Submitted by: Margaret E. Winters, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Informational Report

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Every year, the Library of reviews some 300 books — all with a connection to the state or the Great Lakes — published in the previous 12 months. The top 20 are named to the year’s Michigan Notable Books list. Four books in the top 20 were published by Press: (2) “The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michigan,” by J. Alan Holman Stead; (9) “’s Historic Places of Worship,” compiled and edited by Marla O. Collum, Barbara E. Krueger, and Dorothy Kostuch; photographs by Dirk Bakker; (15) “Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations,” by Michael Hodges; and, (20) “The World of a Few Minutes Ago,” by Jack Driscoll.

Patrick Hannah, from the Office of Military and Veterans Academic Excellence, was highlighted in March for his efforts on behalf of veterans at WSU. Hannah, a retired Marine from Wyandotte, rejuvenated a student veteran group, assisted in opening a resource center, and helped develop mentoring, tutoring and psychological counseling programs. He did all that while working on his bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in social work, which he will receive in a few weeks. The center, which offers mentors, tutors and counselors, has started to pay off. The graduation rate of veterans is 43 percent at Wayne State compared with 15 percent to 35 percent at other schools.

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Life Beyond Barriers, an initiative that combines the power of medicine, science, engineering and entrepreneurship to enhance the quality of life for the injured and disabled, announced an ongoing charitable donation of up to $15,000 per year to fund prototype design and development for the biomedical engineering undergraduate design laboratory in the College of Engineering. The funding significantly enhances the four-year, clinically-focused design program that is at the center of biomedical engineering education. By providing students with the funding, and an avenue, to develop quality solutions to real-world patient challenges – and potentially take them to market – Life Beyond Barriers provides for entrepreneurial growth previously not available to students.

The Center for the Study of Citizenship, in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, hosted its 10th annual conference in March. The Arab Spring and artists raising awareness on issues of identity and culture were among the topics. The 10th annual conference was called "The Meaning of Citizenship" and featured scholars from 18 countries. Speakers included Time magazine editor-at- large Bobby Ghosh and New York University professor Arjun Appadurai.

WSU alumnus Risarg "Reggie" Huff, Director of Homeless Services for Neighborhood Service Organization, and R&B singer KEM were honored by the

Board of Governors Agenda May 1, 2013 2

School of Social Work for their unflagging efforts to fight homelessness. Huff and KEM, who respectively were named Alumnus of the Year and Citizen of the Year by the school's Alumni Association at a March 29 luncheon in McGregor Conference Center.

The Michigan China Quiz Bowl returned for a fifth year. The annual event is open to middle and high school students from across Michigan and tests their knowledge of Chinese language, culture and geography. The quiz bowl took place on April 13 at L'Anse Creuse High School North in Macomb and is sponsored by the Confucius Institute in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Non-heritage Chinese language learners competed in first- through third-year middle school divisions and first- through fourth-year high school divisions. In 2012, 262 students from 17 schools took part, more than tripling the number of participants from five years ago.

FACULTY

Marwan Abouljoud, associate professor of surgery at WSU and director of the Transplant Institute at , was honored as Arab American of the Year at the prestigious 42nd Annual ACCESS anniversary dinner on April 27. Abouljoud is the director of the Transplant Institute and Hepatobiliary Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital and an internationally recognized pioneer in transplant surgery. He serves as director of physician affairs for Medical Group, a 1,200 physician academic group practice and is the Benson Ford Chair in Transplantationy. He is also president of the Surgical Alumni Association for the American University of Beirut and is a past chair of the Henry Ford Medical Group Board of Governors, where he is currently a board member.

College of Nursing associate professor Margaret Campbell has been recognized with the 2013 Nursing Leadership Award in Palliative Care by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNA). Through a grant from the Project on Death in America, HPNA annually honors one nurse from across the country who has emerged as a leader in palliative care and whose work has improved nursing care for dying patients and their families. Recognizing nurse leaders in this way helps further the Project on Death in America’s mission to understand and transform the culture and experience of dying and bereavement while giving priority to education, training and clinical service in end-of-life care. Campbell received the award March 14 at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine/Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association annual meeting in New Orleans.

Joe Zajac, associate chair and professor of the Department of Art & Art History, is being featured at Detroit's . An exhibit featuring his ceramic work opened in March. Zajac's latest work features flat, tile-like ceramic pieces in bright colors with a contemporary surfaces that evoke the automobile in their perfection, as well as the flash of contemporary jewelry and color-block clothing.

Board of Governors Agenda May 1, 2013

3

Zajac is considered one of Michigan’s most accomplished ceramic artists. The exhibit runs through May 26.

Lavinia Hart, associate professor of theatre, was recognized by CBS Detroit as one of the best directors in local theatre. The station noted that Detroit’s theatre community is vast and has many talented directors who transform scripts into theatrical works of art. Hart also heads the MFA Acting Program at Hilberry Theatre. She previously held the position of artistic director at the Attic Theatre, and has acted, directed and produced over 100 stage productions throughout her career.

Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Marilyn Kelly is joining the faculty of the Law School as its first "distinguished jurist in residence.” Kelly served on the high court for 16 years and retired from the court in 2012 due to a provision in the state constitution that bars jurists from seeking re-election after age 70. A Wayne Law alumnus, she already serves on the executive committee of the law school's Board of Visitors.

STUDENTS

A business plan by College of Engineering students Tom Kim and Joe Zakar gained momentum for its focus on providing sustainable lighting solutions and developing greener, brighter and more efficient LEDs. Kim and Zakar's plan took fourth place in the Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge at the University of Michigan in early March. The competition is part of a national effort encouraging young entrepreneurs to develop greener energy solutions through President Obama's Startup America campaign.

Board of Governors Agenda May 1, 2013