News from other Michigan public universities and U-M peer institutions across the nation.
STATE UNIVERSITIES
Grand Valley signs reverse transfer agreement
Grand Valley State University signed a reverse transfer agreement earlier this month with Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Kalamazoo. The agreement helps students who transferred to Grand Valley complete an associate’s degree at the community college. The initiative applies to students who have completed at least 45 credits at KVCC, but transferred to Grand Valley before earning an associate’s degree. Grand Valley has 25 reverse transfer agreements with community colleges across the state.
CMU honors relationship with local Indian tribe
Central Michigan University is honoring its relationship with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe by naming the tribe as the grand marshal for CMU’s Oct. 19 homecoming celebration. It is the first time an entire nation has been granted the honorary distinction. “CMU has tried over the years to reach out to the tribe, and the tribe has been willing to receive that outreach,” says Frank Cloutier, public relations director for the tribe. “That’s why this partnership is so important today.”
PEER INSTITUTIONS
UT-Austin gets major gift of 200,000 photos
The Magnum Photos collection, which contains nearly 200,000 press prints of images taken by world-renowned Magnum photographers, has been donated to the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The gift was made by Michael and Susan Dell, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman and John and Amy Phelan. Michael Dell is founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Inc. Glenn Fuhrman and John Phelan are co-managing partners and co-founders of MSD Capital LP, the private investment firm for the Dell family. The donation is expected to be the single-largest gift to the Ransom Center ever, the university said.
UNC alumni pitch in to mark university’s birthday
Nearly 1,400 University of North Carolina alumni and friends served a grand total of 8,161 hours in honor of the university’s 220th birthday Oct. 12. The event, Tar Heel Service Day, was organized by the university’s General Alumni Association. Tar Heels rolled up their sleeves in 36 states and six different countries in locations as diverse as a food bank, a classroom, for Habitat for Humanity, on North Carolina’s Mountain-to-Sea Trail and other public service projects.
Ohio State reopens renovated planetarium
Ohio State University planetarium reopened to the public Oct. 12 after extensive renovation project. The work included adding a state-of-the art Spitz SciDome XD extreme definition digital projector, NanoSeam dome and digital surround-sound system. The 63-seat planetarium has been operated since 1968 by the Department of Astronomy.
