News from other Michigan public universities and U-M peer institutions across the nation.
STATE UNIVERSITIES
New Michigan Tech Center dedicated
Michigan Tech’s new William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning was officially dedicated July 7. Jackson, the president of CableAmerica, who graduated from Michigan Tech in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, was on hand. Jackson supported the center with a $1 million gift. It brings together a suite of technological tools to enhance learning, teaching, learning assessment and student evaluations.
Travel promotion program helps economy, MSU study says
The Obama administration’s travel-promotion program has generated a roughly $1 billion increase in the value of the hospitality industry and stands to benefit the U.S. economy in the long run. That is the finding of a Michigan State University-led study, showing a positive economic impact of the Travel Promotion Act. Congress is reviewing whether to extend the law, which went into effect in 2010. Mark Johnson, lead study investigator, says the program appears to be a win-win for taxpayers and the hotel industry.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
New OSU president marks first day
Michael V. Drake began his first day as the 15th president of The Ohio State University June 30, spending time with students, faculty and staff, and members of Ohio State’s Board of Trustees on his first day. In the afternoon, he stood alongside local leaders and Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, for the announcement of a $30 million federal grant to provide housing, job training, education and support services on Columbus’ Near East Side.
University of Pennsylvania to develop memory study technologies
A team of scientists and physicians at the University of Pennsylvania will lead a four-year effort worth as much as $22.5 million to develop next-generation technologies to restore memory function in people who suffer from memory loss due to disease or traumatic injury. “We are excited to bring together some of the world’s top scientists, clinicians and engineers, here at Penn and beyond, to do the foundational work that could one day lead to a cure for memory loss,” said Steven Fluharty, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences.
