Oakland entered into several academic partnerships to advance the mission of the university, including a partnership with Beaumont Hospitals to create a new medical school on Oakland’s campus. The medical school will be privately funded. Humana Foundation announced its intentions to donate $100,000 in support of Oakland's development of a medical school. OU and Beaumont Hospitals teamed up with the Detroit Science Center to create, “Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University Medical Marvels Gallery,” a 15,000-square-foot exhibit gallery coming to the Detroit Science Center in 2009, which will take visitors into the incredible world of the human body and medical science technology.

Oakland University celebrated its 50^th anniversary during 2007. A number of special events were held to mark the occasion, including those for faculty and staff, students and alumni. Reunions were held on campus to bring back alumni and retired faculty and to plan for OU’s future.

The university’s comprehensive campaign, “Innovation and Opportunity — The Campaign for Oakland University,” has raised $84 million toward the goal of $110 million by 2010. The funds play a critical role in the development of new academic programs, endowments for faculty positions, facility expansions and student scholarships.

In fall 2007, Oakland’s enrollment reached 18,082 students, marking a full decade of record growth for the university. Most staggering is the growth in the number of doctoral students enrolled at OU, with an increase of 33 percent over fall 2006. In addition, Macomb 2 Oakland, a joint program between Macomb Community College and Oakland University, experienced a 114 percent increase in enrollment over the previous fall.

The Oakland University Board of Trustees approved a number of new majors, minors and concentrations, which were added to give students more options and respond to industry demands. The introduction of the new programs brought OU’s total number of undergraduate majors to 127 and graduate programs to 99.

Building on last year’s study of the first-year student, New Student Programs offered several new programs to boost retention efforts. Collegiate Communication and Connections help students learn more about the university and get involved, while sharing common classes with others within their major. New Student Programs, the Advising Resource Center and University Housing worked together to develop My FYE, a living-learning community for undecided first year students.

The School of Engineering and Computer Science received a gift from DTE Energy Foundation to purchase a fuel cell test bench, which provides new opportunities for research, new laboratory courses and future partnerships. The College of Arts and Sciences continued the Celebrating Liberal Arts series with the theme Revolution. The theme goes beyond the typical notion of war or political change and examines the very idea of rapid, dramatic, intellectual change that underlies all revolutions. Scholars examined the idea of revolution from a wide variety of disciplines, including political science, anthropology, sociology, art history and communication. In addition, the College named OU alumna and MacArthur Foundation grant recipient Regina Carter as an artist-in-residence. OU’s teacher education programs ranked at the top when examined by the Michigan Department of Education. Oakland received 68 out of 70 points based on performance scores, including the pass rates on the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification exams, results of surveys of student teacher, program completion rates, enrollment diversity and whether teachers were prepared in the areas of special education, math and science. OU’s School of Nursing kicked off a partnership with Crittenton Hospital Medical Center to develop professorships and change the clinical education and training of nursing students. The School of Health Sciences welcomed new faculty members who plan to conduct important research. In addition, current faculty members received awards for their work and dedication.

Hundreds of OU students and faculty members earned top honors, awards, grants and recognition during the year for their achievements in the classroom, community and research labs, and on athletics fields. Jianna Hair and Peter Halabu received the 2007 Matilda R. and Alfred G. Wilson Awards, and Nerissa Brown received the Human Relations Award, OU’s top honors for graduating seniors.

The women’s basketball team clinched the Mid-Continent Conference regular season title. The team advanced to the championship game of the conference’s tournament but was defeated by Oral Roberts. The Golden Grizzlies were selected to participate in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Their first-round game was held at Oakland University. The team was defeated by the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the first round. OU’s women’s basketball Head Coach Beckie Francis and men’s basketball Head Coach Greg Kampe received the 2006-07 Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year honors. OU’s swimming and diving teams brought home their eighth consecutive Mid-Continent Conference championship. Oakland University’s athletics program is set to expand with the school’s announcement that men’s and women’s indoor track and field will be added to the athletics program. The addition of the two sports will bring the total number of Division I sports offered by OU to 18. The OU men’s soccer team won its first NCAA tournament game in November, beating MSU 2-1 in East Lansing. Several of OU’s club sports teams also competed for national championships, including the men’s club hockey team, which won the national title in its first year in Division I play.

OU honored 26 faculty members for their accomplishments during the 2007 Faculty Recognition Luncheon. Ronald Finucane joined an elite group of OU professors who have been elevated to the rank of Distinguished Professor. Frank Giblin, director of the Eye Research Institute at Oakland University, received a five-year National Eye Institute award for his project, “Proteins of Normal and Cataractous Lenses.” He collaborated with a number of researchers, including two from William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.

Oakland University and the Older Persons’ Commission in Rochester formalized a partnership to offer programming to seniors in the community. Students, faculty and staff presented health and wellness programs as well as informative lectures for the members of the OPC throughout the year.

Detroit Edison Public School Academy, one of OU’s public school academies, was selected as a Michigan Blue Ribbon school. The award recognizes outstanding improvement strategies throughout the state. The school was the first and only public school academy to receive such recognition in 2007 and the only school in Detroit to receive Blue Ribbon recognition during the past five years. Twenty-three schools were awarded Blue Ribbon recognition for 2006. Detroit Edison was also chosen as one of the 53 best as part of the Center for Education Reform’s National Charter School of the Year program, out of the nearly 4,000 charter schools.

The university hosted several national, international, cultural, educational, social and community events including the Keeper of the Dream Scholarships Awards Celebration with keynote speaker actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and Washington Post managing editor Bob Woodward, and Princeton University professor and bioethicist Peter Singer, among many others.

Celebrating 50 Years

• OU President Gary Russi and SBA alumnus David Baker Lewis opened the 50th anniversary celebration during a breakfast for faculty and staff.

  More than 600 faculty and staff gathered to kick off Oakland’s 50^th anniversary celebration during a program and breakfast buffet on Jan. 5. The contents of Oakland’s first-ever time capsule were displayed during the event. More than 50 items are in the cache, including an alumni magazine, a Meadow Brook Hall Holiday Walk program, academic program catalogs, a master plan of the campus and a parking ticket. A 50^th anniversary outdoor banner was on display as well. Banners were hung throughout campus as part of the 50^th kickoff celebration. David Baker Lewis, SBA ’65, attorney and member of the President’s Campaign Council reflected also on his time as an OU student “during the Jurassic Period,” when he drove from Detroit via Woodward because I-75 wasn’t constructed yet. He remembered the university as “young, idealistic and committed to learning."
  

 

• Oakland University’s Honors College marked the university’s 50^th anniversary with a reunion of its own. This year also marks the 30^th anniversary of the inception of The Honors College. The reunion lunch also honored the college’s second director, Robert Howes, who passed away in 2006.
  

 

• The extended OU family gathered in the Oakland Center Friday, Sept. 7, for an evening filled with fun, food and festivities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the university and to meet the new Grizz mascot. With a rousing welcome by the OU pep band and the OU dance team, Images, Gary Russi, president, and Mary Beth Snyder, vice president for Student Affairs, addressed 2,400 faculty and staff and their families, retirees, friends and student-athletes from many of the Golden Grizzlies teams.

 

• On Jan. 8, students kicked off the year-long celebration of OU’s 50^th anniversary with a student organization fair. Student organizations lined the main hallway of the Oakland Center with carnival-style games for students passing through.

 

• Prior to becoming a higher education institution in 1957, Oakland University was home to the Dodge/Wilson family. Many of the landmarks on campus represent this history but may be overlooked. Associate Professor Richard Stamps’ special topics anthropology class spent the winter semester finding these landmarks and researching them. Renee Blackburn chose the gardens outside of John Dodge House on east campus. They are no longer used and their current appearance does not reflect their historical significance.
  Amanda Miela chose the fire hydrants that serviced the estate.

• Eric Zaleski's first-prize winning photo.

  The Center for Student Activities held a digital photography contest in conjunction with the university’s 50^th anniversary celebration. Eric Zaleski and Barbara Klocko took first and second place respectively in both the “people’s choice” and also the best overall categories.

• Oakland University celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2007, but it wasn’t the only Michigan icon to do so. The Mackinac Bridge also turned 50 in 2007. Registrar Office Coordinator Ellen Keaton has had the privilege of celebrating both anniversaries. Labor Day weekend, Keaton and her husband and some friends walked across the Mackinac Bridge as part of the anniversary celebration.
  (return to top) 

Campaign for OU

• OU President Gary Russi welcomes guests and thanks donors at the 50th Anniversary Gala.

  On Wednesday, April 18, portions of the Oakland Center were transformed into a black-tie venue to honor top contributors to Oakland University’s comprehensive campaign since the public phase kickoff in April 2005. “Innovation and Opportunity — The Campaign for Oakland University” raised $76.5 million as of April toward a goal of $110 million by 2010. Private gifts from individuals and corporations play a critical role in Oakland’s resource development. They have helped fund new academic programs, endowments for faculty positions, facility expansions and student scholarships. Students like Peter Halabu were able to share their accomplishments as a result of receiving scholarships that were provided by donors. 
  

 

• Crittenton Hospital Medical Center created a $2 million endowed professorship in Oakland University’s School of Nursing, kicking off a partnership between the two institutions that will change the clinical education and training of nursing students. The nursing professor, who is expected to be on faculty by spring of 2008, will conduct patient-focused research on the science and best practices of nursing, an area that has not received much attention to date.

 

• OU student Christa Koerner traveled to the Ukraine in December for 10 days along with members of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance faculty and staff to study turn-of-the-century Ukrainian costume, culture and customs. They will use the information they gathered to design costumes for the play “Chekhov in Yalta,” which will run at Oakland University in winter 2008. Koerner’s travel was subsidized by the Brad M. Glass Endowed Fund, which provides theatre students with support that can be used for tuition and books, as well as for the cost of participation in off-campus programs.
  (return to top) 

Growth of Campus

• Oakland University officials announced that fall 2007 enrollment stood at 18,082 students, marking a full decade of record growth at Oakland and a nearly 2 percent increase over last year’s headcount. Most staggering is the growth in the number of doctoral students enrolled at OU, with an increase of 33 percent over fall 2006.

 

• In its second semester, Macomb 2 Oakland, a joint program between Macomb Community College and Oakland University, experienced a 114 percent increase in enrollment over the fall 2006 semester.

 

• The Oakland University Board of Trustees approved five new degree programs at its June 6 formal session. One of the programs is a doctoral program, the rest are bachelor’s degree programs. They will fulfill a need expressed by students and industry leaders.

 

• In the fall, a number of new majors, minors and concentrations were added to give students more options and respond to the demands of specific industries. The introduction of these majors brought OU’s total number of undergraduate majors to 127 and graduate programs to 99.

 

• Students take advantage of the new furniture in O'Dowd Hall.

  Students looking for somewhere to study before class, take a break to meet with friends or even just a place to relax can enjoy new furniture in public areas of campus. New furniture was most recently installed on the second floor of O’Dowd Hall and, earlier this year, South Foundation and Elliott Halls also added furniture for student use.

• Graduate and undergraduate students can now keep track of their progress toward graduation with the new Degree Evaluation feature on SAIL. The comprehensive tool, which launched Oct. 1, offers ways to track progress toward a degree or certificate at Oakland University.

 

• The Oakland University Board of Trustees approved a new Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at its April 4 meeting.

 

• Construction began on the Department of Electrical Engineering’s on-campus Automotive Antenna Measurement Instrumentation that will promote research in the area. Proposed by Daniel Aloi, associate professor of engineering and director of the Applied Electromagnetic and Wireless Laboratory at Oakland, the facility will provide faculty, students, researchers and industry personnel with state-of-the-art antenna research instrumentation for research and training purposes.
  (return to top) 

Strong Undergraduate Education

• Seventeen students recently returned from China where, as part of the Manufacturing Process course in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, they experienced a global economy first hand. The students worked with their counterparts from Tongji University on a design project, toured automotive assembly plants, learned more about the manufacturing industry and experienced Chinese culture.

 

• For incoming freshmen who want to connect to their peers, faculty, staff and campus resources, New Student Programs offers two programs to help students do that and more. Collegiate Communication (COM 101) and Connections are open to incoming students and offer different levels of involvement.

 

• Many freshmen come to Oakland University undecided about their majors and future career paths. In order to help the undecided students learn more about OU, themselves and each other, New Student Programs, the Advising Resource Center and University Housing developed My FYE, a living-learning community for undecided first year students. Each of the 22 students in the program lived on the same floor in Hamlin Hall, attended some of the same classes and learned about the campus resources available to them.

 

• Oakland University began the Peer Transition Assistance Program co-sponsored by OU’s Disability Support Services and Academic Skills Center. The program is one of a handful in the country that helps students with Asperger’s syndrome, autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder adjust and succeed during their first year of college.

 

• Cadari Taylor demonstrates VeinVision 2007, a cost-effective vein locator built by his group for the senior project presentations.

  Seniors in the School of Engineering and Computer Science are required to complete a design project prior to graduation. Students from computer science, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and systems engineering completed interdisciplinary projects to demonstrate their understanding of the material. In addition to the senior projects, the sophomore engineering students also presented their end-of-the-year design projects for the second semester. The senior projects ranged from automatic rotating plant pots to  a vein locator and a pingpong ball server. The students worked in groups with engineering majors from many different backgrounds to develop, design and build the project. While the senior design course has been held for many years, this is the second semester the sophomore students were also required to design similar projects for their end of the year presentations. 

 

• The Department of Art and Art History received the 2007 Assessment Excellence Award for its assessment of the Studio Art program. The award was conferred at the Founders’ Day Faculty Recognition Luncheon in June. This is the second year the award has been presented.

 

• Imagine not braving traffic to get to campus for your class. For many students, it’s a dream come true. They take classes from the comfort of their own homes as part of Oakland University’s online learning options. In fall 2006, more than 1,290 students participated in completely online courses, nearly double the number of those who participated in 2004. With the increase in interest, both from students and faculty, OU’s e-Learning and Instructional Support enhanced the tools and services for online learning.

 

• Growing up, Peter Halabu’s parents would often collect mementos of his achievements. From report cards to awards, Halabu has a collection of items that provide a snapshot of his life. Now, he has a few new ones that are certainly something he’ll look back on. With an LSAT score of 177, Halabu ranked in the 99^th percentile of test-takers. Since then, he has received a number of letters from law schools like The College of William and Mary and Harvard asking him to apply — letters he’ll be sure to save. Halabu has a new memento to add to his memory box — an acceptance letter from Harvard. Halabu applied to Harvard for his undergraduate degree, simply to get the rejection letter so he could save it. When applying to law schools this winter, Halabu was encouraged by Harvard to apply. After being waitlisted by the East Coast, Ivy League school, Halabu finally received the letter he has dreamed about.

 

• Bobbie Carey's "Beets" is on display in the Office of the Provost through September.

  Tamara Machmut-Jhashi noticed the walls were bare in the Office of the Provost. As the interim assistant provost but also an associate professor of art history, Jhashi proposed the display of student’s artwork on the walls of the office. One of her students, Bobbie Carey, a studio art major, had recently completed a painting that was simply going to collect dust in her attic. Jhashi suggested Carey’s painting for the walls of the provost’s office and Carey was only too thrilled to participate. Carey’s oil painting has been hanging in the office since August. Her piece, titled “Beets,” is scheduled to remain on display through September. Carey describes her painting as “both aesthetically pleasing and disturbing.”

 

• Political science major Melissa Connolly participated in the prestigious Democracy and World Politics Summer Research Program at Oklahoma State University this summer. During the program, participants completed individual research projects, attended workshops and submitted their final projects to national conferences.

 

• For Oakland University senior Jason Cale, interning is something surreal, almost like something you’d see on TV. That’s because it is. Cale spent winter 2007 interning for NBC’s drama “Law and Order: Criminal Intent.” Throughout the internship, which ran through April 19, Cale rotated through the departments, including writing, production and casting to get the full experience. Throughout his internship, Cale kept a blog so the OU community could keep up on his progress.

 

• Ronee Harvey, a medical laboratory science junior, aspires to go to medical school. To help her learn more about research and gain experience that will look good on her medical school application, Harvey participated in the Eye Research Institute’s Summer Undergraduate Program in Eye Research. Working in the lab of Shravan Chintala, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the Eye Research Institute, Harvey learned about research, performed experiments and even worked on a paper that was published in a professional journal.

 

• Ashley Phifer, a student in the class, reassembles pieces of clay the students found in the field.

  Before Oakland University was the campus of more than 18,000 students, the land was mostly used for farming. Many of the farms in the area were bought by Matilda and John Dodge, the wealthy family that owned Meadow Brook Farms and later established Oakland University. One of the farms purchased by the Dodges was owned by George and Mary Austin. Last year, one of the Austins’ descendants passed away and left Oakland University with the historical artifacts of her family. A group of students from Professor Richard Stamps’ anthropology class put together the pieces and learned more about life in this area 100 years ago. When Jean Milton passed away last September, she left Oakland University with a box of coded letters, photos, tools and some memories about arrowheads that had been found on her grandparents’ farm, which she said was located on the campus of OU. The first order of business was to find the farm. Once their research was complete, the students made a presentation at the Oakland County Archeology Day event and the students will have the opportunity for student papers on the topic. Oakland University students usually travel to project sites. For 15 summers, student groups worked at the Thomas Edison house in Port Huron. While this project may not span 15 years, Stamps said it has the potential to be a multiyear project.

 

• In 2007, the College of Arts and Sciences continued its Celebration of the Liberal Arts for the fifth year. This program demonstrates how a liberal arts education results from the interactive work of scholars from many disciplines. The theme in 2007 was “Revolution.” This goes beyond the typical notion of war or political change and examines the very idea of rapid, dramatic, intellectual change that underlies all revolutions. Scholars examined the idea of revolution from a wide variety of disciplines, including political science, anthropology, sociology, art history and communication.

 

• Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services hosted information sessions about the new international baccalaureate certificate program for teachers and administrators. The IB curriculum promotes academic excellence and intercultural understanding. It strives to develop knowledgeable young people who are prepared to live, learn and work in the changing global environment.

• Rebecca Costigan is shown at the “art ex libris” reception with her piece “Questio Scientia” a three-dimensional sculpture made from plaster and acrylic.

  The opening reception for “art ex libris” was held in Kresge Library Oct. 10. Members of the Oakland University community and art lovers gathered to view the masterful creations that students submitted for this innovative show. For the pieces to be eligible for display in “art ex libris,” students could only use up to 10 withdrawn Kresge books to create a work of art. There was no limit to the dimensions of the pieces or the medium used, with the exception of materials that were toxic or may have spoiled.

 

• Orientation and New Student Programs launched a new online system for signing up for Oakland University’s orientation programs. Beginning Oct. 1, students participating in any of OU’s upcoming orientation sessions were able to log on and register, change or cancel their orientation sessions.

 

• In an effort to provide real life experiences for students, Sumit Dinda, assistant professor of medical laboratory science, took his pathology class to a local morgue. On Nov. 13, Dinda and his students witnessed an autopsy being performed on a body at the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office. The field trip was an observational experience for medical students interested in health sciences, primarily pathology.

• A new piece of equipment – a fuel cell test bench – has far-reaching benefits in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. Purchased with a gift from the DTE Energy Foundation, the test bench provides opportunities for research, the addition of a laboratory course and a partnership.

• Oakland University’s teacher education programs ranked at the top when examined by the Michigan Department of Education. Oakland University received 68 out of 70 points, based on performance scores including the pass rates on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification exams, results of surveys of student teachers, program completion rates, diversity in enrollment and whether the schools are preparing teachers in special education, math and science.

• Oakland University students had the unique opportunity to take a course at the renowned Eye Research Institute (ERI) located on campus. “Science of Vision” was a three-credit class team-taught by ERI faculty, a visiting professor and an optometrist.
• (return to top) 

Quality Graduate Programs

• Students and faculty from OU's Department of Counseling were able to get up-close and personal with students and faculty at the University of Botswana. Through a video conference arranged by OU Counseling Chair Luellen Ramey and Jabulini Muchado from the University of Botswana, students were able to learn from each other during the transatlantic meeting, which is just the beginning. Students and faculty from both schools can benefit from the cross-cultural experiences of the collaboration.

 

• OU’s Educational Leadership program, including the Educational Specialist in School Administration degree and Master’s of Education in Educational Leadership, has been recognized nationally for its quality — and the students in the program have a reason to brag as well. Fifty-six percent of the students have been promoted since entering the program.

 

• Alexis Garland

  Alexis Garland, a linguistics master’s graduate, received a Fulbright scholarship to study and conduct research in Germany for one year beginning in spring 2007. Garland will study cognitive linguistics and hopes the experience will further her education and lead to a career. Garland expected to study at Freiburg in the first year doctoral program for cognitive science research. The school performs research in the areas of human computer interaction, artificial intelligence, neuroscience and more. This will not be Garland’s first experience studying abroad. She has international experience that dates back to high school; however, she became inspired when she was much younger. Garland’s family hosted many international students. She has kept in contact with many of them over the years and is fascinated by other cultures.

 

• A year ago, Jitesh Singh was contemplating what to do after graduation. With a degree in Management Information Systems from the School of Business Administration, Singh planned to pursue an MBA. Instead he is in the Master of Public Administration program and spent the summer in Washington, D.C., at an internship at the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration.

 

• Frank Cardimen and six students traveled to Europe to meet with business leaders, including those from Harley-Davidson.

  The students in Frank Cardimen’s Management 681 class come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have experience in the business world. Some are full-time students pursuing their degrees before jumping into the corporate world. They all came together for a trip that took them to Germany, France and the United Kingdom to learn not only from each other, but from global business leaders. The class has been held six times in the past, with about 10 students participating each time. This year, with only six students able to participate, there was concern that the trip wouldn’t happen. Cardimen, with pressure from the students who wanted to go, worked with leaders in the School of Business Administration and got the go-ahead to make the trip.
  

 

• Andrea Eis, director of the Art and Art History Department, led a class in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program this winter and the students had a chance to experience first-hand the information they were learning about — in Greece. Students in the LBS 500 course traveled to Greece. They prepared for the trip by reading Greek plays, myths and information from authors who have been to Greece.

 

• Eleven nationally known authors and illustrators of children’s books came to Oakland University in July to provide students in the Authors' and Illustrators' Art and Craft course with first-hand information on how they strive to engage their audience. Many of the students were teachers or aspiring teachers who learned the tools to inspire their students to read more and dig deeper, because it will help them get more out of books.
  (return to top) 

 

Quality Students

• Jianna Hair (left) and Peter Halabu (right) received the 2007 Matilda R. Wilson and Alfred G. Wilson Awards and Nerissa Brown (center) was awarded the Human Relations Award during the April 4 Board of Trustees meeting.

  Jianna Hair and Peter Halabu received the 2007 Matilda R. and Alfred G. Wilson Awards, and Nerissa Brown received the Human Relations Award during the April 4 meeting of the Board of Trustees. The students were selected for the awards based on their service and achievements as Oakland University students. Established in 1965, the Wilson Awards are presented annually to an OU senior man and woman who have achieved academic excellence and made significant contributions to campus life, the community and society in general. The Human Relations Award, which was established in 1990, is presented annually to a graduating senior who has fostered interracial understanding and harmony and in recognition of the institutional priority attached to these goals.
  

 

• Oakland University had the largest contingent of students at this year’s Meeting of Minds undergraduate research conference held at the University of Michigan-Flint on May 18. OU was represented by 122 students who presented their research through poster and oral presentations at the annual conference. Their work will now be published in the Meeting of Minds journal, a marked accomplishment for undergraduate researchers.

 

• Each year, Oakland University’s highest academic achievers are recognized on the dean’s list. The 2006-07 dean’s list, which is posted annually following the winter semester for the previous academic year, is available online.

 

• Each year, a Michigan college or university hosts the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, a forum for bringing together Michigan academics and students for two days to share research and pedagogy. A number of Oakland University faculty and students participated in 2007’s conference held at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. OU students have enjoyed success at the conference. Recent graduate Eric Perich received the Kapp Award for the best undergraduate paper presented at the 2006 annual meeting which was held at Oakland.

 

• Rachel LaBelle of the Social Work Club raised $1,575 for the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life.

  Oakland University hosted an American Cancer Society Relay for Life in late March. Student organizations, students, faculty, staff and community members walked the track in Recreation Center from 4 p.m. on Friday, March 30 through 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 31. The participants raised $21,369.92 for cancer research. One of the largest individual fundraisers was Rachel LaBelle, who raised $1,575 for a cause close to her heart.OU hosts the Relay for Life annually and it is one of 52 fundraising events that are held throughout the Metro Detroit area during the year. OU’s event is a large draw for student organizations. This was LaBelle’s first Relay for Life. As vice president of the Social Work Club, LaBelle served as the team’s captain. She set a goal for the team to raise $1,500. Overall, the Social Work Club came in third in terms of organization fundraising. The OU Physical Therapy Club was first, raising $5,266. The Student Nurse Association of Oakland University was second, raising $2,495. The Social Work Club raised $2,293.

 

• The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance celebrated the artistic achievements of students and alumni at the Eighth Annual MaTilDa Awards April 16.

 

• Aida De la Cruz has loved the opera since she first saw one at the age of 15. This summer, she will have the opportunity to study opera from some of the top instructors in the world. As the 2007 recipient of the Hollingsworth European Study Award given by the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, De la Cruz will travel to Austria for six weeks, learning about opera and performing. De la Cruz also spent her summer working with professional opera singers, training with some of the best opera teachers in the world and growing as a performer. Her experiences have given her a solid foundation for finding a competitive master’s program after she graduates in December.

 

• Lisa Gajeski helps rebuild houses in Slidell, La. as part of Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge in 2006.

  Michigan Campus Compact honored three Oakland University students with awards for their dedication and commitment to community service. Lisa Gajeski, Jessica Henry and Ronee Harvey received their awards during the eleventh annual Outstanding Student Service Awards on April 14 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. Awards were presented to 109 students from 25 member campuses. The recipients were selected from a nomination pool of more than 400. Lisa Gajeski received the Commitment to Service Award, which is given to one student per campus in the state of Michigan. Ronee Harvey and Jessica Henry received the Heart and Soul Awards, which are given to students to recognize their time, effort and personal commitment through service.

 

• Renee Blackburn participated in the National Science Foundation Summer Research Methods Project in Denton, Texas. The program is designed for anthropology students who are also the first in their family to attend college.

 

• Franco Vitella always liked to write, but as a student in Oakland University’s playwriting class he said something took over and he really found his passion. Vitella has written a number of plays, including “Knick Knack,” which was produced at OU in 2006 and was included in the American College Theatre Festival in 2007. Last summer, he set to work on another play “Come, Beauty,” which was recently awarded first place in the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre’s annual playwriting contest. The play was also featured in this year’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance production line-up.

 

• A group of students from Oakland University went to Lansing on May 30 to lobby against funding three state universities through a separate appropriations bill. While there, they met up with Gov. Jennifer Granholm. (Photo courtesy of OUSC)

  A group of students from Oakland University were upset about a new proposal in Lansing and they did not taking it sitting down. The students went to Lansing on May 30 to lobby against the proposal, which would have funded three state universities through a separate appropriations bill. Oakland University Student Congress wanted to bring more attention to Oakland University with once-a-month trips to Lansing.

 

• Oakland University student Lisa Oke understands the importance of diversity. She is double majoring in East Asian Studies and Studio Art with a specialization in New Media, and she will spend her senior year at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. There, she hopes to take a wide range of courses from language to traditional arts. A $1,000 study abroad scholarship from the OU Alumni Association will help pay her way.

 

• The Harper Woods Secondary School moved to a new building and teacher June Teisan could decorate her new classroom with all the awards she has recently received, including the 2007-08 Michigan Teacher of the Year. Teisan added the title to two other distinctive honors from the previous two years: The 2006 Jacqueline Lougheed Scholarship from OU and a 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for teaching in these fields.

 

• Last year, Raluca Szabo started looking for a way help the community. With a number of other students, Szabo unofficially founded Hand in Hand to help kids locally and around the world. In 2007, Hand in Hand started its first year as an official student organization.

 

• CamieLee Frasher ran a summer program for Alternatives For Girls. The participants created installation art pieces that were displayed at the Detroit Industrial Projects, an art gallery in Detroit. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Eis, chair of Art and Art History)

  With the help of OU student CamieLee Frasher, a group of at-risk girls created installation art pieces that were displayed at the Detroit Industrial Projects, an art gallery in Detroit. The participants were in a prevention program called Alternatives For Girls.

 

• A year ago, Sherry Ruckman was dreaming of returning to the classroom to finish her degree. Her education was interrupted nine years ago and the single mother of two boys didn’t think she could possibly afford to return to school. That was until she saw the Women of Oakland University Critical Difference Scholarship on OU’s Financial Aid website. The scholarship enabled her to pursue her education again, move into family housing and focus on her future.

 

• For OU music theatre junior Alexandra Zorn, life imitates art. In the summer 2007, she became a server at a local restaurant. She works there part-time while taking classes and pursing a career in acting. At the same time she received that job, Zorn took on the role of April in the musical “Brunch,” which is being workshopped this summer in Southgate. Her character is a new girl working as a server in a restaurant. Zorn hopes the role will help get her out of the restaurant and on to Broadway.
  

 

• Marlene Edge knew the only way to get ahead in the future was to get involved with the past. The anthropology major began searching for a local internship with the help of Associate Professor of Anthropology Suzanne Spencer-Wood, who received an e-mail from the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm inquiring about possible summer interns. Edge jumped at the opportunity and has spent the summer learning about working in a museum.

 

• OU student Lindsey Weber (left) finished second and OU student Ameena Sheihk (right) finished third at the National Collegiate Figure Skating Championships at Miami University. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Weber)

  Lindsey Weber and Ameena Sheihk are at two different points in their figure skating careers. Weber is nearing the end of her competitive career and focusing more on coaching. Sheihk is an up-and-coming skater who moved to the area to train with some of the best coaches. Their paths crossed, however in Oxford, Ohio, where the two competed in the National Collegiate Figure Skating Championships at Miami University. Weber finished second and Sheihk finished third.

 

• While some students take a break from classes during the spring and summer semesters, a number of students look for opportunities outside of the classroom to help them with their studies. Claire Hotelling’s psychology professor Debra McGinnis presented her with information about the Advanced Statistical Training in Psychology workshop in Washington, D.C. The nine-day seminar was designed to teach students more about psychological statistics and research methods in a hands-on environment.

 

• Kendra Dennard and a few other students from Oakland University’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, decided to audition for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Summer Intensive Program just to see how they would do. Dennard never expected to be accepted into the prestigious program and was very excited when she learned she was accepted. Dennard put together a showcase to raise funds to spend the summer dancing in New York. Thanks to the support of those around her, Dennard arrived in New York and used the Alvin Ailey experience to improve her dancing and bring that back to Oakland University.

 

• Preparing to begin her fifth year at OU in fall 2007, Katherine Fox called herself a “super senior.” She noted, however, that her degree — instrumental music education and performance — requires a four and a half year program, so it’s not as if she’s behind. She’s also tackling a minor in theatre, is a member of The Honors College, and works as a student clerical assistant in the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance.
  

 

• Despite losing the Nov. 6 election for Rochester Hills city council member, Jennifer Stein is a woman to watch over the next few years. A life-time resident of Oakland County, Stein is a junior at Oakland University, but she has already thrown her hat into a political election alongside seasoned candidates with years of experience in the political arena.

 

• Six Oakland University students were awarded mini-grants to attend the Michigan World Language Conference in Lansing. Only 15 grants are provided statewide by the Michigan World Language Association (MIWLA) to foreign language interns or novice teachers.
  (return to top) 

 

Athletics

• Oakland’s women’s basketball team fell to the Kentucky Wildcats 65-56 at the O’rena on Thursday night.

  Senior Nicole Piggott scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Oakland’s women’s basketball team past Centenary 73-53 in Mid-Continent Conference action on Feb. 26. The Golden Grizzlies won the regular season championship outright with the victory after clinching at least a share of the title and the top seed in the Mid-Con Tournament with a win at UMKC. Oakland University’s women’s basketball team lost to Oral Roberts University, 72-55, in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Championship game in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, March 6. While the women lost the Mid-Con crown, they were invited to play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. OU players Piggott and Jessica Pike were named to the all-tournament team. This marked the fifth time the Golden Grizzlies have made it to the Mid-Con Championship game. The women’s basketball team hosted the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the WNIT Tournament March 15 at the O’rena. This marked Oakland’s first appearance in the WNIT and the first-ever game between Oakland and Kentucky.
  Despite having the home court advantage, Oakland’s women’s basketball team fell to the Kentucky Wildcats 65-56. Piggott led the team with 19 points while freshman Hanna Reising tied a career high with nine rebounds. While the Grizzlies were defeated, they were cheered on by more than 1,000 fans in the stands. The fans came out before the game for a tailgate held outside of the O’rena.
  

 

• Oakland University’s men’s basketball team played in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament March 3-6 in Tulsa, Okla. Oakland was defeated 71-67 by Oral Roberts University in the Mid-Continent Conference championship game. The game came down to the final seconds as Oakland attempted to earn the conference title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Division I tournament. After its most successful season since making the transition to a Division I program, the Oakland men’s basketball team picked up more post-season honors when Collegeinsider.com announced that senior Vova Severovas and head coach Greg Kampe were selected as the Mid-Continent Conference’s most valuable player and coach of the year, respectively. In addition, Oakland freshman men’s basketball player Johnathon Jones was selected by Collegeinsider.com to its Freshman Mid-Major All-America team.

 

• Oakland University’s women’s basketball Head Coach Beckie Francis

  Oakland University’s women’s basketball Head Coach Beckie Francis and men's basketball Head Coach Greg Kampe received the 2006-07 Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year accolades. Francis is honored as the Coach of the Year for the second time in her career, but for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, after leading Oakland to its best conference winning percentage in school history. Kampe also is honored as the Coach of the Year for the second time in his career (1999-2000) after guiding Oakland from a seventh-place finish a year ago to second place this season.

 

• OU’s swimming and diving teams brought home their eighth consecutive Mid-Continent Conference championship. OU men’s swimmer Zoltan Horvath set a Mid-Con championship record and was named Swimmer of the Year. On the women’s side, OU swimmer Amanda Burwell was also honored with Swimmer of the Year accolades.

 

• Oakland University’s athletics program is set to expand with the school’s announcement that men’s and women’s indoor track and field will be added to the athletics program. The addition of the two sports will bring the total number of Division I sports offered by OU to 18.

 

• In its first season in Division I, OU’s men’s club hockey team won the national tournament by beating number one-seeded Penn State in the championship game. The Grizzlies won the national title last year in Division II.

 

• Oakland University produced a record 128 student-athletes who were named to the winter 2007 Mid-Continent Academic All-Conference team, according to the league office. To be selected for the team, a student-athlete must achieve a 3.0 or better cumulative grade-point average and be a letter-winner in the sport for which he/she is nominated.

 

• Oakland University’s student-athletes are not only performing well on the court and the field, they are also doing so in the classroom. OU had a total of 103 student-athletes named to the 2007 Mid-Continent Conference Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence. The honorees were second-most among league members as Valparaiso edged out Oakland for first with 105 student-athletes on the list. In addition, the OU women’s basketball team earned a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 2006-07 Top 25 Team Honor Roll, the second straight year that OU garnered the honor.

 

• Kevin Carkeek Photo courtesy of OU Athletics

  Oakland University baseball senior Kevin Carkeek was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 25th round (771st overall) of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Carkeek is the first Oakland baseball player to be drafted since Paul Phillips went in the ninth round in 2005. Carkeek finished his OU career with a .322 batting average, 109 hits, 30 doubles, 15 home runs and 85 RBI while maintaining a .544 slugging percentage in 97 games through two seasons. Prior to joining the Golden Grizzlies in 2006, Carkeek played two years at Eastern Illinois, where he earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honorable mention accolades as a freshman.

 

• Three Oakland University baseball players were among the student-athletes honored by the Mid-Continent Conference when it announced its All-Conference teams. Senior Kevin Carkeek and sophomore Justin Wilson earned spots on the first team while sophomore Dan Ryan was named to the second team.

 

• After setting a school record in the Division I era with 19 wins in 2006-07, OU’s men’s basketball team was included in the annual ranking by CollegeHoops.net for the 2007-08 season. The publication ranked the Golden Grizzlies at No. 144.

 

• Students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered on Oct. 12 to celebrate the official start of the NCAA basketball season at Oakland University’s annual Midnite Madnezz events. The OU dance teams and cheer squad performed captivating routines as they led the crowd in the OU fight song. The pep band’s music rang through the air as the Grizz mascot ran through a tunnel of dancers and cheerleaders, distributing OU t-shirts to the cheering students. The pinnacle of the pep rally was the introduction of the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

 

• Will McMahon, a former player on OU's club hockey team, is considering playing for a professional hockey team. Photo courtesy of Will McMahon

  Five years ago, after graduating from high school, Will McMahon half-retired from hockey, a sport he played since the age of four. It’s a good thing he didn’t hang up his skates for too long. With McMahon’s help, OU’s club hockey team won numerous national championships and made the leap to Division I. When this season ended, so did McMahon’s eligibility. Again, he figured his hockey career was over, but now professional teams are calling and McMahon is thinking of taking to the ice once again.

 

• Select OU men’s basketball games will be televised this season, allowing fans who can’t make it to the games to enjoy a variety of home and away match-ups from the comfort of their couch. The games that aren’t televised and the play-by-plays for many women’s games are broadcast online.

 

• Oakland University’s new Wrestling Club got off to a winning start. During the team’s first match in November, Andrew Hein, freshman, earned a gold medal and Jim Wood, freshman, won a silver. Kyle Nieporte, junior, nursing, initiated the club earlier this year.

 

• The Oakland University cricket team concluded their fifth season with a bang. Winning their final match against Wayne State University at the end of September, the team was awarded trophies for Leaders of Division 1 League, Champions of Division 1 League and Inter-University Champions.

 

• OU welcomed the Detroit Pistons for an open practice on Thursday, Oct. 4

  Oakland University, in conjunction with the Athletic Department, welcomed the 2007-08 Detroit Pistons for an open practice and scrimmage. The O'rena was filled with more than 4,000 fans and students to observe the Pistons before they opened the season, and prizes were awarded before the start of the scrimmage. Several Oakland students won prizes that included $500 gift certificates for Pistons' merchandise and any students that presented a student ID were given a ticket for Monday night's preseason game between the Pistons and Miami Heat at the Palace of Auburn Hills. One lucky OU student played a game of HORSE with Pistons head coach Flip Saunders. The Pistons' Automotion dance girls put on a performance for the crowd prior to the scrimmage.
  

 

• The OU men’s soccer team won its first NCAA tournament game on Nov. 24, beating MSU 2-1 in East Lansing.
  

 

• Two of Oakland University’s most spirited students are doing whatever it takes to get their classmates pumped up for Golden Grizzlies sports. The pair are leading the OU Spirit Squad, a new effort aimed at generating school spirit and support for Golden Grizzlies athletes. As interns in the athletics department, Anthony Gallina, a senior marketing major, and Ben Fielder, a musical theatre major, are in charge of recruiting students for the student section – called the Grizz Gang – at games.
  (return to top) 

 

Student Organizations

• OU's Habitat for Humanity chapter worked on houses as part of the Collegiate Challenge.

  Students from OU’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity participated in the Collegiate Challenge over the winter break. The seven students traveled to Miami to help work on houses for the county’s $872,000 project to build a neighborhood with 52 houses for those in need. The OU members were divided among different houses in the under-construction subdivision. They painted, helped move drywall and put other finishing touches on the houses.  Sawicki was one of 20 OU students who traveled to Slidell, La., last year to help build houses in the area hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005. He said this trip was much different.  

 

• After winning the regional competition in Chicago, Ill., in March, OU’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization competed at the national exposition in Dallas, Texas, in early May. The group earned fifth place in its league for projects and programs the members develop and manage to teach local middle and high school students about global trade, business skills and the value of an education.

 

• Peanut butter sandwiches were made for shelters.

  Most students spend their lunchtime eating sandwiches, but on Feb. 14, students, faculty and staff spent the noon hour making sandwiches that were given to local shelters. The volunteers made 1,034 sandwiches as part of the event sponsored by Golden Key International Honour Society. With supplies donated by local businesses, the students, faculty and staff donated as much time as they could within the hour to help the hungry. The sandwiches were taken to Whitmer Human Resource Center, St. Dennis Warming Center, MATT’s Macomb, Grace Center of Hope and the Salvation Army Pontiac Citadel.
  

 

• The Up 'til Dawn student organization, which raises money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in an effort to help young cancer patients in the Metro Detroit area, raised $25,635 during its letter writing campaign held in November 2006. The total was announced at the organization’s finale celebration held in spring 2007.The $25,635 is a large increase over the $8,400 raised last year and sets a new bar for Up ‘til Dawn’s future campaigns.

 

• The third annual Grizzdance Film Festival was held Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 in the Oakland Center. Members of the OU community were encouraged to view the student-made productions. A banquet concluded the festival Friday evening with the presentation of several awards for accomplishments in the students’ films.

 

• Cortney Glass, a member of OU’s Equestrian Team, finished fifth in the nation at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association national championships held May 3-5 in Massachusetts. Glass, who has been riding horses for about 13 years, said the finish was a good way to possibly close out her collegiate horse show career.

 

• There are dozens of multicultural student organizations that students can join to learn more about the culture of a specific ethnicity. One such group, the Lebanese Club, was started in fall 2006. This year, the group has educated students about Lebanese culture through food, speakers, pictures and other interactive events. Now, with the freshman year behind them, the group’s organizers are looking for new events and more participants to grow the organization.

 

• OU's Formula SAE team finished 58th in the international competition. Photo courtesy of OU FSAE.

  Oakland University’s Formula SAE team car literally ran out of gas during the 2007 Formula Society of Automotive Engineers competition. An air bubble in the site tube where the tank is filled caused the car to run out of gas during the endurance event. This was disappointing to the team, but they still finished 58^th overall. The 2007 international competition was held May 16-20 at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Mich. A dozen OU students designed and built from scratch the car which raced in the competition. Described by technical director Owen Draper as “a go-kart on steroids,” the car accelerates from 0-60 MPH in 3.5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 90 MPH.

 

• In an effort to adopt a campus policy of conservation, respect and nurturance of Oakland University’s natural surroundings, the Environmental Coalition was formed by a group of OU students. The coalition seeks to launch environmentally friendly initiatives that promote sustainability of the environment and its resources. The coalition will continue its endeavors of spreading awareness on campus and establishing additional ways of conserving energy and resources.
  (return to top) 

 

Alumni

• During her visit to campus, Carter met with students from OU'' jazz band and choir.

  OU alumna and jazz violinist Regina Carter, CAS ’85, is a 2006 recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, an award known as a “genius grant.” Carter was in Michigan researching music therapy, which is the area she wants to explore with the grant funding. The 25 grant recipients receive $500,000 over five years to pursue research, innovations and other occupations. Carter wants to use music to help people, as it helped her mother before she passed away two years ago. With the fellowship, Carter is taking time off from touring, but not away from music. She is meeting with teachers and going into hospitals to learn more about music therapy. In addition, Carter signed on to be an artist-in-residence within the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at Oakland University, effective immediately. Carter will spend two full weeks exclusively on campus during each academic year to teach master classes and work with students, faculty and ensembles, individually and in groups. While on campus, Carter will also meet and practice with OU faculty for her first formal performance at Oakland, scheduled for October 2008. A native Detroiter, Carter studied at the Center for Creative Studies and the New England Conservatory of Music before completing her bachelor’s degree at Oakland. 

 

• Judge Leo Bowman never thought he would be such a VIP on the campus of his alma mater. A 1976 political science graduate of Oakland University, the humble Bowman still remembers his surprise when he was offered a seat on the OUAA Board of Directors 13 years ago. Bowman has enjoyed watching Oakland blossom over the years, and he wears his pride as an OU alumnus on his sleeve. Bowman, who spent nearly two decades as a 50th District Court judge in his hometown of Pontiac, was recently appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to the 6th Judicial Circuit Court of Oakland County, making him the first African American male to permanently sit there. He serves in the circuit court's family division.

 

• In 1981, as an OU student, Daren Scot Wilson, CAS ’83, was watching a PBS special on the Voyager mission going past Saturn. One of the people featured in the special was Carolyn Porco and she was doing computer imaging to provide photos of objects in space as the vehicle passed. Wilson knew immediately that he wanted that job. While his career path didn’t head directly in that direction, he is now there and his images from the Cassini space mission made the cover of December 2006’s “National Geographic.”

 

• OU alumnus Paul Haig, SEHS ’73, and coauthor Marla Shelton presented information from their book “Threads of Gold: Chinese Textiles Ming to Ching,” on Jan. 31 at Kresge Library. The book covers the history of textiles from the Ming dynasty to the Ching dynasty. Having always been interested in jewelry, even making jewelry in elementary school and in the residence halls at OU, Haig opened up a custom jewelry and design shop in Rochester the year he graduated. In addition to his passion for jewelry, Haig also collected Asian antiques. Along with his wife, Diane, Haig has traveled the world to collect Asian lacquers, textiles, bronzes, prints and ceramics.

 

• Neal (center right) stands next to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (center left) and newspaper reporters from the New York Times and St. Petersberg Times when Bush visited Vero Beach, Fla., during Hurricane Jeanne in September 2004.

  Adam Neal, CAS ’03, said most of his career has been about being in the right place at the right time coupled with hard work and dedication, starting with his education at Oakland University and his experience working for The Oakland Post, OU’s student-run newspaper. Now an assistant metro editor at a newspaper in Florida, Neal has covered some of the biggest profile cases that Florida has seen including hurricanes, murders on the turnpike, and a story about MySpace that earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

 

• In 2003, his last season of playing basketball for Oakland University, Ryan Hoover, CAS ’04, was sidelined with a knee injury. The Detroit Pistons gave him a chance in a different role. Hoover took an internship with the team and was quickly promoted to video coordinator assistant and is now Director of Player Development. 
  

 

• Carol McCloud, SEHS ’75, is in the business of filling buckets. Not with water or dirt, but instead with happiness. McCloud, who authored the book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” educates area children about daily happiness and showing kindness, appreciation and consideration to those around them — serving as bucket-fillers, too. The book was picked up by Hallmark to be distributed nationwide.

 

• Nicole Young

  Nicole Young, CAS ’89, has been on a journey throughout her life. Her journey took her from the Upper Peninsula to Oakland University. After completing her degree in communication, she spent some time in advertising before returning to northern Michigan to run a bed and breakfast and perform with two country bands. Young has always loved to write so she began to construct a novel using her experiences to guide her main character through a spiritual journey. The book, “Love Me If You Must,” is the first in the three-book “Patricia Amble Mystery Series.” While the first book took four years to complete, Young said the second book was much easier for her and it will be out in April 2008.

 

• For Katie Van Gorder, it’s been a long road from Birmingham to China. In between, she made a three-and-a-half year stop at Oakland University to get her degree. Van Gorder is the only American teaching in a city called Guiyang in a remote but heavily populated province in China known as Guizhou. The countryside city is home to the Fuxing Foreign Language School, where she teaches English to students between the ages of 12 and 15.

 

• Steve O’Brien, CAS ’05, is on summer break from studying acting in graduate school at Florida State University. Rather than spend his time watching TV or lying in the sun, O’Brien came back to Oakland University and asked to work on a play.

  

• Oakland University alumna Erin Brosko, DPT ’06, was named as the American Physical Therapy Association’s 2007 Outstanding Physical Therapy Student. As a student, she made it her goal to connect students to the profession of physical therapy.

 

• Former OUSC presidents reunited at the VIP student leader reunion.

  As Oakland University celebrated its 50^th anniversary, many campus units hosted reunions and other programs to bring alumni back to campus. On Oct. 13, Student Affairs hosted a reunion for former student leaders. Mary Beth Snyder, vice president of Student Affairs, opened the reunion by telling alumni that some things haven’t changed. She said Beer Lake is still known to students as Beer Lake, parking is still congested and Professor Richard Stamps is still here. However, Snyder said many things have changed and the former student leaders were part of the group that helped shape what Student Affairs is today. Many former student leaders were invited to the reunion, including former Orientation Group Leaders, student organization and campus recreation sports presidents, Student Congress presidents, Oakland Post editors, and leaders from WXOU and the Association of Black Students. 

 

• More than 1,400 Oakland University alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends participated in the Alumni Association’s Third Annual OU Night at Comerica Park on  Aug. 22. The Golden Grizzlies fans received food, glow necklaces, and OU T-shirts before cheering on the Detroit Tigers as they hosted the Cleveland Indians.

 

• While in high school, Chris Linn, SBA ’98, learned to make balloon animals. More specifically, he learned to make a balloon into the shape of a dog. This skill helped him work his way through college and earlier this year it earned Linn a second entry in the “Guinness Book of World Records.” Linn broke the previous world record for creating a balloon dog behind his back in 5.94 seconds. This was the second time Linn, a comedian, magician and balloon artist, set out to break a world record. In 1995, he set the world record for the speed at which he could throw playing cards.

 

• Katherine Joslin, professor of English at Western Michigan University and a 1970 graduate of Oakland University, presented “Jane Addams: A Female Revolutionary” on Nov. 12 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. Joslin is the author of the acclaimed biography “Jane Addams, A Writer’s Life.” Joslin’s visit was sponsored by the Department of English and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Celebrating Liberal Arts committee.

 

• OU President Gary Russi and first lady and women's basketball coach Beckie Francis received Honorary Alumni Awards from Greg Kampe.

  Oakland University alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff gathered on Oct. 20 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms for the 13th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet. Each year, the awards recognize a handful of OU’s graduates for their professional achievements and service to Oakland, and bestow the title of honorary alumnus/a upon one or more non-OU grads for their contributions to the university. OU Alumni Association president John Ganfield thanked members of the OUAA and recognized OUAA scholarship winners in attendance, noting that the OUAA awards more than 35 scholarship annually totaling more than $85,000 dollars.
  

 

• In an effort to promote alumni-student relationships, the Future Alumni Network (FANs) held Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies on Nov. 2. The event was part of a series in which students network with OU alumni and faculty and meet fellow OU students.

• Michael Michalak, CAS ’68, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, was recently honored with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. The Distinguished Alumni Service Award is Oakland’s highest alumni honor, recognizing peerless volunteer leadership in service to OU. Michalak has been an important part of the annual Woodcock Legacy Seminar since it began in 1993. He also assists OU students who study abroad through the Guizhou exchange program.

 

• The third annual Oakland University Alumni Association Family Festival attracted more than 1,200 visitors to OU’s campus on  Oct. 6 for a day of fun and activities.

  The third annual Oakland University Alumni Association Family Festival attracted more than 1,200 visitors to OU’s campus on Oct. 6 for a day of fun and activities. The festival, which celebrated fall despite summer-like temperatures, was sponsored by the OUAA, Oakland County Parks and Recreation, Westview Orchards and Cider Mill of Romeo, and the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

 

• Elena and Theresa Mack came to Oakland University in the mid-1980s. While here, the sisters, now known as Yuki and Tomoko respectively, met the late Joyce Adelson, a piano professor, who helped them develop a unique style — as duo pianists. Now Yuki and Tomoko are performing throughout the United States and abroad. While both sisters came to Oakland to study with Varani, they found a community at Oakland that allowed them to grow and perfect their artistry as individuals and as a duo.

 

• As a senior researcher, Juliane Bauer, CAS ’85, was recently honored with a prestigious Pfizer Achievement Award for introducing a new, more flexible way to conduct early clinical drug trials.

 

• Greg Grabowski, BGS '91, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the launch of the Diana Legacy Fund in May.

  Greg Grabowski, BGS ’91, set four goals he wanted to achieve before turning 40. Grabowski reached every goal by the age of 38. Now that he has finally hit 40, he has even bigger goals—and bigger achievements. He now runs the National Hospice Foundation headquartered in Washington D.C., which recently established the Diana Legacy Fund with $3 million in seed money from the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund in England. The Diana Legacy Fund will raise money for hospice and palliative care in Africa.
  

 

• Michael Grieves, Ph.D., MBA ’79, chairman of Interactive Frontiers and longtime OU and SBA supporter, is very familiar with the need for effective operations and supply chain management. His closely tied area of expertise calls for sharing product information with everyone in a company throughout the product’s lifecycle.

 

• After playing professional basketball for more than a decade in Europe, Eric Taylor left the hustle of the court for the bustle of running his own coffee shop in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich. What was it that led him from hoops to scoops? A long-standing dream of owning his own business and a commitment to home.
  

 

• Michael Paradise, Oakland University alumnus and director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art Media Lab, delivered a lecture on Monday, Nov. 5 in the Meadow Brook Hall Ballroom. Paradise discussed his time at OU, where he earned a studio art degree in 1977, as well as the career path that led him to his current position at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills. He focused on the intersection of art and technology.
  (return to top) 

 

Inspired Faculty and Staff

• Ron Cramer, who was elevated to the rank of Distinguished Professor in 2002, talked about his title of distinguished professor and what it has meant to him during the Faculty Appreciation Lucheon.

  Oakland University’s Founders’ Day is a way to formally celebrate the history and future of OU. The faculty provide the basis for the education the students receive and on Founders’ Day, OU honors their excellence in teaching, scholarship, research and service. This year, 26 faculty members were honored for their accomplishments. The OU Senate Teaching and Learning Committee and University Research Committee also honored faculty whose teaching and research efforts merit singular praise. The Assessment Excellence Award was presented to the Studio Art program in recognition of its model of the North Central Association’s culture of assessment goal by integrating assessment findings with program revisions. Ron Cramer, who was elevated to the rank of Distinguished Professor in 2002, talked about his title of distinguished professor and what it has meant to him. Later in the program, Ronald Finucane, professor of history, was recognized for becoming the 2007 Distinguished Professor.

 

• Frank Giblin, director of the Eye Research Institute at Oakland University, received a five-year National Eye Institute award for his project, “Proteins of Normal and Cataractous Lenses.” Collaborating with a number of researchers, including two from William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Giblin is studying proteins and oxygen levels in the lens in relation to the formation of age-related cataracts.
  

 

• Ronald Finucane lived in Oxford, England, Washington state, Georgia and Kansas before arriving at Oakland University in 1991. His other jobs just weren’t the right fit. But at OU, Finucane has found the support and opportunities that have led him to accomplish so much. Now, for his teaching, intellectual contributions and service, Finucane joins an elite group of OU professors who have been elevated to the rank of Distinguished Professor. The Oakland University Board of Trustees voted at the April 2007 meeting to appoint Finucane to Distinguished Professor. The title was originally created by the board in 1988. A copy of a medieval text on his desk, Finucane sits in his office in O’Dowd Hall and recounts a favorite analogy to his academic field. “History is like walking around in a dark valley with a flashlight,” he says. “And all we can do is illuminate parts of the valley and bits of the mountains and if enough people do this, eventually you get a picture of what these mountains would look like."

 

• Jane and Bob Eberwein

  Bob and Jane Eberwein, longtime professors in OU’s department of English, were honored on April 9 as they delivered Last Lectures in Meadow Brook Theatre, an Oakland University tradition. The pair  retired at the end of the winter 2007 semester after 38 years of teaching at OU.

 

• Oakland University Professor Eddie Cheng was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Michigan section of the Mathematical Association of America. He is now a candidate for the MAA’s National Distinguished Teaching Award.

 

 

• As an undergraduate at Oakland University in the late 1970s, Jackie Drouin had the opportunity to participate in active research. This sparked her interest in exploring little known topics. Now she will return to OU as a professor and will provide her students with the opportunities she experienced to get involved with research.

 

• You’re jogging along and you fall and hit your knee on the cement. It hurts and you develop a bruise. Two weeks later, it goes away and you don’t give it a second thought. But that bruise may have left lasting effects in the cartilage that surrounds your knee. Research is being done in the laboratory of Yang Xia to study the tissue that makes up cartilage to look for ways to prevent some of the debilitating diseases that result from injuries and genetic disorders.

 

• John Krauss and Doug Creighton, assistant professors of physical therapy in Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences, published the text “Translatoric Spinal Manipulation for Physical Therapists,” based on research of techniques taught at OU. They have conducted a number of case studies that will be used in future editions and have received grants to conduct more research in the area of translatoric spinal manipulation.

 

• For the last few years, metabolic syndrome has received a lot of media coverage as researchers work to better understand it. Metabolic syndrome can lead to health risks, but a group of OU researchers has determined that metabolic syndrome can be reversed with proper diet and exercise. The researchers have identified the area of focus for those trying to avoid or reverse the condition.

 

• People who work out know the equation well: 220 minus your age is the target maximum heart rate. The formula is a widely accepted standard for gauging exercise intensity that was developed more than 35 years ago. Many exercise machines are even programmed with the formula. However, a group of OU researchers have determined that equation isn’t accurate enough, particularly for those over 50 years of age. Exercising at the appropriate intensity level is important for improving aerobic fitness, especially among people undergoing cardiac rehabilitation for whom optimally restrengthening and reconditioning the heart muscle is critical.

 

• Two emeriti professors, Shelly Appleton and David Bricker, returned to the podium Sept. 6 for the first-ever “An Evening with Emeriti,” hosted by the Office of Academic Affairs and Provost and Oakland University Alumni Association.

 

• Scientific research shows practices such as exercise, healthy eating and not smoking lead to a longer life. But what about interaction with other people? Since 2003, OU Professor of Economics Sherman Folland has been studying the effects of social networks on health.

 

• For a number of years, OU Professor of Physics and Department of Physics Chair Andrei Slavin has collaborated with professors Sergej Demokritov and Gennady Melkov on research projects related to the physics of magnetism. Since 2001, they have studied the Bose-Einstein Condensation theory in relation to quasi-particles. In 2006, their paper on the topic, titled “Bose-Einstein condensation of quasi-equilibrium magnons at room temperature under pumping,” was cited by Physics Web as one of the 12 best works in physics in 2006.

 

• Professor of Physics David Garfinkle was named a Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics scholar for 2007-2009. Through the program, Garfinkle will work with other scholars from a number of other universities on projects and learn the latest techniques from others who are teaching physics at universities.

 

• When Assistant Professor of History Matthew Sutton began exploring Aimee Semple McPherson as the topic of his graduate dissertation, he didn’t think his work would garner so much attention. The dissertation has been made into a book and PBS aired a documentary on McPherson on  April 2. Sutton was instrumental in creating that documentary.

 

• Deborah Blair

  Music education is a way for students to learn more about themselves and engage in a form of expression. A group of special needs students at a Port Huron high school had no music instruction in their classroom, but their teacher, Sue Manuilow, thought it was something they could benefit from. At a conference last fall, she reconnected with Deborah Blair, a music education professor at Oakland University, and the two constructed a program that lets the students become composers. Blair and Manuilow worked together when Blair was a teacher in the district before she came to OU. They developed a music education class for the students — and Blair is using it as the topic of her research.

 

• Political Science Professor Vincent Khapoya has studied South Africa his entire life. During the winter 2007 semester, he returned to South Africa to spend his sabbatical researching, teaching and developing relations with the University of the Western Cape for possible student and faculty exchanges in the future.

 

 

• Working with professors from Oakland University’s Department of History, the Waterford School District sent its teachers back to the classroom to learn about the American history topics they teach. The fifth, eighth and 10^th grade teachers got an in-depth look at aspects of American history and new ways to apply them in the classroom.

 

• Alberto Rojo (right) plays with Grammy Winner Mercedes Sosa. Photo courtesy of Albertorojo.com

  As a researcher, Associate Professor of Physics Alberto Rojo is comfortable working in quantum mechanical properties of matter, but he’s equally comfortable on the stage. Rojo is a well-known guitarist and singer in his native country of Argentina. His work with a local Argentinean artist even earned a Grammy Award. Born in Tucumán, Argentina, Rojo started playing the piano at six and the guitar as a teenager. Rojo studied at the Conservatorio Provincial de Música in Tucumán and received a scholarship to study guitar at the Camping Musical Bariloche. While classical music was his forte, Rojo played in a band that performed Medieval and Renaissance music while he was in school. While studying for his Ph.D. in physics, Rojo divided his time between science and music. He moved to the United States in 1990 to work as a researcher and professor. During that time he wrote music that he kept to himself.

 

• When Gene Fogel was in college, he worked at the school's radio station and thought he would someday be a great disc jockey. Soon Fogel’s goal changed and he wanted to be a great sportscaster. Newscasting was on the bottom of his career interests. In spring 2007, however, Fogel was honored for more than four decades as a great newscaster with an induction into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.

 

• While OU is young compared to many universities around the country, it has come a long way in its first 50 years and impacted the surrounding community and the students, faculty and staff who have spent time on campus. OU alumnus Bill Connellan decided to make it his goal to capture that through a book about OU’s history.

 

• Bob Thomas addresses his family, friends and colleagues during his retirement celebration.

  Bob Thomas was joined by colleagues, family and friends in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms to remember his dedication to serving students and helping them succeed in finding a job after graduation. In spring 2007, Thomas’ reign as director of Career Services came to an end as he retired to spend more time with his grandchildren, learn to cook and spend more time out on the links golfing. Thomas was a teacher at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Parochial Elementary School, a counselor at the University of Detroit and worked in three roles at Wayne State University before coming to Oakland University in 1987. From the beginning, Thomas was determined to make OU’s Career Services something to be admired by other schools. His dedication to students needs left an impression on many.

 

• Paul Franklin, coordinator of campus programs, has helped save a lot of lives. Franklin has served as coordinator of 101 blood drives for the American Red Cross, which he estimates have brought in 18,000-19,000 pints of blood.

 

 

• Tricia Westergaard, coordinator of undergraduate advising in the School of Business Administration, was formally recognized on May 23 as the 2007 Outstanding Administrative Professional (AP). For the reception in her honor, Westergaard was joined by some of the most important people in her life. Besides her coworkers, Westergaard’s husband, two sons, mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and her best friend and her children were also able to attend. Westergaard said they are instrumental in supporting her career and allowing her to take on so much.

 

 

• Oakland University recognized the exceptional work of 31 AP employees with AP Bonus Awards. The bonus award fund, established specifically for this recognition, honors exemplary service and exceptional contributions made by individual AP employees.

 

 

• At its Sept. 12 meeting, the Oakland University Board of Trustees approved the purchase of a high-performance parallel computer to be used by the Department of Chemistry. Ninety percent of the price of the computer will be covered by a National Science Foundation grant earned by OU’s chemistry faculty. The new high-performance parallel computer, an Altix 450 manufactured by Silicon Graphics Inc., will be used by OU researchers investigating such phenomena as radiation damage in DNA and protein folding, which is applicable to understanding Alzheimer’s disease.

 

• Oakland University’s Development Information Services department developed a data collection and reporting tool called “The One Stop Endowment Shop,” an innovative advancement services program. The program is designed to decrease the time necessary to obtain information on endowments and named gift funds, along with housing the data centrally in order for the entire university to take advantage of this data for business purposes. The application was developed based on lean principles that are important to making the university as efficient as possible. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded “The One Stop Endowment Shop” program with the 2007 Circle of Excellence bronze medal.

 

• Darryl Hill, adjunct professor of Occupational Safety and Health in the School of Health Sciences, received the Distinguished Services to Safety Award at the Michigan Safety Conference. The award recognizes his service to the conference as well as Hill’s accomplishments in the safety profession. The Michigan Safety Conference, which recently celebrated its 77^th year, is one of the oldest and largest state safety conferences in the country. In 2006, Hill served as president of the Michigan Safety Conference, after serving in various positions on the executive board. He is also active on the conference’s scholarship committee, promotion and publicity committee and the industrial division.

 

• Charles Clark, director of the Academic Skills Center, completed his Doctor of Ministry.

  In his senior year of high school, Charles Clark went to see his guidance counselor to explore his options after graduation. Clark told his guidance counselor that he wanted to go to college. Thirty years later, Clark is working at Oakland University as the director of the Academic Skills Center and has just completed his Doctor of Ministry through Ecumenical Theological Seminary.

 

• Mark Stone, special instructor of world music, performed with the Bernard Woma Ensemble as part of the New York Philharmonic's annual Young People's Concert Series at Avery Fisher Hall. The series, now in its 84th year, was made famous under the direction of the legendary conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein.

 

• Deleana Hill, IT specialist in the School of Nursing, got involved with volunteering with the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau because she liked to see the smiles on the faces of those she helped. However, it was Hill who was beaming when she received a ROSE Award for her volunteer efforts. Hill has volunteered for events hosted by the Parade Company, the Winter Blast, the Super Bowl Experience, the College for Creative Studies wine auction and the Comerica Tastefest, and she is a mentor for the Student Enterprises organization.

 

• Frank Fisher, a senior designer in Communications and Marketing at OU, is also an established ceramic artist. Fisher, whose ceramic art has received national attention, displays his art in several galleries, has written nearly a dozen articles, and has contributed to a number of books. His most recent success is an article in the highly regarded art magazine “Ceramics Monthly.” Fisher credits his experience as a designer for inspiring his work. He joined the Communications and Marketing staff in 2006.

 

• The 16 teams of OU faculty and staff members that make up the Men's Golf League play for 17 weeks on OU’s Katke-Cousins Golf Course.

  Since 1989, a group of men from Oakland University have gotten together every Tuesday throughout the summer to participate in a pastime enjoyed by many — golf. The 16 teams of OU faculty and staff members play for 17 weeks on OU’s Katke-Cousins Golf Course. While the roster of golfers has changed over the years, the philosophy hasn’t: camaraderie, socialization and a little friendly competition.

 

• Oakland University Assistant Professor of Education Shannon Flumerfelt received the Oakland University Educator Award at the Sunrise Pinnacle Awards program, sponsored by the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce. The program, held Oct. 25, honored the area’s visionary entrepreneurs, business and civic leaders, educators and exemplary corporate citizens.

 

• Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Eileen Johnson delivered the 2007 President's Colloquium.

  Eileen Johnson, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, presented the annual President’s Colloquium on Oct. 16, in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. Her lecture, titled “To Live and Teach in Finland,” focused on the education system in Finland and the reasons it is so often compared to the United States’ education system.

 

• An Oakland University professor and student’s collaboration on a second-grade social studies lesson was published by the National Council for Social Studies, the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education.

 

• Sharon Heskitt attained one of her life goals when she ran – and finished – the Detroit Free Press Marathon on Oct. 21. She came in 69th place among women in her age group, and 16th for first-time runners in her age group, clocking in at 4:51:26. The School of Nursing visiting professor started running six years ago, and decided she wanted to run a marathon before she turned 50. At 47, she thought, “There’s no time like the present,” and started training seriously in May 2007.

 

• Douglas Carr, assistant professor of political science, recently received an honorable mention from the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) for his dissertation, “Environmental Regulatory Policy: Political Economy, Industrial Geography, and Intergovernmental Fiscal Effects.” He presented the dissertation at the APPAM’s national conference Nov. 8 in Washington, D.C.

 

• Spend an hour in just about any extended-care facility and it won’t be long before a patient with dementia will start to yell or flail or stomp their feet in what is known in professional circles as agitation. Cheryl Riley-Doucet, OU assistant professor of nursing, has been involved with geriatric nursing research since her graduate days, and says acute agitation is the most common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia.

• (return to top) 

 

Diversity

• Actress and civil rights activist Ruby Dee delivered the keynote address at the 2007 Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Celebration.

  Oakland University honored six students with scholarships during the 15^th annual Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Celebration. The students were recognized for their strong citizenship, scholarship and leadership in breaking down cultural stereotypes and promoting interracial understanding. The Keeper of the Dream celebration commemorates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., honors the achievements of each scholarship recipient and benefits future student scholarships. Barnes & Noble at Oakland University, Beaumont Hospitals, Justice Marilyn Kelly, LaSalle Bank, the OU Alumni Association and the Ford Motor Company Fund each sponsored a named award. In addition, DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund sponsored the speaker, Ruby Dee, an actress, author and civil rights activist.

 

• The 2007 African American Celebration kicked off on Jan. 15. Following this year’s theme, “Through the Strength of My Ancestors: Still I Rise,” the opening ceremony featured musical selections performed by OU alumna LaWanda Smith-Nance and a keynote address by Terrance McClain, also an OU alumnus. The month-long celebration included games, a career fair, lectures and exhibits to help students recognize and appreciate African-American history.

 

• Maya Forni (left) and Reluca Szabo (right) roast marshmallows with Szabo's family in their fireplace on Easter. Szabo and Forni were paired up as part of the International Allies program.

  Maya Forni, an exchange student from France, would probably have spent Easter alone if it weren’t for Raluca Szabo. As part of the International Students and Scholars program International Allies, the two were paired up and became friends. For Easter, Szabo invited Forni to her home and they did something Forni hadn’t done in ages — painted Easter eggs. International Allies provides international and domestic students with new cultural experiences through social events and individual outings.Students in the program are paired up according to gender and interest. If an American student plans to travel to or learn more about a certain country, ISSO will try to match them with a student from that country. The International Students and Scholars Office began the International Allies program as a way to connect domestic and international students. After a successful first year, students involved with the program decided to turn it into a student organization and offer more opportunities to the students involved.
  

 

• The second annual Asian Celebration introduced the Oakland University community to the cultures of Asian countries through interactive events from Jan. 29-Feb. 2. The celebration events kicked off with an Asian Film Festival in the Oakland Center Fireside Lounge.

 

• From faculty and staff to students and alumni, many women have shaped Oakland University since its beginning 50 years ago. With the theme “Women Empowered: 50 Years of Moving Oakland University Forward,” OU’s Women’s History Month celebration offered a number of speakers, forums and presentations to honor the women and promote the continued dedication of OU’s women.

 

• Dyanne Tracy and Virinder Moudgil at the 2007 Googasian Award luncheon.

  Dyanne Tracy, professor of education, was presented with the 2007 Googasian Award on  April 5 during a luncheon celebration at Meadow Brook Hall. Tracy’s work with gender roles, specifically in the classroom, and her desire to break down stereotypes earned her the honor. While Tracy still doesn’t know who nominated her, she thanked all of her colleagues for helping her in her quest to break down established gender roles. The Googasian Award is presented by the Oakland University chapter of the American Council on Education Network for Women Leaders to a woman who demonstrates extraordinary service to the university community and commitment to the positive growth, development and advancement of women at OU. The award is named for Phyllis Law Googasian, trustee emerita, for her commitment to OU and her dedication to the advancement of women.

 

• Oakland University celebrated Hispanic culture during Celebramos Nuestras Culturas, or "Let’s Celebrate Our Cultures," the 2007 Hispanic Celebration. Events, including a talent show, a trip to Mexicantown and a film series, began Sept. 16 and ran through Sept. 28.

 

• “Children Between Worlds,” a book exhibition based on awakening cultural interests in children, was on display in the Educational Resources Laboratory in Pawley Hall from mid-July through Labor Day. Linda Pavonetti, associate professor, encountered other exhibits sponsored by the International Youth Library and expressed an interest in creating one that would benefit American children. The result is a traveling exhibit that encourages children to better understand multicultural experiences.

 

• T-shirts hang on clotheslines as part of "The Clothesline Project," which builds awareness of violence against women.

  To recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC) organized the creation and display of "The Clothesline Project" on Oct. 15 in the Exhibit Lounge of the Oakland Center. Through the national Clothesline Project program, survivors of abuse and their loved ones were encouraged to create t-shirts with a design or message that helps them communicate their experience. The shirts were then hung on a public and prominently displayed clothesline in an effort to raise awareness of violence against women and to provide an avenue for healing. In addition to the clothesline of t-shirts, information was available to the OU community in the form of statistics of violence against women, resources for victims of abuse, and upcoming events in Southeast Michigan organized by the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Women’s Issue Forum (WIF).

 

• The Muslim Student Association and the Islamic Studies program organized a Fast-a-Thon at Oakland University with the theme "Going Hungry for Change." The Fast-a-Thon aimed to help feed the needy while giving non-Muslims the opportunity to experience fasting. Oakland University was one of 260 college campuses nationwide that participated in the Fast-a-Thon.

 

• The Center for Multicultural Initiatives presented “An Evening with Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels” on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. The event was part of Cultural Awareness Week, a full slate of interactive and informational programs aimed at exploring the different cultures at OU.
  (return to top) 

 

Community

• Henry “Hank” Jones was born July 31, 1918, in Vicksburg, Miss., but grew up in Pontiac, Mich. After studying the piano and starting his performing career at the age of 13, Jones worked with some of the best in the jazz world, including Ella Fitzgerald. For his contributions to jazz, the Oakland University Board of Trustees approved an honorary Doctorate of Humanities for Jones, which was awarded during the May 5 commencement ceremonies.

 

• The Nightingale Awards honor nursing professionals and their contributions while raising funds for student scholarships and other department needs.

  For the 19th year, Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors honored nurses selected from over 150 notable nominations from all over the state of Michigan and Canada at the Nightingale Awards for Nursing. The awards were created to promote nursing’s critical role in health care and the array of ways that nurses care for America’s citizens, and is the only award of its kind in the state. Nurses were nominated by their peers, supervisors, friends or patients for superior service and contributions in one of eight specialty areas. The People’s Choice award was added this year.
  

 

• More than 1,000 fifth-grade students, teachers and chaperons from 18 local school districts participated in the Clinton River Water Festival held at Oakland University on Thursday, May 17.
  

 

• After the success of the first Camp RN at Oakland University in 2006, OU’s School of Nursing offered two sessions of an expanded two-week camp this summer. Camp RN gives seventh through ninth graders the chance to learn more about the nursing profession through classroom instruction, hands-on activities and two job shadowing opportunities at local hospitals. Camp RN was developed to get students interested in the profession and teach them what to focus on through middle school and high school to make sure they are successful in college.
  

 

• Oakland University’s summer camps offer children of all ages the opportunity to learn, advance their sports skills and grow in the areas of mathematics, writing, reading and the arts.

• Paula Peck shows the original Civil War letters from her great-great-great gradfather, Seth Streeter, to students at Lee Elementary. Photo courtesy of Linda Hamilton

  While Seth Streeter served in the war, he frequently sent letters home to his wife and his children. They documented his journey, discussed money and relayed his desire to be at home with his family. Streeter served in the Civil War. His letters are made available through Civil War Letters: A Michigan Connection, a project designed by Dyanne Tracy, professor and chair in the Department of Teacher Development and Educational Studies in the School of Education and Human Services, and Paula Peck, an office assistant in SEHS. Peck is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Streeter and had been storing the letters which had been passed down through the generations.  A group of students from Lee Elementary in Richmond, Mich., invited Tracy and Peck to their classroom to see what they have learned from the letters.

 

• Meadow Brook Music Festival, which is managed by Palace Sports and Entertainment, was ranked 53 on “Pollstar’s” 2006 Top 100 Amphitheatre charts. Meadow Brook Music Festival hosted three of “Pollstar’s” Top 100 tours this year.

 

• Tigers Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Carlos Guillen, plus vice president and assistant general manager Al Avila, bullpen coach Jeff Jones and infield coach Rafael Belliard visited OU on Jan. 17.

  Capping a successful 2006 season, the Detroit Tigers participated in a Winter Caravan, visiting fans around the state who cheered them to an American League Championship. On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the Tigers made a stop at OU and spoke to fans from the OU community. Tiger fans were able to learn more about players Gary Sheffield, Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Carlos Guillen, plus Vice President and Assistant General Manager Al Avila, bullpen coach Jeff Jones and infield coach Rafael Belliard.

 

• Oakland University’s School of Nursing hosted two conferences this fall. The conferences explored topics related to demographics and technology and were open to those interested in learning more about cutting-edge research in the field of nursing.

 

• Two Oakland University students helped Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester improve some of the hospital’s processes. OU Industrial and Systems Engineering Department professors Bob Van Til and Sankar Sengupta secured the summer internships for the undergraduate students through a $27,000 grant from Crittenton for a lean process improvement project.

 

• Fall semester can be overwhelming. Especially for new students, balancing classes, work, relationships and possibly living away from home for the first time, can be stressful and can challenge their coping skills. Although most will meet the challenge successfully, some students may experience anxiety, depression, and may possibly develop problems such as substance abuse or eating disorders. Fortunately, OU students have a resource available to help them for various personal problems they need addressed. The University Counseling Center, located in the Graham Health Center building, is a convenient and affordable place for students to go for personal counseling, psychiatric services, substance abuse services, testing for learning disabilities and ADHD, outreach programs and consultation.

 

• The 29th Annual Concours d’Elegance at Meadow Brook Hall featured more than 225 classic cars.

  Members of the media joined automotive leaders to kick off the 29^th Annual Concours d’Elegance at Meadow Brook Hall during the media preview event. Visitors received just a taste of the power and beauty that went on display at Meadow Brook Hall on Aug. 5, including vintage four-cylinder motorcycles and a tribute to the Italian masterpiece, the Alfa Romeo — both classic and modern with the North American debut of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The Meadow Brook Concours d’Elegance collector car show and its various related events support the preservation efforts at Meadow Brook Hall. Over the years, the Concours d’Elegance has contributed more than $5 million to the preservation of the mansion. 

 

• More than 45,000 people die in the United States each year due to automotive-related accidents. In its quest to improve teenage driver safety in America and save lives, AutoWeek magazine hosted its inaugural Teen Driving Safety Summit, in partnership with Dodge, on Aug. 28 at Oakland University. OU’s Product Development and Manufacturing Center Motorsports program is an associate sponsor.

 

• Vince & Joe’s Gourmet Market hosted an “Art and Culinary Soirée,” a gourmet and art event to benefit the Oakland University Art Gallery, on Aug. 23. The benefit was held at Vince & Joe’s Shelby Township location.

 

• Chartwell’s Executive Chef Gerald Gatto and Sous Chef Peter King prepared a carving station at the Taste of Auburn Hills.

  Oakland University’s food service vendor Chartwells, along with the Oakland Center staff, participated in the Taste of Auburn Hills, an annual event held in Auburn Hills where local food service establishments can showcase their fare. Chartwells received the award for Best Presentation at the event. Chartwells and the Oakland Center staff teamed up to participate in the event as a way of demonstrating OU’s banquet and conference center venues and food service to the public. Executive Chef Gerald Gatto and Sous Chef Peter King prepared a carving station where Taste of Auburn Hills guests could sample barbeque beef brisket on mini-buns with their choice of honey mustard, cherry mustard or horseradish sauce and cherry cheese cake for dessert. Chartwells works with the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce to identify opportunities with them to participate in community events throughout the year. This was Chartwells second time participating in the Taste of Auburn Hills.

 

• The Department of Pre-College Programs partnered with Oakland Community College’s Office of State and Federal Programs and the YMCA of Metro Detroit to offer summer programs for local middle school students. The summer programs teach students about college, address career interests and build leadership skills. Pre-College Programs also partnered with the School of Nursing and the School of Engineering and Computer Science to offer two unique Saturday academies as part of GEAR UP, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Studies. The six-year federal-, state- and OU-funded program prepared eighth graders from Oak Park and Pontiac schools for post-high school opportunities.

 

• Bob Woodward delievered the fourth annual Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities to a sell-out crowd.

  Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and Washington Post managing editor Bob Woodward delivered the fourth annual Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities on Oct. 23 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. The recipient of nearly every American journalism award, Woodward has worked for the Washington Post since 1971. Tickets to the lecture sold out.

 

• Oakland University GO Discount cards for 2007-08 are available at locations throughout campus. The card offers OU students, faculty, staff and OUAA members discounts and special offers at local merchants.

 

• A local group trying to break the Guinness World’s record for the largest CPR training session at Oakland University didn’t accomplish their goal to train 2,500, but they trained hundreds through the American Heart Association’s Family and Friends program.

 

• Golden Grizzlies spirit was on display during the annual Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade on Dec. 2. The parade theme was “Celebrating Christmas Past, Present and Future,” and featured the Grizz, the OU dance and cheer teams, OU Spirit Squad, and the official Golden Grizzlies car, along with more than 130 high school marching bands and floats and, of course, Santa Claus. Downtown Rochester also expanded the Big, Bright Light Show this year to feature more than one million lights.

 

• Peter Singer delivered the third annual Richard J. Burke Lecture in Philosophy, Religion and Society.

  Princeton University professor and bioethicist Peter Singer delivered the third annual Richard J. Burke Lecture in Philosophy, Religion and Society on Oct. 4 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. The lecture focused on the question of what it means to be alive and ethical dilemmas of medically sustaining life in people who have lost consciousness. Singer's lecture, titled "Changing Attitudes Toward the Sacredness of Human Life," coincided with the College of Arts and Sciences 2007-08 Celebrating Liberal Arts theme, "Revolution." The lecture focused on ideas surrounding euthanasia and the elimination of unnecessary human suffering. The Burke lecture series, was created by retired Philosophy Professor Richard Burke and was designed to tackle today's most compelling issues -- from war to religion to sexual ethics -- sparking serious, thought-provoking discussions among scholars, students, and the community.

• Oakland University’s School of Nursing and School of Education and Human Services, the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency, and the Kellogg Foundation sponsored a community symposium to foster positive mental health for children, which encouraged collaboration between health care providers and educators in the tri-county area.

 

• At the Jack’s Place at Oakland University baseball camp, kids with autism spectrum disorders had the chance to be coached, encouraged and cheered by members of the OU baseball team. The baseball camp was introduced three years ago. Once a week, for six weeks in the fall, a dozen baseball team members teach the kids, ages 6 to 19, how to throw, field, hit and run the bases. The goal of the program is for the kids to focus on having fun while they’re working on baseball skills.
• (return to top) 

Partnerships

• Officials from Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals announced that they have entered into a partnership that will create a new medical school on Oakland’s campus. The medical school will be privately funded.

 

• During a scholarship breakfast hosted by the School of Education and Human Services, the Humana Foundation announced its intentions to donate $100,000 in support of Oakland's development of a medical school. OU and Beaumont Hospitals have partnered to develop the medical school, which will open its doors to students in 2010.

 

• The first-ever joint conference between the University of Windsor and Oakland University took place May 7-8 in Windsor, Ontario. More than 100 faculty and staff members from the schools participated in the Conference on Teaching and Learning.

 

• The Detroit Science Center will be home to "Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University Medical Marvels Gallery" in 2009, the largest permanent medical technology exhibit in North America.

  It will be the largest permanent medical technology exhibit gallery in North America, and through a partnership between the Detroit Science Center, Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University, it will be located right here in Detroit. The “Beaumont Hospitals and Oakland University Medical Marvels Gallery,” a 15,000-square-foot exhibit gallery coming to the Detroit Science Center in 2009, will take visitors into the incredible world of the human body and medical science technology. More than 120 engaging and interactive exhibits will be part of this unique gallery.

 

• Oakland University and the Older Persons’ Commission in Rochester formalized a partnership to offer programming to seniors in the community. Lectures ranging from the latest research findings to popular culture will be presented monthly by Oakland faculty, nationally-recognized scholars in their respective fields.

 

• For the past three years students from Oakland University’s physical therapy program have been participating in a balance and falls workshop at the Older Persons’ Commission. The OPC is a community center for Rochester, Rochester Hills and Oakland Township residents 60 years old and older. Through the program, OU students are able to get hands-on experience while helping the community.

 

• Oakland University and the Older Persons’ Commission (OPC) partnered to offer “Autism: A Spectrum of Possibilities” presented by Jan Graetz, assistant professor of human development and child studies, on May 1. Graetz has worked with individuals with development disabilities for 30 years. During the last 15 years, she has focused on children with autism spectrum disorders.

 

• Meadow Brook Hall was showcased as an “American Castle” during the first-ever Rochester on Ice event. Main Street was lined with 34 ice sculptures featuring favorite storybook characters, including Curious George, Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter.

 

• Twelve years ago, a consortium of local public school leaders developed the Galileo Leadership Academy to help prepare teachers to be leaders. Once the program was firmly in place, the administrators took it one step further and began inviting local universities to participate and provide insight into the area of teacher leadership. Oakland University enthusiastically set to work to help develop programs and workshops and even made the Educational Specialist program at OU available to Galileo participants. This year, the first cohort from the Galileo Institute, the academy partnership with OU, completed the program and a reception was held to celebrate the program.

 

• Oakland University’s Images Dance Team will perform at downtown Rochester’s Dancin’ in the Street event.

  Oakland University’s Images Dance Team performed at downtown Rochester’s Dancin’ in the Street event, Friday, Aug.10. Images performs at all OU men’s and women’s home basketball games, and performs at select soccer, volleyball and hockey games. Over the past seven years the team has consistently ranked top ten in the national dance team competition.

 

• The U.S. Department of Education's Kristine Cohn presented Star International Academy, one of OU's charter schools, with a $339,586 check for a federal Foreign Language Assistance Program grant in an assembly at the school on June 8.

 

• The Great Lakes Angels (GLA), a Michigan-based private investment organization that seeks to organize and educate those interested in investing in entrepreneurial businesses, took up residence in Oakland University’s SmartZone business incubator, OU INC. GLA, however, is more than just an incubator tenant. A strategic alliance partnership between GLA and OU INC, which launched Aug. 1, will benefit both organizations and has the potential to boost economic activity in southeast Michigan.

 

• The School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Botswana (UB) in August to further the schools' collaboration, which began a year ago. The framework provides for students and faculty exchanges, video conferences and partnerships in research, scholarship, teaching and service.

 

• Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and SON Dean Linda Thompson Adams at the Health Care Career Center.

  Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, Oakland University School of Nursing Dean Linda Thompson Adams, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil launched the Detroit Workforce Development Department’s (DWDD) Healthcare Career Center on Oct. 11. The Detroit Workforce Development Department developed two career centers designed to provide Detroit residents access to educational institutions, community-based organizations and training in emerging occupations. At the Detroit Health Care Career Center, the product of an alliance between SON and the city of Detroit, Oakland nursing instructors will offer training for career-entry jobs in health care and nursing.

 

• Oakland University’s partnership with Macomb Community College (MCC), called Macomb 2 Oakland or M2O for short, was named the 2007 Outstanding Transfer Program by the Michigan Association Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO). The award was presented at the annual MACRAO conference on November 8 in Grand Rapids.

• The red carpet was rolled out on Oakland University’s campus for the premiere of "American Grandstand" – a movie with a ‘50s flair. It was written and produced by students during a film camp made possible by the Jack's Place for Autism Foundation and Joey Travolta.
  

 

• Detroit Edison Public School Academy, one of OU’s public school academies, was selected as a Michigan Blue Ribbon school. The award recognizes outstanding improvement strategies throughout the state. The school was the first and only public school academy to receive such recognition in 2007 and the only school in Detroit to receive Blue Ribbon recognition during the past five years. Twenty-three schools were awarded Blue Ribbon recognition for 2006. In addition, OU’s Detroit Edison Public School Academy was chosen as one of the 53 best as part of the Center for Education Reform’s National Charter School of the Year program, out of the nearly 4,000 charter schools. The schools were selected based on their achievement, innovation and accountability.
• (return to top)