Community
UDM News for our Neighbors
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Retirement of UDM’s ‘Build a Boundless Future’ brand
Thursday October 09, 2025
As UDM moves forward with branding work, please note that the previous brand—Build a Boundless Future—will no longer be used by the University. Until a new brand is created, the University will employ a bridge brand. These include the following:- The World Needs Titans
- Titans are Boundless
- We Learn. We Serve. We Grow. We Lead. Titan Pride.
UDM’s new expression of a brand will be constructed upon Titan Faith, a unifying principal that touches upon what it means to be a Titan. Please note that Titan Faith is not a new brand. It is a concept that serves as an organizing principle to help frame the work that goes into defining a brand with the emotional resonance UDM and its stakeholders seek. This unifying principal gives the core elements and underpinnings of a brand its emotional power and builds connection with all stakeholders.
In some respects, Titan Faith comprises an array of underpinnings listed below:
- Titan bravery
- Titan innovation
- Titan boldness
- Titan pride
- Titan hope
- Titan joy
- Titan grit
- Titan truth
- Titan believe
- Titan compassion
- Titan love
These core underpinnings can help demonstrate that a new movement is taking shape and help people with all varieties of experiences and impressions of Detroit Mercy find their way into this rebranding effort in honest ways.
As UDM approaches its 150th anniversary in 2027, there is every hope that the University will unveil a new and more connective brand that everyone can take pride in while celebrating the institutional birthday at the same time.
More about bridge brands and UDM’s unifying principal Titan Faith here. -
Celebrate community at TENN’s third annual meal, Oct. 30
Thursday October 09, 2025
Join Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) in celebrating our community at the third annual community meal on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5-7 p.m. in the Fountain Lounge inside the Student Union. All are welcome to come together to share a meal, connect and celebrate what makes our community so special.Volunteer Chef Bob from RóBear Culinary will be preparing a delicious meal for all to share.
This event is free, but please help us plan and ensure there’s plenty of food, by registering using the link below.
For any questions, please email tenn@udmercy.edu.
Register here. -
Video celebrating 60 years of Detroit Mercy Law Clinics from MarCom communications fellows
Wednesday October 08, 2025
MarCom fellow Alizé Tripp, with the help of Let’s Roll’s Brian Rolling and MarCom’s Adam Bouton, produced a short video that celebrates and honors the 60th anniversary of the Detroit Mercy Law Clinic Program.
This video helps highlight UDM’s commitment to our community and the institution’s Jesuit and Mercy values. More importantly, this is the kind of commitment that speaks to the UDM brand.
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DMTC presents ‘Twelfth Night’ in new Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre, Nov. 7-16
Tuesday October 07, 2025
A fresh adaptation of a Shakespearean classic, Twelfth Night, opens Detroit Mercy Theatre Company’s 55th season and celebrates the company’s return to University of Detroit Mercy’s McNichols Campus with the opening of the new Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre.
Six performances will run in back-to-back weekends, Friday through Sunday, Nov. 7-16.
Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare and adapted by Marc Palmieri, follows twins Viola and Sebastian, separated by a shipwreck and stranded on the peculiar land of Illyria. Disguising herself as a young man, Viola finds employment in the service of the noble Duke Orsino, only to fall hopelessly in love with him. But Orsino has his sights set on the enigmatic Countess Olivia and enlists Viola—unaware of her identity—to carry his amorous pleas. In an unexpected twist, Olivia finds herself smitten with the disguised Viola instead.
“Shakespeare is always relevant to today’s world, which is why his plays have remained with us for so long,” said Andrew Papa, chair of the Department of Performing Arts. “Not only that, Twelfth Night is one of his best comedies, and it’s in times like these that comedies are just the reprieve the world needs.”
This production marks the debut of the new Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre on UDM’s McNichols Campus. This modern performance space will give students the opportunity to develop their craft and share their work with audiences, while also providing a welcoming place for cultural and artistic events that will benefit both the campus and the wider community.
“After more than a decade away, Detroit Mercy Theatre Company is thrilled to be returning home to McNichols Campus,” said Sarah Hawkins Rusk, managing director of DMTC and director of Twelfth Night. “Our new theatre will be a dynamic hub for creativity on campus, offering students a professional-caliber space to learn and grow.”
Joining the students on stage for this celebratory production are chair Andrew Papa and UDM alumni Peter Prouty ’00 and Kaelyn Johnson ’22. “As an actor in the show, it’s refreshing to perform alongside our eager students and our stellar alumni,” Papa said. “Getting the opportunity to perform with our students and some of our top alumni has been an incomparable experience, and I look forward to bringing this text to life in our brand-new, permanent home for the arts at University of Detroit Mercy.”
The DMTC Ticket Office is open Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., with tickets being available for purchase anytime online. Individual tickets are $25 for adults, $18 for seniors and Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and alumni, and $10 for veterans and students (ages 4-college). Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To schedule your group, contact Sarah Rusk at 313-993-3273.
SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS- Nov. 7: Friends and Family Night. Sponsored by Thomas E. Page ’71, ’76. This performance is invitation only.
- Nov. 8: Celebration of the Grand Opening of the Detroit Mercy Black Box Theatre. This performance is invitation only.
- Nov. 9: College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences (CHASS) & University of Detroit Mercy at the Theatre. Free tickets for students, faculty and staff of University of Detroit Mercy with valid I.D. A talkback following the performance led by a CHASS faculty member is presented as a part of the Detroit Theatre Discussion Project.
- Nov. 14: High School Night. Free tickets and talkback with student cast and crew following the performance for high school students and their families. Call 313-993-3270 or email theatre@udmercy.edu for details and reservations.
- Nov. 15: Community Night. $10 ticket for all patrons.
- Nov. 16: Closing Night
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Support TENN at The Office Coffee Shop
Tuesday October 07, 2025
The Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) has been selected to participate in The Office Coffee Shop’s charity checkout program. When you stop by for your favorite coffee or sweet treat, you can choose to donate to TENN at checkout and help support our work toward a more food-sovereign Detroit.
Every cup of coffee helps provide fresh produce, proteins and dairy to families in need — so next time you’re in downtown Royal Oak, grab a brew and choose TENN!
The Office Coffee Shop is located at 402 S. Lafayette Ave, Royal Oak.
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Resources, Centers and Clinics
Center for Social Entrepreneurship
The Center provides business expertise and acumen as well as mentors to assist local entrepreneurs, beginning with the “Boost” workshop that aids entrepreneurs in developing business plans to achieve a greater social impact.
Counseling Clinic
The clinic provides no-cost counseling services to Detroit residents who otherwise may not have access to mental health services.
Dental Center
Detroit Mercy Dental offers dental services and education through two clinics, nine outreach clinics, a mobile dental clinic and a school-based dental sealant program.
Dental Mobile Clinic
The clinic travels to local participating schools in Detroit and Wayne County to provide comprehensive care for K-12 children.
Detroit Collaborative Design Center
The design center provides design services to non-profit community and civic organizations to engage communities and enhance neighborhoods.
Detroit Mercy Eye Institute
The Detroit Mercy Eye Institute includes the state-of-the-art equipment and technology needed to diagnose, monitor, and treat numerous eye conditions. The clinic will also provide affordable eyecare to the uninsured and vulnerable populations.
Law Clinics
Detroit Mercy Law provides legal assistance to Detroit area residents through six clinics: Immigration Law Clinic, SADO Criminal Appellate Clinic, Criminal Trial Clinic, Veterans Law Clinic, Juvenile Law Appellate Clinic and Intellectual Property Law Clinic.
Pre-College Programs
Detroit area students in grades 4-12 participate in more than 15 outreach programs annually through Saturday classes, summer camps, and innovative curricula in the sciences, technology engineering, mathematics, architecture and design.
Psychology Clinic
The Psychology Clinic provides assessment and counseling services for approximately 300 clients annually. Fees are based on ability to pay.
Rx for Reading Program
This program increases access to children’s books and supports families in reading to their children. The program has distributed more than 2,000 children’s books a month at a variety of locations, including low-income health, dental and WIC clinics; homeless shelters; and Head Start programs.
Summer Camps
A variety of summer activities available on UDM Campuses. Some are hosted by UDM; some are simply located on our campuses.
Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN)
TENN is a student-led and community-driven food justice program that delivers fresh produce to 60 families in New Martin Park Neighborhood and 80 seniors at Theresa Maxis Senior Apartments.
Alliances and Initiatives
Reimagining the Civic Commons
University of Detroit Mercy serves as one of the institutional anchors for the “Reimaging the Civic Commons” initiative, which is funded through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant. The initiative focuses on the City of Detroit’s neighborhood revitalization priority: the Livernois/McNichols area. The project’s goal is to revitalize the neighborhoods between its two anchor institutions, Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College, creating a denser and more diverse urban community.
Live6 Alliance
University of Detroit Mercy helped to launch the Live6 Alliance in August 2015 to strengthen the Livernois Avenue and McNichols Road commercial corridor in northwest Detroit.
Service Immersion Days / Trips
These experiences give students opportunities to serve in shelters, soup kitchens, after school projects, urban farms and many other important community based projects both locally and nationally.
Directories
Media Experts Guide
Detroit Mercy scholars are experts in their fields and many have agreed to be available to media. Note that experts' views are their own and may not reflect the views of their colleagues or University of Detroit Mercy.
Migration Research Directory
The AJCU Migration Research Directory is an open-access resource for high-quality research on migration, provided by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Faculty members from Jesuit universities around the world provide important migration and refugee research from a wide variety of perspectives.