STATE UNIVERSITIES
EMU outlines plan to graduate more men of color
Eastern Michigan University is embarking on a universitywide initiative designed to retain and graduate more first-generation, low-income and culturally underrepresented men of color. The Men of Color Degree Completion and Retention Plan is a broad-based, systematic approach to improving services and processes at the university that can enhance student retention and graduation. A key component is the BrotherHOOD Initiative where HOOD stands for Helping Others Obtain Degrees. This multifaceted initiative is designed to engage and foster a stronger sense of community for men of color at EMU.
Ferris, Grand Valley to help establish new school in Grand Rapids
The Ferris State University Board of Trustees has approved a memorandum of understanding to help establish a downtown school for grades six through 12. The school will be a partnership between Ferris’ Kendall College of Art and Design, the Grand Rapids Public Schools, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and Grand Valley State University. The school will initially be located at the Van Andel Museum Center on the west side of the Grand River.
WSU alumnus establishes entrepreneurship program
A $25 million gift from Wayne State University College of Engineering alumnus James A. Anderson and his wife, Patricia, is the largest ever to the college. It will establish the James and Patricia Anderson Engineering Ventures Institute to foster a culture of entrepreneurship by offering expert guidance and resources for faculty and students during the startup process. Embedded within the college, the institute will encourage faculty to envision commercial applications for new technology, secure patents and establish new companies.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
University of Iowa dedicates biomedical building
The University of Iowa was scheduled Oct. 15 to dedicate the $126 million John and Mary Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building, to house high-risk, high-reward research in diabetes, deafness and brain science as well as complex diseases affecting the heart and lungs. John Pappajohn, a venture capitalist and philanthropist from Des Moines and his wife, Mary, committed $26.4 million in 2009 for construction of the 256,000-square-foot building, a hub of biomedical research on the UI campus.
Foundation grants more than $70 million to support UW-Madison
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the nonprofit foundation that helps steward the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has granted the university $59 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, and WARF funding for all university and affiliated organization categories will total more than $73 million. The foundation’s continuing investment is called critical to the university’s success as a research institution.
