Leading the way, staying in touch, making the difference SPRING 18 INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT MORE STUDENTS OF COLOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS LAUNCHED INCREASE IN FINANCIAL AID Man About Campus Chancellor Daniel Little celebrates 18 years of impact INSIDE FEATURES MAN ABOUT CAMPUS 8 Chancellor Daniel Little celebrates 18 years of impact. PLUGGING STEM INTO SPECIAL ED 14 A UM-Dearborn project helps students with disabilities get in on the tech revolution in education. GRAND EXPLORATIONS 18 UM-Dearborn’s Young Naturalists program is a rite of passage for one local family. DEPARTMENTS 1 Chancellor’s Perspective 2 On the Pond What’s happening, what’s new and what’s what at UM-Dearborn. 22 AfterSchool School Ties, Why I Give, Class Notes. 30 Snap Like they say, a picture’s worth a thousand words. “OZZY” THE ROBOT IS HELPING STUDENTS AT LUDINGTON MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL LEARN TO CODE. Chancellor’s Perspective WITH GREAT GRATITUDE SENIOR OFFICERS I came to UM-Dearborn nearly 18 years ago Daniel E. Little from an excellent private liberal arts CHANCELLOR university. At the time, the public mission of Catherine A. Davy PROVOST AND VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS UM-Dearborn—and the missions of engaged Jeffrey L. Evans public universities more generally—was VICE CHANCELLOR FOR BUSINESS AFFAIRS something I understood and appreciated in an Kenneth C. Kettenbeil VICE CHANCELLOR FOR EXTERNAL RELATIONS abstract sense. Ray Metz VICE CHANCELLOR FOR ENROLLMENT But it was on this campus that I saw public MANAGEMENT AND STUDENT LIFE Mallory M. Simpson engagement in action. Working with dedicated VICE CHANCELLOR FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT faculty and staff, students, alumni and community partners, I learned how ACADEMIC DEANS Raju Balakrishnan universities like UM-Dearborn can be a COLLEGE OF BUSINESS powerful tool for regional transformation and Tony W. England COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING social progress. AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Martin J. Hershock I became passionate about the impact that our COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCES, AND LETTERS campus can have on first-generation college students and on families from a range of Ann Lampkin-Williams COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND HUMAN SERVICES socioeconomic, racial and religious backgrounds. And I saw again and again how strategic (INTERIM) partnerships between a university and its surrounding community can provide real-world and REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY practical experiences for our students. These partnerships often times help to improve the quality Michael J. Behm of life in southeast Michigan. Mark J. Bernstein Shauna Ryder Diggs This issue of Legacy, like so many issues over the past 18 years, highlights the many ways Denise Ilitch Andrea Fischer Newman UM-Dearborn continues to make that impact. Andrew C. Richner Ron Weiser You will learn about graduate students from the College of Business who partnered with the Katherine E. White Mark S. Schlissel (ex officio) Dearborn Fire Department to identify a new firehouse location; faculty, students and K-12 educators who are working together to increase access to technology-enhanced learning CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE opportunities for students of all abilities; and alumni who remain committed to strengthening Saikat Dey, Maha Freij, Rich Homberg, Donna Inch, David Kurzmann, the city of Dearborn and partnering with the university for continued success. Tonya Matthews, Timothy Meyer, Patricia Mooradian, Shirley Stancato, You also will meet incoming Chancellor Domenico Grasso, who will join the UM-Dearborn Mary Zatina community on Aug. 1. Bernadette and I had the opportunity to spend time with Domenico and A Non-discriminatory, Affirmative Action Educator and Employer his wife, Susan, when they were on campus in February to meet faculty, staff and students. I find Legacy is published by the Office of External Relations at University of Michigan-Dearborn. Domenico to be a thoughtful and engaged leader who will work to advance the outstanding It is published twice a year, in the Spring and Fall, and is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends. reputation and engagement that UM-Dearborn has in the region and beyond. Beth Marmarelli I say, with great gratitude, how meaningful and important it has been to me to join this DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING community. I am grateful for the reappointments I have received both from President Schlissel Cristina M. Frendo DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT and former U-M President Mary Sue Coleman. I am so proud of the good work we have Kate Malicke accomplished together and look forward to a bright future for our students, our university and COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER the region. Sarah Tuxbury Lou Blouin WRITERS Please send address changes and Class Notes to: Sincerely, Office of Alumni Relations 4901 Evergreen Road, 1190 AB Dearborn, MI 48128-2406 Daniel Little 313-593-5131 (PHONE) 313-593-0540 (FAX) umdearborn.edu/alumni Chancellor [email protected] Please recycle this magazine. UM-Dearborn is committed to environmental stewardship. We ask you to please recycle this magazine and to support recycling efforts in your community. Recycling this magazine is one of the easiest ways you can help the environment. | 1 On the Pond what’s happening, what’s new and what’s what at UM-Dearborn Ground Breaks on the New ELB M-DEARBORN’S MUCH ANTICIPATED $90-MILLION ENGINEER- the occasion to unveil plans “It kind of reminds me of what UING LAB BUILDING IS NOW OFFICIALLY IN ITS CONSTRUC- for the building’s new robotics the IAVS (Institute for Advanced TION PHASE. MORE THAN 200 GUESTS ATTENDED AN APRIL and human factors lab—made Vehicle Systems) building is right 20 GROUNDBREAKING, WHICH CHANCELLOR DANIEL LITTLE possible through a $1 million now,” Kim said. “That’s a really CELEBRATED AS THE START OF A “MOMENTOUS” NEW CHAPTER gift from Omron Foundation. collaborative space for a lot of IN THE UNIVERSITY’S PROUD ENGINEERING LEGACY. Omron is also funding a student organizations. You have a new endowed scholarship formula race team there, you have “The current Engineering Lab building—and one that is critical in electrical engineering for robotics teams there, you have a Building was built shortly before to providing a 21st-century students in financial need. rocket team there. And we’re all 1959—and those who have engineering education.” there, hanging out, learning from memories that go back that The new ELB, which has also Both the ELB’s function each other. So if the new ELB far remember that transistor attracted $30 million in state and design are rooted in the becomes another space like that, radios were a brand new thing,” support, is slated to open in cooperative spirit driving today’s it’s going to be pretty incredible.” Little said. “Nearly 60 years Summer 2020. That’s a little bit engineering culture, and will later, we’re developing vehicles beyond the expected tenure of And that, Kim expects, will put feature interactive classrooms, that drive themselves and computer science junior Justin UM-Dearborn on the short list collaborative student work spaces, perfecting alternative energy Kim—who, even so, was drawn for a lot of prospective students. and cutting-edge research labs sources. The new Engineering to the groundbreaking to see to support faculty-industry Lab Building will be a landmark what’s in store for future students. partnerships. Little also took 2 | Spring 2018 what’s happening, what’s new and what’s what at UM-Dearborn Student research, data gives insight to fire department OLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDENTS ARE HELPING FIGHT FIRE “The Dearborn Fire Department faster response time. I believe CWITH…DATA ANALYSIS. appreciates the impressive any of the three locations would amount of work done by be a good site for a fire station.” Students in Associate Professor residents, covering 27.3 square Professor Chen’s students,” Yi-Su Chen’s supply chain miles. Murray explained how Chen said she reaches out to Murray said. “It gave the management course worked with DFD was evaluating station organizations like the Dearborn Dearborn Fire Department the Dearborn Fire Department locations and exploring placing Fire Department to offer research data-backed information that is (DFD) to help them choose the an additional station in west assistance on a problem of their helpful as we plan for the future.” best location for an additional Dearborn. Currently, the single choice. In return, her students fire station in west Dearborn, station in that area covers 70 Business analytics graduate get real-world experience. based on years of datasets. percent of DFD’s call volume. student Jun-Qi Min said he Business analytics graduate appreciated how the class gave Taking more than 450,000 From their research and analysis, student Omar Bah said the him the opportunity to use fire reports from 911 calls— the 11-person class identified experience was beneficial to GIS mapping software and to with incident type, dates and three site recommendations for his professional future, but create an algorithm for helping locations—Chen’s graduate Murray. Two of the sites would he’s even more pleased with find an optimal solution. students have analyzed real data need new buildings; a third it on a personal level. and made a proposal to the DFD. site, a former library building, “I evaluated the existing network “If my education can help would need to be renovated. design for the local fire system DFD Chief Joseph Murray came create community change, I Locations were evaluated based and then compared it to what the to Chen’s class to talk about will be very happy,” he said. on proximity to incidents, network design would look like the department, which has “To think our work may trigger estimated response times using each of the three possible five stations providing service community improvement and cost to build/renovate.