university studio environment. Under the leadership of professors of architecture, individuals will design and model a small scale intervention with emphasis placed on the relationship between form, structure, and the surrounding environment. By the end of the week, students will have completed a project, which they will present at a reception for all participants and their guests. The cost of this program is $300. A $50 nonrefundable registration fee is due upon acceptance into the program. The remaining $250 is due no later than May 24th. For further information, contact Professor Gilbert Sunghera, S.J., at gilbert.sunhgera@udmercy.edu, or call the Architecture Office at 313-993-1532.

Read about these stories and more news from the School of Architecture,
including faculty updates, at architecture.udmercy.edu.

Congratulations to Jane Kay Nugent, ’48, a CBA alumna and retired vice president of Detroit Edison (now DTE Energy), who will receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from UDM at the 2013 Commencement ceremony. 

Nugent received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management from the University of Detroit, an M.A. in Personnel Psychology from Wayne State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. She was among the first to be granted a Certified Administrative Manager designation by the Administrative Management Society, and also earned the designation of Accredited Executive in Personnel. She participated in the nation’s first management development program for women at Cornell University, and subsequently presented a similar program in major cities across the country. She also taught at Cornell, the University of Detroit, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, and authored numerous articles for business and human resources publications. She retired from Detroit Edison as vice president of Administration, having previously held the position of vice president of Human Resources. She was a member of the Senior Management Committee and Management Council at retirement.

Nugent is a past president of the International Association for Personnel Women and the Women’s Economic Club and has served on the Advisory Committee on the Role of Women to the Council of Economic Advisors to the president of the United States. She served as the president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and served on the boards of many regional organizations, including St. John Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, Bon Secours of Michigan Healthcare System, First of America Bank-Southeast Michigan, the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, and the United Foundation.  She is the first woman vice-president of the Economic Club of Detroit. 

A pioneer among female business executives, she was named one of Detroit’s Top Ten Working Women during her career. The University has recognized her with the President’s Cabinet Award, and with Alumna of the Year in 1981. She has received the Women of Wayne Headliner Award, an Alumni Achievement Award, a Corporate Achievement Award, and a Corporate Leadership Award. Her other honors include the Professional PanHellenic Career Achievement Award and the Association of Business Deans of Jesuit Institutions Award for Business Achievement. In 2010, Nugent received the St. John’s Guild Philanthropic Services Award. She has been inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame and the CBA Hall of Honor.

UDM’s School of Dentistry Class of 2011 earned a 100% pass rate for the National Dental Board Part I Examination. This is the first time the School has had a 100% first-time pass rate, which places the UDM School of Dentistry #1 in the nation.

The College of Engineering & Science (CES) awarded Andrew Brown Jr. '78, vice president & chief technologist at Delphi Automotive Systems, with the Engineering Alumnus of the Year; and Charles R. Hermes, M.D. '52, retired plant medical director at General Motors Company, with the Science Alumnus of the Year at the 81st Annual Slide Rule Dinner on March 23. See photos from the event. www.udmercy.edu/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Slide-Rule-2013

UDM’s Teacher Education program received a ranking of “Satisfactory” from the State of Michigan this fall. 

College of Liberal Arts & Education (CLAE) alumnus Elmore Leonard '50 returned to UDM Feb. 27 with his son Peter Leonard for a lecture followed by a question and answer session and book signing. The event was attended by more than 150 alumni, students, faculty and staff.

Elmore Leonard studied Philosophy and English at University of Detroit and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1950. In 1997, UDM awarded Leonard an honorary Doctorate of Human Letters. He was also awarded the UDM Alumni Achievement Award in 2007, and in 2010, CLAE inducted Leonard into its Hall of Honor.

An author of more than 45 novels/screenplays, Leonard is currently executive producer for the television show “Justified” on FX, based on his novel Fire in the Hole. Many of Leonard's novels have been adapted to film, such as “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” “Hombre,” and Rum Punch, which was filmed as “Jackie Brown.” Leonard discussed his latest novel Raylan, as well as his life and career as a writer. Raylan is the fourth installment of Leonard's mystery and crime series that follows U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and his ongoing battle with corruption in a Kentucky coal-mining town.

Leonard was awarded the 2012 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters by the National Book Foundation. The award recognizes his outstanding achievement in fiction writing. Also, the film adaptation for Leonard's 1957 short story 3:10 to Yuma was one of 25 films to be added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for 2012 and was chosen for preservation because of its cinematic importance and lasting cultural significance.

Like his father, Peter Leonard is also a successful writer and has written six novels. He discussed his most recent work Voices of the Dead and Back from the Dead.

Watch the YouTube video of their talk at www.udmercy.edu/leonards.

Senior attorneys bring their years of legal experience into the classroom at UDM School of Law, teaching courses such as Corporate Governance in an age of Bailouts, Health Law, Commercial Law: Lender Liability.