Teacher Education Program receives national accreditation

The Teacher Education Program received national accreditation approval on October 26, 2012 from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) for five years. This is wonderful news for Teacher Education as five years is the highest rating that could be received from TEAC. All programs in the State of Michigan are required to be nationally accredited no later than December 2013. UDM comes in well before the deadline. National accreditation requires programs to document curriculum, faculty qualifications, resources (financial and facilities), student support, assessment practices and a plan for ongoing improvement during the accreditation cycle.

Five new minors offered in CLAE

Five new minors will be available to students effective January 2013. The new minor in Education complements any degree. For example, a science major may want to work in a zoo or aquarium where they might lead field trips or a business major may need to train new employees. The four other new minors are in Economics, Financial Economics, Islamic Studies and Religious Studies. Minors offered at UDM were presented at the third annual Minor & Certificate Fair on Oct. 3. In total, UDM offers 26 minors and certificates from a variety of areas and disciplines. See a list of CLAE's minors and certificates.

CLAE programs offered at Macomb University Center and WCCCD University Center

Several programs from the College of Liberal Arts & Education are being offered or will soon be offered at the Macomb University Center in Clinton Township and the Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) University Center in Harper Woods. The Bachelor of Social Work is available at the WCCCD University Center location, and the MA in Educational Administration and the MA in Curriculum and Instruction will be offered at both locations beginning January 2013. At the Macomb University Center, the Bachelor of Science in Addiction Studies, Bachelor of Arts with a major in Financial Economics, Master of Arts in Financial Economics and Master of Arts in Economics are available. Other UDM degree programs are available at these locations as well. For a complete listing of programs at WCCD, contact 800-635-5020 or visit udmercy.edu/wccd. At Macomb's University Center, contact 586-263-6232 or see the UDM Macomb UC page.

Dept. of Health and Human Services provides scholarships for UDM Clinical Psychology doctoral students

The Clinical Psychology doctoral program recently was awarded a $142,852 Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services. SDS is a grant program that provides funds to eligible accredited U.S. health professions schools to make scholarships available to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have financial need and are enrolled or accepted for enrollment as full-time students. The award will be available for the 2012-2013 academic year and may be available for an additional three years.

Wings and the Alumni Theatre Afterglow

Join the UDM Theatre Company for Wings, which runs Feb. 8, 9, 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Arthur Kopit's Wings explores the strange, terrifying and shattered world of Emily Stinson, who is suddenly faced with the desperate need to comprehend and make sense of her surroundings, her physical being and of her own mind. Emily must face the frustrating and deeply disturbing challenges of her new life as a stroke patient. Wings is an emotionally powerful experience; a magnificent adventure into the mind and a revelation of the strength and mystery of the human spirit. The Afterglow is Saturday, Feb. 9. For more play information and to order your tickets, visit the UDM Theatre Company website.

Recent CLAE awards and recognitions

• The poetry collection, Solitude of Five Black Moons, written by Aurora Harris and co-published by Broadside Press and UDM Press, received a 2012 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature. The award honors writers of exceptional works often not acknowledged by the mainstream literary community, and books that reflect a multi-cultural or marginalized viewpoint.
• As UDM's Theatre Company awaits news on more than ten theater award nominations for the 2011-2012 season, the production of Autobahn was selected for the Best Scenic Design award from the Rogue Critic.
• An actor in the UDM production of Dogman's Last Stand, Joel Mitchell, has been nominated for a 2012 Wilde Award for best performance by an actor in a comedy.  The Wilde Awards, which recognize noteworthy achievements in Michigan professional theater, are presented by EncoreMichigan.com, an online publication focused on Michigan's professional theater industry.  See the 2012 Wilde Awards nominations.

Student arts journal and vintage yearbooks added to online archives

The UDM Libraries/Instructional Design Studio (IDS) continues to digitize UDM documents and add them to online collections.  UDM yearbooks have been added to the online collection for all years now up through 1981. Additional yearbooks will be added every two months until the online collection is complete and up to date.

Also, the UDM undergraduate arts journal [sic] has been added to the digital archive, including every issue from the first (1992) to the most recent (2011).  To view these and other online collections, please visit the Libraries/IDS "Special Collections" page.

Alumni are welcome on study-abroad trips

The Education Department is offering several options to enroll in Comparative Education through study-abroad programs this year. Alumni are welcome to join trips traveling to Brazil in June 2013, China in July 2013 or spend a month in beautiful Volterra, Italy located in the heart of Tuscany during May and June 2013. For more information, visit the Study Abroad page.

Below are some examples of the activities that took place on recent study trips.

Cuba education tour

Faculty, staff and students from across UDM participated in a 10-day education and culture program in Havana, Cuba, April 28 through May 6.  Participants explored historical sites, visited an organic farm and urban forest, met with school and community leaders and visited Cuba's literacy center.  Students enrolled in Comparative Education, Intercultural Communications and Cuban Culture completed winter term with a culminating research project central to their experiences in Havana.  The program is scheduled to run again at the end of winter term 2013.  To learn more about the program, visit the website at mercytocuba.com or contact Lara Wasner, director of Language & Cultural Training at 313-993-1191 or by email.

UDM group in Havanna last spring.

China Summer Seminar

In July, UDM students spent 12 days on the other side of the globe, learning about urban issues and exploring contemporary culture in Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai, China as well as in Hong Kong.  Program highlights included climbing the Great Wall at Badaling, visiting the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and meeting students at several schools and universities.  The program is part of the Language & Cultural Training program's vision to expand international programming at UDM.  Lara Wasner, director of Language & Cultural Training, coordinated the program with Aloha Van Camp, associate professor of Sociology & Social Work, and Alan Grigg, instructor of Education.  For information about UDM's China Summer Seminar in 2013, contact Wasner at 313-993-1191 or wasnerle@udmercy.edu.

UDM group at the Great Wall of China, in July.

New program pairs American and international students

UDM's Language & Cultural Training (LCT) Program is launching a "Conversation Partners" program, which pairs UDM's international students with students from the United States.  The program aims to help the students build friendships and cultural bridges, and to help them improve their communication skills.  Students can earn service hours by committing to at least one hour per week, on and off campus.  For more information, contact LCT Director Lara Wasner by email or call 313-993-1191.

UDM's language programs expand into area public schools

UDM's Language & Cultural Training Program has partnered with Traverse City School District, Utica Community Schools, Detroit Public Schools and Bloomfield School District to offer language studies for K-12 students, including courses in Arabic, German and Spanish.