In 2006, Oakland University continued to provide a quality education to its students while enhancing the experience through new programs, groundbreaking research, campus events, faculty and staff accomplishments and new partnership.

As the first year of Oakland University’s first-ever comprehensive campaign came to a close in April, OU had raised $69 million on its way to $110 million by 2010. The funds will be used for professorships, scholarships, research endowments, academic programs and capital enhancements.

In fall 2006, Oakland’s enrollment reached 17,737 students, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth at the university.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Computer Science began offering a new major in Computer Information Technology. The College of Arts and Sciences examined globalization through its theme Global Citizenship. It also celebrated the successes alumni Jayne Houdyshell, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway play “Well;” and Regina Carter, who received a MacArthur Foundation grant to continue her work as a jazz violinist. The School of Nursing teamed up with Northern Michigan University on a jointly offered Doctor of Nursing Practice degree beginning in fall 2007. SON also graduated the first cohort from the Accelerated Health Care program in May. The School of Health Sciences presented Live Long — Live Well, a conference that drew a number of people from the surrounding community to campus for an information seminar addressing the heath and wellness need of baby boomers and their contemporaries. The university as a whole examined the first year experience and provided a comprehensive report on what could be done to attract and retain first-year students at OU.

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. Tim Doig and Kathleen Hill were honored with the Alfred G. and Matilda R. Wilson Awards and LaTorya Ellison received the 2006 Human Relationship Award, OU’s top honors for graduating seniors. The women’s basketball team won the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship and advanced to the Division I NCAA Tournament for the second time in the team’s history. OU’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each captured titles at the Mid-Continent Conference championships in February. Senior swimmer Chris Sullivan earned All-America honors in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle, setting school records in both, at the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in March, where OU placed 25^th. OU’s women’s soccer team took the title in the Mid-Con Tournament. Several of OU’s club sports teams also competed for national championships, including the men’s club hockey team, which won their second national title in three years. OU honored 20 faculty members for their accomplishments during the 2006 Faculty Recognition Luncheon. Former School of Business Administration Dean John Tower retired—again. Tower retired in 1999 but returned in 2005 to fill the role of dean until Oakland hired Jonathan Silberman in 2005. Tower stayed on until May to help with the transition. Oakland hired T.C. Yih for the newly-created position of vice president for research. Yih will oversee pre- and post-award processes and lead the development of a clear vision for research at Oakland.

Oakland entered into several academic partnerships to advance the mission of the university, including a partnership with Michigan State University to build an accredited bachelor’s of social work program for Oakland University. In addition, MSU will establish an advanced standing master’s in social work program on Oakland campus. In addition Oakland’s partnership with Macomb Community College continued as the Macomb 2 Oakland program, the state’s first dual-degree program, began its inaugural year.

In April, as part of Oakland University’s Founder’s Day celebration, the university officially opened OU INC, a SmartZone business incubator located on campus in Shot-well-Gustafson Pavilion. The OU INCubator is collaborating with Automation Alley, the Great Lakes Interchange, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Oakland County and the City of Rochester Hills to provide business services, counseling, mentoring, pre-seed funding, training and business development to start-up businesses.

OU garnered national attention by hosting the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Many OU students, faculty, staff and police officers volunteered their time to help make the event run as smooth as possible.

The university hosted several national, international, cultural, educational, social and community events including the Keeper of the Dream Scholarships Awards Banquet with keynote speaker Ambassador Andrew Young, actor James Earl Jones and director Spike Lee. OU Habitat for Humanity chapter also reached out to those affected by Hurricane Katrina by traveling to New Orleans to help rebuild homes in the devastated region.

Campaign for OU

• Oakland University launched its first-ever comprehensive campaign, “Innovation and Opportunity — The Campaign for Oakland University,” on April 22, 2005, with a goal of raising $110 million for professorships, scholarships, research endowments, academic programs and capital enhancements by 2010. As the first year of the public phase of the campaign comes to a close, the university has raised $69 million toward its goal.

• Handleman (center) congratulates scholarship recipients Samir Hanna (left) and Peter Halabu (right).

  Oakland University President Gary Russi, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil, Vice President for Development, Alumni and Community Engagement Susan Davies Goepp and 15 students who received the David and Marion Handleman scholarship gathered at Meadow Brook Hall Jan. 27 to celebrate the Handleman family’s generosity and thank them for their commitment to scholarship support. 
   
• The Oakland University Alumni Association awarded $58,000 in scholarships to 21 OU students. The OUAA scholarship program awarded 11 affiliate scholarships to juniors and seniors, two Returning Alumni Scholarships and three Legacy Scholarships. The Legacy Scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen and sophomores who have a parent or grandparent who graduated from Oakland and is an active member of the Alumni Association. The remaining five students received the new Working Student Scholarship, awarded to students who work at least part-time while pursuing their degree.

• OU sophomore Aida Alejandra De la Cruz was awarded the first Vicente Fox Quesada Scholarship at a Meadow Brook Hall luncheon ceremony March 17. She received $1,500 toward her studies in OU’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance, where she is studying vocal performance.

• Barry M. Klein, CAS ’68, established a scholarship for graduate students in substance abuse counseling.

  Longtime OU supporter and friend Barry Klein, CAS ’68, has been generous to Oakland over the years, volunteering his time, endowing a Chair in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and creating scholarship funds. He established the George R. and Helen Klein Memorial Scholarship, named to honor the memory of his parents, to support graduate students in substance abuse counseling in the School of Education and Human Services.
   
• After raising a family, running her own business teaching horseback riding, and showing horses competitively for more than two decades, Susan Husken decided to return to a field that had always interested her — counseling. While completing her coursework, Husken became interested in substance abuse counseling and spent four months working at Salvation Army Harbor Light in Clinton Township, Mich., a residential substance abuse treatment facility. Her work there earned her the George R. and Helen Klein Memorial Scholarship for counseling in drug and alcohol addiction, a scholarship established by longtime university supporter Barry Klein in honor of his parents.

• Stephan Sharf has a long history with Oakland University. Since 1981 he has contributed his time and personal resources to help Oakland grow into the successful institution it is today. A lifetime President’s Club member, Sharf served on the board of trustees from 1987 through 1994 and as a director for the OU Foundation from 1985 to 2005. He currently serves on the President’s Campaign Council. 
   
• Several generous gifts will allow OU’s School of Education and Human Services to expand its innovative programming, touching the lives of more children considered high risk educationally due to developmental disabilities.
   

• Joan Rosen, professor emerita of English, and her husband Robert (left), made a $300,000 grant that helped establish the new writing center. OU President Gary Russi (right) dedicated the Joan Rosen Writing Studio on Oct. 23.

  The Joan Rosen Writing Studio, located in Kresge Library, provides a place for Oakland University students to hone their writing skills under the direction of Interim Director Jeanie Robertson and the peer writing consultants who provide support and guidance. The studio was officially dedicated on Monday, Oct. 23 in the name of Joan Rosen, one of the strongest supporters of OU’s writing programs.

• Oakland University has received five grants totaling $63,429 from the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. Grants were awarded to Kresge Library, the School of Business Administration, the Lowry Center, Jack’s Place for Autism at OU and the School of Nursing.

• Adam Kochenderfer, CAS ’02, knows the secret to the university’s character. Kochenderfer has a long history of involvement as a student at Oakland, which includes working as student services director for the Student Congress and serving as chair of the Student Activities Funding Board, treasurer of College Republicans and a PAUSE mentor who promoted awareness about the dangers of alcohol to incoming freshmen. Since graduating he has continued to be involved in the university community, speaking to incoming freshmen and serving on the advisory board for the political science department, among other activities. Now a lawyer, he is a new member of the Oakland University Alumni Association, where he will work to build programs and services that are responsive to alumni needs.

• Lynn Jacob, SBA ’81, who opened his Associated Packaging Inc. business in 1978, offers advice to those who dream of starting their own business. “Go with your gut hunches and never wonder what would have happened ‘if’, because when you’re 75 or 80 years old looking in the mirror, it’s too late.” Now, in addition to advice, he and his brother are offering students scholarship support to help them acquire the skills they need to start their own businesses. The Jacobs are donating $50,000 to endow a scholarship that will be awarded annually to an undergraduate SBA student.

• Michael, CAS '69, and Susan Glass established an endowed scholarship in memory of Michael's son, Brad Glass.

  Fourteen years ago Brad Glass, 18, a freshman at Oakland University, was just beginning his college career and choosing a major. Then on a trip to Indiana to retrieve a friend’s car he was involved in a fatal auto accident. Since that tragedy, his father Michael, CAS ’69, and stepmother Susan, have committed themselves to helping other young students.

• G. Philip Johnson has a long history of service to Oakland University and an abiding belief in the importance of graduate education. He came to Oakland in 1965 as professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics, and later served as the first dean of the graduate school for 12 years. To help cultivate graduate studies and strengthen programming and research opportunities for graduate students, the Johnsons decided to make a gift to Oakland University and enlist the support of others to follow their lead. The G. Philip Johnson & Marvel M. Proton Charitable Trust was established in 1999 to provide aid for student research projects, stipend enhancement and special departmental needs in graduate education.

• Oakland University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Greg Kampe has been named by the university to head up a $55 million capital campaign to support OU Athletics. In a related move, Associate Athletic Director Tracy Huth will take over the Interim Athletic Director role filled by Kampe since September 2005. Both appointments were effective Sept. 15.
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Strong Undergraduate Education

• During the 2005-2006 academic year, more than 70 members of Oakland University’s faculty and staff spent the year examining the experiences of first-year OU students. Through a nationwide initiative called the Foundations of Excellence, Oakland University worked with the Policy Center on the First Year of College. Once OU had a list of ways to enhance the first-year experience, the Policy Center founder John Gardner visited OU and issued a call to action for improving the beginning college experience.

• After a comprehensive formal review, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association voted to continue accreditation of the physical therapist education program at Oakland University. The program has been accredited since 2001.
   
• Oakland University is now offering two new bachelor’s degree programs: studio art with a specialization in new media, and secondary teacher education in K-12 studio art. This brings Oakland’s total number of undergraduate degree programs to 116.

• Student researchers who participated in the UnCoRe or SIBHI summer programs presented their research to the university community.

  Students who participated in two of OU’s summer research programs through the School of Engineering and Computer Science capped their experience with a presentation of their findings to fellow students and members of the OU community. A mix of 28 students from the Undergraduate Computer Research program and the Summer Institute in Bioengineering and Health Informatics presented their research findings in a forum that mirrors what they would have to do as professional researchers.

• The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Computer Science is offering a new major in Computer Information Technology (CIT). The CIT major is designed for students who want to combine their interest in computing with other interests such as biology, business and the arts.

• More than 95 Oakland University students along with students from the University of Michigan’s Flint and Dearborn campuses participated in the 14^th annual Meeting of Minds Undergraduate Research Conference held at UM Dearborn in May.)
   
• Through the Accelerated Health Care program offered by Oakland University’s School of Nursing, students are able to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in a year and a half. The first students graduated from the program in May.

• The College of Arts and Sciences announced that the 2006-07 Celebrating Liberal Arts theme is “Global Citizenship,” which will give the OU community a chance to take a closer look at the idea that the world is becoming more connected as well as the sociological, cultural and economic impact that has on the world during the academic year.

• One group of engineering students designed an infant simulator with a pulse and respiration.

  More than 140 senior engineering majors put their skills to the test as part of a senior design course. The students worked in groups with engineering majors from different backgrounds to design and build a project. The senior projects were on display April 18 and Dec. 5 as part of the showcase held each semester for graduating seniors. The students demonstrated their projects, which included things like an infant simulator of respiration and pulse, automobile blind-spot camera, automatic bath and shower system, automatic weightlifting spotter, remote home door locking system, an unmanned aerial vehicle, automatic pill dispenser and more.

• The School of Nursing held a baby shower and open house Feb. 14 to welcome two new members of the Sim family — Noelle, a simulator that gives birth, and SimBaby, a simulator that provides training for infant trauma. Both have been integrated into classroom training. Noelle and SimBaby join SimMan, or Mr. Grizzly, OU’s first high-tech simulator that provides realistic patient care scenarios.
   
• On Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. to midnight, Tess Solanskey might witness anything from brain surgery to the life-saving heroics of doctors trying to save a shooting victim. And she’s not sitting in front of her television watching the latest medical drama. As a biology major intending to go on to medical school, Solanskey is participating in the Henry Ford Hospital Clinical Research Elective for undergraduate students. The course is just one of the many opportunities OU pre-med students have to help them become successful in the medical field.

• Holmes Rolston presented the first-ever Burke Lecture on March 14.

  Holmes Rolston, a leader in environmental ethics, presented the first-ever Richard Burke Visiting Scholar in Religion, Philosophy and Society Lecture on March 14. He also spent March 13 on campus holding smaller lectures, meeting with faculty and interacting with students. Rolston’s keynote lecture centered around human intervention with natural processes and the ethics behind such interaction.
   
• The Department of Psychology received the inaugural Assessment Excellence Award, which was established in the fall 2005 by Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil. It recognizes a program that models the North Central Association’s “culture of assessment” goal by integrating assessment findings with program revisions.
   
• Stories have been told for many years. They are a way to pass along history and folklore, provide entertainment or give information. Two Oakland University professors are helping student-teachers use digital stories to inform future employers of their skills. The students use technical resources to create a compilation of their experiences. Using photos, music and spoken word, the students create thought-provoking, moving stories about what they have learned and why they want to become a teacher. The digital storytelling deters from the traditional portfolio while providing the teachers with a new skill set they can apply in the classroom.

• The actors in the Music, Theatre and Dance production of “Knick Knack” include (from left to right) Meghan Banks of New Baltimore (Lady in Red), Stefan Mantyk of Clinton Township (Boss), Craig Hemming of Berkley (Man in Color), Adrienne Podjun of Linden (Au Naturale) and (center) John Wencel of New Baltimore (Man in Suit).

  Oakland University's Department of Music, Theatre and Dance presented the original, student-written and student-directed play, “Knick Knack,” in April. The play was written by Franco Vitella in OU's Advanced Playwriting class. It was selected for inclusion in this year’s American College Theatre Festival held in January 2007 at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisc.
   
• New Student Programs helped freshmen adapt to college life with a number of First-Year Student Transition Workshops. The workshops covered a variety of topics including test taking, career advice, jobs, internships and moving home for the summer.
   
• More than 100 freshmen participated in the Center for Student Activities’ and New Student Programs’ day-long program Jump Start. The students are connected to academic and social opportunities on campus that will enhance their college education. Jump Start participants get to know their peers through ice breaker activities and experience campus life through information sessions and exercises.
   
• OU senior Amanda Hinspeter already has several job offers and she hasn’t even graduated yet. In addition to a great education, Hinspeter is gaining invaluable skills through the Applied Technology in Business program. Participating in ATiB does a lot to enhance a resume. Just ask Hinspeter or one of the other 12 students fortunate enough to have been selected for this two-year program that combines real-world work experience with academics. The students chosen for ATiB work for some of the largest corporations in the country, while earning a two-year scholarship.

• Former Honors College directors Brian Murphy (left) and Mel Cherno (center) and current director Jude Nixon (right) celebrated the 25th reunion of The Honors College's first graduating class.

  The Honors College at Oakland University provides highly motivated students with an intellectually stimulating community. The charter class, which graduated from the Honors College in 1981, marked its 25^th anniversary with a reunion on July 15. Former professors and directors including Brian Murphy, who served as director from 1985-2001, and current director Jude Nixon were in attendance.

• Since 1993, Oakland University has offered freshmen the chance to build friendships and become more exposed to university culture through Collegiate Communication, also called COM 101. The first section of COM 101 for transfer students will be held in the fall semester 2006, providing the transfer students the opportunity to connect with the campus in new ways.
   
• Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the School of Business Administration is adapting to changes in global business by strengthening its international offerings at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Along with this comes study abroad arrangements, international internships, and the opportunity for faculty to gain international experiences and learn more about global business through exchanges with universities in other countries.
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Quality Graduate Programs  

• This spring, the Oakland University Board of Trustees approved three new graduate-level degree programs — Master of Science in Safety Management, Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education. 

• Deborah Blair

  During spring commencements, Oakland University presented the first-ever Outstanding Dissertation or Thesis Award to two students. One of the awards went to doctoral student Deborah Blair, who graduated from the new music education Ph.D. program. Blair’s dissertation studied the way children interpret musical problems while listening to music. Blair’s dissertation “Look at What I Heard! Music Listening and Student-Created Musical Maps,” was recognized for its significance, originality and quality of writing. The dissertation came out of a three-year study of fifth grade students, which began as a pilot study.
   
• In fall 2006, Oakland University’s School of Nursing became the first university in Michigan to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree, recently recognized by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing as the highest level of preparation for clinical nursing practice.
   
• Oakland University’s School of Nursing has teamed up with Northern Michigan University on a jointly offered doctor of nursing practice degree to begin in fall 2007. The two schools will share a $950,000 grant from the State of Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth to support the development and enhancement of this program. 
   

• Zhihong Shen

  Oakland University graduate student Zhihong Shen is currently completing her Ph.D. in biomedical sciences in the area of health and environmental chemistry while working in the lab of Associate Professor of Chemistry Xiangqun Zeng. Through her work with the biosensor development using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique, Shen is equipping herself with the skills needed for a career in research, while working on a project that can help protect the health of the public.

• Graduate student Jane Asher didn’t really think she could ever be a Dickensian scholar. She didn’t have much contact with the work of Charles Dickens until a graduate class with Professor of English Natalie Cole last fall. As a result of her work in Cole’s class, Asher participated the 11th Annual Dickens Society Symposium in Belfast, Ireland, where she presented a paper she wrote on Dickens’ novel “Bleak House.”

• Four Oakland University Master of Public Administration students received scholarships from the Michigan Public Risk Management Association (MIPRIMA) in May 2006.
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Campus Growth

• Events are planned throughout 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of OU.

  Next year Oakland University will shine bright as it celebrates the 50^th anniversary of its founding in 1957. Plans are underway to celebrate this milestone with events, exhibitions and special commemorative items. The year-long celebration launches with a faculty and staff buffet breakfast. In addition, departments are gathering items to be placed in a time capsule that will be “dug up” 50 years from now during the university’s 100^th anniversary.
   
• Oakland University fall 2006 enrollment is up more than 2 percent over last year. Enrollment stands at 17,737 students, marking the eighth year in a row of growth at Oakland. The number of undergraduates is 13,701, up 2 percent from fall 2005, and the number of graduate students is 4,036, up nearly 4 percent over last year. This year, OU welcomed 2,287 first-year students, the university’s largest first-year class ever.
   
• Oakland University’s winter 2006 enrollment was up 2 percent over the previous year. Enrollment stood at 16,287 students. The number of undergraduates was 12,436 and the number of graduate students was 3,851, an increase of 369 students over the 2005 winter semester.
   
• The Oakland University’s Board of Trustees approved enhancements to Hamlin Hall, OU’s largest residence hall, including carpet and new furniture to refresh the look and feel of the 30-year-old building. The furniture and carpet upgrades to Hamlin Hall increases student safety by eliminating student-built lofts and the carpet also reduces noise levels in the rooms.
   
• Nearly 40,000 students visited the Student Technology Center during the 2005-2006 academic year to get help on class projects, take technology workshops, borrow digital camera equipment and use software offered in the lab. The STC offers students the opportunity to incorporate technology into their lives. After a successful first year, the Student Technology Center expanded the tools and workshops offered to students when it opened for the semester on Aug. 30. The STC added five digital camcorders and digital still cameras and bagan loaning out five tablet PCs.
   

• "The Grizz" statue is unveiled at an OU Pep Rally on Sept. 6.

  The Athletics Department took center stage Sept. 6 during an event that introduced the Grizzly Center for Graduates and Champions and the new "Grizz" sculpture. Student-athletes joined the OU community at the Athletics Center for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Grizzly Center. The statue, created by world-renowned sculptors Istva’n Ma’te and Gyorgyi Lantos, parents of former OU swimmer Hunor Ma’te, was also welcomed to its home near the Athletics Center.
   
• Professors, students and researchers can spend years researching and experimenting with a theory, and most of the time the progress they make isn’t recognized by society. Not true for a team of OU students, researchers and professors have a unique opportunity to bring research to commercialization with the help of JADI, Inc., a tenant in OU INC, Oakland University’s business incubator. JADI is working with the government and other companies to build useful tools that can one day be commercialized.
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Inspired Faculty and Staff 

• Associate Professor of History Sara Chapman presented the 2006 President's Colloquium.

  Oakland University students, faculty and staff gathered in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms on Tuesday, Oct. 24 for the President’s Colloquium presented by Associate Professor of History Sara Chapman. The focus of the presentation was on Detroit’s founding and how the city fit into the French’s grand plan.
   
• For their tireless dedication to excellence in teaching, scholarship, research and service, OU honored faculty members who provide students a distinctive education. During the 2006 Faculty Recognition Luncheon, 20 faculty members were honored for their accomplishments. 
   
• Tamara Machmut-Jhashi has been appointed interim assistant provost of Academic Affairs at Oakland University, effective July 10. Machmut-Jhashi joined Oakland University in 1997 and is an associate professor in Oakland’s Department of Art and Art History.
   

• Oakland University welcomed T.C. Yih to the position of vice provost for research at a reception on Oct. 11.

  T.C. Yih recently stepped into the role of the newly-created position vice provost for research, where he will oversee pre- and post-award processes and lead the development of a clear vision for research at Oakland. Yih was previously professor and chair of the mechanical engineering and biomechanics department at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and from that position he brings a wealth of research and academic leadership experiences.
   
• Three years ago, Associate Professor of Biological Science Satish Walia predicted that pre-packaged, pre-washed spinach could cause a catastrophic disease outbreak. Walia and a team of undergraduate students working under the Pfizer Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship studied the antibiotic resistance of bacteria in the environment, including in ready-to-eat food like spinach salads. Walia anticipates that unless the cleaning measures are changed, the recent national outbreak is only the beginning. 
   
• When the Oxford Press decided to publish a collection of the work of the late poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins, they made sure to involve those they considered Hopkins scholars and Victorian-era experts. The list of editors includes professors from Cambridge University, Oxford University, York University, the University of Newcastle and the only American, Jude Nixon, director of Oakland University’s Honors College.
   

• School of Business Administration Dean Jonathan Silberman presents John Tower with pictures of Elliott Hall at Tower's appreciation reception.

  John Tower has served many roles in his 38 years at Oakland University, from professor of economics and management, to adviser, to interim dean and associate dean. He retired once in 1999 only to return in 2004 to help lead the School of Business Administration while the search for a new dean was underway. Nearly a year after the new dean, Jonathan Silberman, was selected, Tower retired again. A standing-room-only crowd gathered at Meadow Brook Hall on Thursday, May 4 for an appreciation reception to wish him well in retirement — again.
   
• School of Nursing Dean Linda Thompson Adams spoke at Polytechnic University in Hong Kong to more than 100 nursing students on community empowerment. Her lecture, “Community partnership and empowerment,” gave examples and encouragement to the students to use community empowerment in their own villages. Thompson Adam’s trip to Polytechnic University strengthens the relationships between OU and the university in Hong Kong. In 2005, a professor from Polytechnic University traveled to OU to lecture on informatics in nursing.
   

• Assistant Professor of History Craig Martin provided the keynote address “Leonardo’s Science of Observation and the Application of Nature" at the opening of the Museum of Flight's exhibit on da Vinci in September. (Photo courtesy of Adam Buchanan.)

  The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash. opened the exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius,” in September 2006 and OU Assistant Professor of History Craig Martin provided the keynote address “Leonardo’s Science of Observation and the Application of Nature.”
   
• Associate Professor of Sociology Abdi Kusow grew up in Somalia and knows firsthand about the obstacles and challenges the Somalis face. Throughout his education, Kusow has studied the motives of those who have migrated to North America from other countries. As part of this, he has often studied the conflicts and cultures of countries, many from Africa. His expertise in the area has led to his involvement with the United States Institute of Peace, which provides recommendations to Congress for dealing with political hot spots. 
   
• Assistant Professor of Education Gwendolyn McMillon is a part of the Saginaw community. She went to school there, grew up there and continues to make her home in the city where her husband also works at a community church. Based on her experience in the community, McMillon saw a need. The public school teachers need help improving the students’ experiences in the area of English and language arts. With the help of a Michigan Department of Education Improving Teacher Quality Grant, McMillon is working toward that goal. 
   

• General Motors representatives thanked Director of OU’s Applied Technology in Business program and professor of management information systems, Mohammad Dadashzadeh, for his services to the ATiB program and the support he provides to its students. They presented him with a certificate and a model Corvette engine.

  On Oct. 5, General Motors representatives came to Oakland University to thank OU’s Applied Technology in Business program and professor of management information systems Mohammad Dadashzadeh for his services to the ATiB program and the support he provides to its students.
   
• Mel Gilroy, a lieutenant in Oakland University’s Police Department, came to OU in 1968 as a farm boy from Williamston who wanted to get a college education. He was drawn to law enforcement when he worked as a student dispatcher for OU’s police department. Nearly 40 years later he is still at OU, and his peers honored him for his dedication and service as the 2006 Outstanding Administrative Professional on June 12.

• Last year, Professor of Sociology Gary Shepherd literally went around the world in 80 days while on a sabbatical research leave. He was studying the communal homes of the Family International, a religious organization founded in the ‘60s. After compiling his research data, Gary’s twin brother, Gordon, a professor of sociology at the University of Central Arkansas, visited Gary at Oakland University over a year and a half to jointly write four journal articles on their observations. They also plan to write two books on related topics over the next several years. For his research on the Family International, Shepherd received the Thomas Robbins Award for Excellence in Research on New Religious Movements, an award sponsored by the American Academy of Religion.
   

• MEEMIC insurance agent John Pino, (middle left), SEHS Dean Mary Otto (middle right), and Dyanne Tracy (far right) don the beekeeper’s gear that will help Michigan students enjoy learning math, science and language arts. Kathy Hall, (far left), is a MEEMIC marketing representative.

  Bees — they can ruin a family picnic or make a group of kids run for cover on the playground. But for Dyanne Tracy, bees represent a chance to make a lasting impression on a child. Tracy, chair of the Department of Teacher Development and Educational Studies, believes beekeeping is a lost art with great learning potential. In addition to demonstrating basic biology up close, a comprehensive beekeeping curriculum unit can instill an appreciation for the environment, horticulture and agriculture as well as developing math and language skills.
   
• Assistant Professor of Engineering Huirong Fu is helping establish Oakland University as a leader in Michigan in the area of information assurance. Fu obtained sponsorship from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., for a Portable Educational Network and a grant from the National Science Foundation toward the enhancement of OU’s cyber security and networking courses. George Washington University developed the portable network with the U.S. Defense Department and Cisco Systems and sponsored three universities, including OU, to perform research and explore other opportunities for the network.
   
• In May 2006, Oakland University associate professor of anthropology Richard Stamps was awarded the Earl Borden Award for Preservation Leadership by the Rochester Hills Historic Districts Commission. The award, named for the city’s first mayor, honors Stamps’ contributions to preserving the history of the Rochester Hills area and beyond. Stamps has been a professor at OU for 32 years and serves on the Oakland County Historical Commission.

• Charles McGlothlin, assistant professor of Occupational Safety and Health and program director, was recognized by the American Society of Safety Engineers with the Outstanding Safety Educator Award earlier this summer in Seattle, Wash.

  When Charles McGlothlin, assistant professor of Occupational Safety and Health and program director, graduated with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mining engineering from West Virginia University, becoming a respected college professor was the furthest thing from his mind. He went to work for Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania. Years later, he is being recognized by the American Society of Safety Engineers with the Outstanding Safety Educator Award.

• Karen Sheridan, associate professor of theatre, represented Oakland University and Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region III at the national festival in Washington. D.C. in April 2006 as a faculty fellow in the area of theatre.
   
• Amy Johnson’s life has gone to the dogs. Project coordinator for the School of Nursing, Johnson has found a link between her love for animals and her day job. She pairs up emotionally impaired youth with unwanted dogs and watches them both blossom. Dean of the School of Nursing Linda Thompson Adams has been supportive of Johnson’s work and now the school is looking for ways to incorporate it into research efforts.
   
• Jack Staron, special lecturer in Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services, was the recipient of the College Educator Award of Excellence from the Michigan Association of Middle School Educators. The award recognized Staron’s leadership in furthering the middle school philosophy and his service to the education community.

• Line Jensen, biochemistry major, leans in to make a point with her colleague and fellow student, Jameelah Muhammad. Their professor and mentor in the lab (center) is Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, an instructor who believes strongly in fostering ethnic and cultural diversity in her laboratory.

  Pick any day of the week, and Amanda Bryant-Friedrich’s organic chemistry lab in the Science and Engineering Building is brimming with activity. It’s orderly, yet frenetic. Friendly, yet focused. Both by intention and fate, the 38-year-old Detroit resident has created a diverse laboratory where knowledge and curiosity form the basis of scientific research.

• Joan Love, assistant director of Admissions and a breast cancer survivor, hopes others don’t have to walk a mile in her shoes, but instead will walk with her to raise money for cancer research. Love has been participating in the Race for a Cure, a 5K run and fitness walk fundraiser for cancer research in the Metro Detroit area, since 2000, shortly after she finished her own cancer treatment. This year, Love registered her largest team to date and raised nearly $2,000.
   
• The accomplishments of Kathleen Moore, associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor in the Department of Chemistry, were recognized March 23 as she became the 14^th recipient of the Phyllis Law Googasian Award. The award is in honor of Phyllis Law Googasian, trustee emerita, for her commitment to OU and her dedication to the advancement of women.

• Financial Aid staff members wrapped the gifts together during their lunch hour on Dec. 5.

  A group of staff members from Career Services and Financial Aid are helping Santa make sure the holiday wishes of some local children come true. The “elves” are donating gifts to needy children through the Bloomfield Optimist Club’s Children’s Holiday Wish program. Led by Program Manager Carol Anne Ketelsen, Career Services has been participating in the program for four years. Joann Dybash, an office assistant in Financial Aid, used to work in Career Services and started the tradition last year in her office. Both offices are hoping other OU departments will join in the giving in the future.
   
• Oakland University’s Development, Alumni and Community Engagement department developed a training program for unit business managers and other University staff members with financial responsibilities on campus. Rob Saunders, director of development information services, along with Theresa Allen, gift processing manager, submitted the training program to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s annual Circle of Excellence award program and received a silver medal.
   
• Beth Talbert, special instructor of communication and communication program coordinator at the Macomb University Center, doesn’t watch TV. She doesn’t have time. She spends her free hours volunteering in the community. Her dedication to Rochester, its schools and her church earned her the 2006 Rochester Parent-Teacher Association Council’s Founders’ Day special honoree and the 2005 Volunteer of the Year award from Rochester Community Schools.
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Quality Students

• Tim Doig (left) and Kathleen Hill (center) received the Matilda R. and Alfred G. Wilson Awards and LaTorya Ellison (right) received the Human Relations Award.

  For their service and achievements as Oakland University students, seniors Kathleen Hill and Tim Doig were honored with the Matilda R. and Alfred G. Wilson Awards and LaTorya Ellison received the 2006 Human Relations Award.
   
• Four of Oakland University’s top engineering students were honored by DaimlerChrylser recently with $3,000 scholarships for their dedication to the field. The recipients are all focusing on different aspects of engineering but they all have one thing in common — they are all female. 
   
• Junior Monica Majcher has always had the desire to find out how things work. As a mechanical engineering major, she is using her natural curiosity to build a career and a future. This year, Majcher was named the Society of Professional Engineers Student Engineer of the Year for the Oakland and Michigan chapters.
   

• Alumna Sara Masters' painting "CultureBloom" is on display in the Anderson House Office Building in Lansing. Post-baccalaureate student Rachel Adler also has a piece of artwork in the Farnum Office Building. Both are part of the Art in the House and Art in the Senate program. (Photo courtesy of Sara Masters)

  While most artwork is displayed in galleries and museums, the artwork of two Oakland University students is on display in the Senate Farnum Office Building and the Anderson House Office Building in Lansing, Mich. The work of Sara Masters, CAS ’06, and post-baccalaureate student Rachel Adler is on loan from the students to the Art in the Senate and Art in the House partnership program for one year.
   
• Shyamla Mourouvapin recently received second place in the Alliance Francaise national writing contest. For the contest, which is open to non-native French-speaking students, Mourouvapin wrote an essay in French on the culture of France and other French speaking countries. While she is a native of India, Mourouvapin lived in France for eight years and her experiences helped her write the essay. 
   
• Thirty-five kids, ages six and up took to the baseball field a few weeks ago accompanied by OU’s baseball team. They had participating in a six-week campus and were anxious to test out their new skills. However, no one even bothered to keep score because it didn’t matter. What did matter was that each child was playing baseball and their parents were watching from the stands, something the parents of children with autism don’t often get to do.
   

• Lisa Dukic is participating in the Transatlantic Program, which has assigned her to a five-month finance internship in Germany.

  Lisa Dukic, CAS and SBA ’06, has never been away from home. However, she is now participating in the Transatlantic Program, which has assigned her to a five-month finance internship in Germany. While she was nervous about being on her own for the first time, she is excited about the doors the opportunity will open. The program places students with companies throughout Germany to improve their language skills and learn business customs.
   
• While considering the final project for his advanced video production class, Robert Parent, special instructor, received information from the Center for International Disaster Information about a contest seeking student-created entries of 30-second public service announcements. A group of students took the challenge head-on and placed second in the national competition.
   
• Education major John Armour has an interest in world affairs. He questions the way the world sees issues, not just how the United States views them. This summer he participated in the World Affairs Seminar to help high school students from around the globe learn to think the same way. Participants from more than 30 countries and just about every state in the U.S. gathered at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to learn about global business practices, government superpowers and how the world is connected. 
     
• Michael McGuinness, president of Oakland University Student Congress, presented his State of the Student Body address Feb. 9 in the Oakland Center Fireside Lounge. He also used the opportunity to host the Student Congress’s open forum for students to ask questions and provide feedback about student life at OU.
   

• Five students who participated in a German exchange program, along with Associate Professor of Engineering Brian Sangeorzan, visited a number of companies, including Mercedes-Benz, while in Germany.

  Five students from Oakland University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science participated in an exchange program this summer, studying at the Fachhochschule Mannheim in Germany for six weeks. With funding from DaimlerChrysler, the students participated in projects and toured a number of companies, learning about the engineering process on a global scale.
   
• Three OU graduates and one student were recently recognized for outstanding journalism abilities with awards given annually by the program, including Excellence in Journalism awards, the Oakland Press Endowed Scholarship and the Detroit Press Foundation. 
   
• The Pontiac Oakland Symphony’s Ninth Annual David Daniels Young Artists’ Concert Feb. 19 featured three Oakland University music students, including Brandon Byrne, Christina Gurne and Ronaldo Rolim.
   
• The Oakland University Repertory Dance Company traveled to Wichita State University in Kansas to participate and perform in the American College Dance Festival Association’s Central Regional Festival April 12-15. The work they performed was entitled “Diet Coke Can Save Your Life" and was choreographed by guest artist Alexandra Beller.
   

• Robert Benton, who received the Distinguished Musicianship Award, performs during the MaTilDa Awards.

  The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance celebrated the past and honored the future at the Seventh Annual MaTilDa Awards in April. The formal reception included performances, memorials and recognition of retiring Professor of Music Flavio Varani’s 34 years of service to Oakland University. The MaTilDa Awards are presented annually to honor students within MTD for their accomplishments in memory of Matilda Dodge Wilson, co-founder of Oakland University.
   
• In October 2006, Oakland University student Staci Allen was honored by Beaumont Hospital for giving her brother a priceless gift — life. Three years ago, Allen donated one of her kidneys to her older brother whose kidneys started to fail. With her brother making a near-perfect recovery, Allen is now focusing on her education and preparing to become an elementary school teacher.
   
• Students from Oakland University’s School of Nursing spend years learning about health care, the U.S. health care system and preparing for their careers as nurses. Two groups of students traveled to Europe this summer to learn about health care as it is delivered in different cultures and how the U.S. health system compares to its global counterparts. The trips not only gave the students a better look at other health care delivery systems but also provided them an insight into European cultures.
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Athletics

• Oakland University’s women’s basketball team upset top-seeded Western Illinois 65-56 to claim the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament title and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

  Oakland University’s women’s basketball team became part of an elite group March 7 as the No. 6 seed Golden Grizzlies upset top-seeded Western Illinois 65-56 to claim the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament title and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. The victory at John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, Okla., marks the first time in conference tournament history any team, men’s or women’s, has defeated each of the top three seeds to win the championship. The 16-seed Golden Grizzlies then fought hard March 19 against top-seeded Ohio State, but the Buckeyes claimed a 68-45 win over Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament. This was the Golden Grizzlies second appearance in the Women's NCAA Division I Tournament. OU’s first appearance was in 2002. The team was recognized during the Detroit Piston’s game at The Palace of Auburn Hills March 12 for its Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship and automatic berth into the 2006 NCAA Division I Tournament.  In recognition of their accomplishment as one of two women’s basketball teams from the state of Michigan to make the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, the state House and Senate honored OU’s team on Wednesday, May 3 in Lansing. Through a written resolution, members of the Michigan House and Senate congratulated the team, support staff, trainers and coaches, including Head Coach Beckie Francis.

• In addition to its success on the court last season, Oakland University's women’s basketball team proved to be just as successful in the classroom, as the Golden Grizzlies were named to the 2005-06 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Oakland, which ranked seventh on the Honor Roll, was the only Division I team from the state of Michigan in the top 25. In addition to the team ranking, senior forward Nicole Piggott was named Mid-Continental Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

• OU's men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each captured team titles at the Mid-Continent Conference championships Feb. 15-18 at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Ind. The victories marked the seventh consecutive championship for the two teams.

• Chris Sullivan earned All-America honors in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle events, setting school records in both.

  Senior Chris Sullivan earned All-America honors in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle events, setting school records in both, at the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Ga., in March. His performance alone put Oakland in the top 25 rankings in team totals, as he single-handedly earned 22 points for the Golden Grizzlies to place 25^th overall.

• Sophomore All-Mid-Continent Conference midfielder Jessica Boyle was named tournament MVP as she helped lead Oakland’s women’s soccer team to the title in the Mid-Con Tournament. The number two seeded Golden Grizzlies battled to a 1-1 draw through two overtimes with fourth-seeded Western Illinois and won the ensuing shootout 4-3 to claim their fifth Mid-Con championship in eight seasons and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

• Oakland University and Michigan State agreed to a five-year deal to play each other in men’s basketball. The agreement will start with the 2006-07 season, with the two teams meeting three times in East Lansing and twice at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

• Senior Jim Denk, a top scorer last year, returns to the top-ranked Grizzlies in 2006.

  After winning the regular season title for the third time in four years last season, the Oakland men’s soccer team has been picked as the preseason favorite for the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference championship. The Golden Grizzlies picked up three first-place votes in the preseason poll of the league’s head coaches, totaling 33 points in the poll. Oakland, which won the regular season title last year with a 5-1 conference mark, has seven returning starters and 12 letter-winners from the 2005 squad as it seeks a second straight regular season crown.

• OU’s men’s and women’s track teams began their inaugural seasons with an unscored indoor meet at Eastern Michigan University Feb. 11. The track teams are the 15th and 16th Division I sports teams at OU. The teams competed in their first Mid-Con Championships May 11-13 at Western Illinois University. The men’s team earned a seventh place finish overall while the women secured a sixth place finish.

• Seniors Anne Hafeli of Oakland’s women’s basketball team and Jeff Wiese of the men’s soccer team were named the 2005-06 recipients of the Hollie Lepley Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. The awards recognize the top senior scholar-athletes for overall excellence in academic achievement, athletic achievement and service activities.

• The OU Men's Club Hockey Team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II title on March 11. This was their second national title in three years.

  Battling injuries and sickness, Oakland University’s Men’s Club Hockey won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II national title in overtime March 11 at the national tournament in Rochester, N.Y. This was their second national title in three years.
   
• Oakland University’s club lacrosse team traveled to Plano, Texas, for the U.S. Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates national championships May 9-13. The team lost the first game to the University of Michigan, but picked up two wins in the consolation bracket. Senior players Jayme Brams, Nate Reynolds, Ed O’Leary and Joseph Opron III earned All-American team honors.

• Images, Oakland University’s dance team, had a very busy year. Between performing at men’s and women’s basketball games, participating in campus pep rallies and traveling with the women’s team to the NCAA tournament, Images also competed in the Universal Dance Association’s National College Championship in Orlando, Fla. in January, taking seventh place in the competition.
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Student Organizations

• OU SIFE earned first runner-up in their league at the national competition May 20-23, after winning the regional competition in April.

  The members of the OU organization Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) drove 12 hours in a van to Kansas City, Mo. for the SIFE USA National Exposition and Career Opportunity Fair May 20-23. Competing against schools from all over the country, OU SIFE earned first runner-up in their league for their projects and programs to teach local middle and high school students about global trade, business skills and the value of an education. The team earned the trip to the national competition after winning the regional competition in March.
   
• WXOU celebrated the station’s 40^th birthday in March.
   
• For many students at Oakland University, their bachelor’s degree is just the beginning of their education. Many plan to continue on for professional degrees, including dentistry. The Pre-Dental Society provides students a way to learn more about the profession from those in it, and prepare for the future through community service, networking and leadership opportunities.

• Students from OU's Habitat for Humanity chapter sell paper bricks and bird houses in the Oakland Center to raise money for their trip to New Orleans for Habitat's Collegiate Challenge.

  A group of 20 OU students traveled to the Gulf Coast over spring break as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge, to build houses for those whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

• A group of students dedicated to enhancing the natural surroundings on campus came up with a creative way to carry out the College of Arts and Sciences 2005-2006 Celebrating the Liberal Arts Environmental Explorations theme. The Garden Project, designed and created by Students Promoting Interest in Nature (SPIN), consists of soothing and stimulating gardens planted between Hannah Hall and the Science and Engineering Building.

• OU's student-designed and built car took 61st in the Formula SAE competition.

  Many students are interested in cars, but for 10 students from the Society of Automotive Engineers, it’s serious. The students have given up their time for the past year to build a car from scratch for the Formula SAE competition, which was held in May at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo.

• The students involved in the Product Development and Manufacturing (PDMC) Motorsports organization at Oakland University got their first taste of professional racing at the 2006 Speed World Challenge race Sept. 1-3 in Mosport, Ontario, Canada. The Students First program’s Ford Focus placed 17th out of 27 cars.
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Alumni  

• While Deborah Servitto, CAS '78, is known primarily for her service to Macomb County as circuit court judge. Since her days of serving Warren as district attorney and district judge in the 1980s, Servitto has been involved in many community service projects, including the S.M.I.L.E. program, a seminar for divorcing parents aimed at helping children cope; Care House, a child-friendly haven for young victims of sexual and physical abuse; and the Solid Ground homeless shelter and her drug treatment program and her appointment to the Michigan Court of Appeals in spring 2006.
   

• OU alumna Cheryl Angelelli is the subject of a documentary about athletes who overcome disabilities.

  OU alumna and Paralympic swimmer Cheryl Angelelli, CAS ’93, was the subject of a documentary film, “Untold Dreams,” which premiered at Andiamo’s Banquet Center in Warren, Mich., March 2. Through the film, Angelelli hopes to bring more attention to the Paralympics and athletes. Angelelli returned to the pool in 2006 and contributed to the United States Paralympic Swimming World Championship Team’s 56 medal-finish at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa in December. Angelelli won a gold medal in the women’s S4 100-meter freestyle event, a silver in the 50-meter freestyle and a gold in the 200-meter freestyle.
   
• Selected as the first pick in the third round, Oakland University soccer star Chris Edwards was taken as the 15th overall pick in the 2006 Major Indoor Soccer League draft by the expansion Detroit franchise. The senior wrapped up a very successful career at OU in the fall 2005, leading the Golden Grizzlies to the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season title. Edwards has been one of OU’s most prolific scorers, tallying 36 goals during his tenure and racking up 78 points.
   
• One business leader who has made a big impact on Oakland University's SmartZone Business Incubator (OU INC) is Thomas Randazzo, an attorney who also holds two OU degrees; an undergraduate degree in engineering (’71), and a master’s in business administration (‘80). As a charter member of the OU INC “kitchen cabinet” advisory board, Randazzo has assisted client companies as a volunteer with strategic and business issues, as well as answering legal and patent questions.

• Jacquelyn Wagner

  Jacquelyn Wagner, CAS ’03, is living her dream. Two summers ago, as a new college graduate, she auditioned for European opera roles in New York as part of the New York International Opera Auditions (NYIOP) program and landed her first opera contract with the Marseilles opera house in France. Since then, she has studied in Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship, and in September, Wagner will begin a contract with the Deutche Oper in Germany. Before becoming immersed in the opera life of Europe, Wagner got her training at Oakland University.
   
• Kevin Valentine's life was moving in the right direction. Shortly after graduating from OU in 1996, the former golf standout got married and started working as a youth pastor at a local church. He was competing in golf tournaments and hoping to make a move to the professional level. Seven months later, his life changed forever. On his way home one night, Valentine stopped to help a woman change a flat tire. While removing the spare from the back of the car, another car plowed into him at 50 mph. On Dec. 25, 1997, after 10 days in a coma, Valentine awoke with no idea his leg had been amputated. Despite the setback, Valentine is still making his mark in the golf world.
   
• Based on an award-winning program started at UCLA, Oakland University’s Future Alumni Network offered students, faculty, staff and alumni the chance to meet, mingle and network through the Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies program. As part of the program, Alumni Association members from the metro Detroit area hosted dinners for 11 other students, faculty, staff and alumni.
   
• Wendy Lull, CAS ’74, was recognized Nov. 5 with the Oakland University Alumni Association’s Odyssey Award, an honor bestowed on an alumnus/a who seeks to exemplify OU’s motto “to seek virtue and knowledge.” As president of the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, N.H., Lull not only has sought this for herself but hopes to pass it on to everyone, and she was inspired by her experience at OU.

• Nino DiCosmo, CAS ’90, said throughout his life, many people have mentored, helped and guided him. Now his accomplishments as a businessman and dedication to others have been recognized through two awards, “Crain’s Detroit Business”40 under 40 recognition and the Oakland University Alumni Association Spirit Award. Chairman of the board, president and chief executive office of AutoWEB, a Rochester-based company specializing supply chain management, DiCosmo earned a degree in political science with a minor in accounting from Oakland University. 

• With the assistance of an interpreter, Derek Kolodziej demonstrates CPR to Cambodian doctors and medical students.

  For Derek Kolodziej, medical relief trips are becoming a habit, and one that he is not likely to break anytime soon. Kolodziej, who graduated from Oakland in 2005 with a degree in history, and who has worked as an EMT for 15 years, recently completed a second relief mission to Cambodia in Southeast Asia, where, for the first time in the country’s history, he and two other volunteers helped teach CPR to some of the country’s medical students and doctors.

• Angela Jones, CAS ’02, has felt the desire to give back to the community from a young age — something instilled in her by her mom, who was involved in many volunteer activities in the ‘60s. At age 13, Jones started volunteering for Detroit Summer, a youth movement to rebuild and redefine Detroit. After college, she decided to volunteer on a global level. She joined the Peace Corps and lived in Peru for two years serving as a youth development volunteer.

• Leo Bowman, chief judge of Oakland County’s 50th District Court, has stayed close to his alma mater and close to his community.

  Judge Leo Bowman, CAS '76, hasn’t worn his Oakland University class ring for a long time now. It’s not that he has distanced himself from the university. In fact, the lifelong Pontiac resident is the current chair of the Oakland University Alumni Association board of directors, serves on the advisory board of the political science department and is constantly available to students considering a future at Oakland. No, the reason he no longer wears the diamond-stud class ring is that its prongs are loose, and Bowman doesn’t want to risk losing it before he can find the time to get it repaired.
   
• They are the corporate leaders. They make the tough decisions. They give the significant input. And they are women. Last fall, "Automotive News" published its second listing of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry. These top leaders in the automotive field work for a variety of companies and come from a number of places — including Oakland University. We profile here three of these women — Sue Cischke, Marianne Fey and Carolyn Woznicki. All are smart, engaging and driven — and proud alumnae of OU.
   
• Growing up, most grandparents tell their grandchildren the stories of their lives. Jennette Hodur, SEHS ’06, used her grandparents’ stories to help her write a book, which was published in May 2006. The book, “L is for Lest We Forget: An ABC Book of the Holocaust,” took Hodur to Washington D.C. and Poland to conduct more research.

• Kenneth Jones

  Kenneth Jones’, CAS ‘86, love for the arts came at an early age. Too shy to be an actor, he pursued arts journalism, where he could still be a part of the arts and write — another one of his passions. His career choice has taken him from a freelance entertainment reporter for the Oakland Press, to chief theatre critic for The Detroit News, and now to New York where he writes for Playbill.com.

• What does it mean to be on the front lines of the educational system? Six educators share insights, experiences and expectations with our readers. Anne Cairns Federlein, MAT ’74, president of Kentucky Wesleyan College, was honored this year with Oakland’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Clark Crews, SEHS ’95, first grade teacher at North Hill Elementary School in Rochester, Mich, grew up in Rochester, went to Rochester schools and has spent the past 11 years teaching first grade at North Hill Elementary. Daveda Colbert, principal at Clawson High School and current student in Oakland’s Ph.D. in education program, has served in her current position for five years. Sheryl Nienhaus, MA ’02, counselor at Loon Lake Elementary School in Walled Lake, Mich, was named 2004 Macomb County Teacher of the Year while serving as a counselor in the Lakeview School System. Betty J. Youngblood, CAS ’65, president of Lake Superior State University (LSSU), assumed her current position in 2002, after serving as president of Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Ore., and chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She earned a bachelor of arts degree at Oakland in South Asian area studies. Janet L. Holmgren, CAS ’68, president of Mills College in Oakland, Ca, came to Mills in 1991 from her position as vice provost at Princeton University. She served as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Maryland-College Park for 12 years before moving to Princeton. She recently spent some time talking with OU Magazine about her role as an educator.
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Diversity

• Oakland University recently became a Fulbright Association institutional member, joining the ranks of more than 165 institutions of higher education and internationally focused nonprofit organizations dedicated to the promotion of international education. 
   

• The 2006 Keeper of the Dream Award recipients with former U.N. Ambassador and political activist Andrew Young and OU President Gary Russi.

  In recognition of their strong citizenship, scholarship and leadership in breaking down cultural stereotypes and promoting interracial understanding, Oakland University honored four students at the 14th annual Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Awards Banquet March 8 in OU’s Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion. The 2006 recipients were Nerissa Brown, Margaret DeGrandis, Kirbionne Fletcher and Michael Lerchenfledt. DaimlerChrysler sponsored the keynote speaker, former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young.

• The eighth annual Diverse Voices Conference, a forum for those in higher education and the community to speak out about the value of human diversity, was held at Oakland University March 18.

• Renee Hawatmeh received the UPS Diversity Scholarship from the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation.

  The American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation recently awarded OU occupational safety and health senior Renee Hawatmeh with a United Parcel Service Diversity Scholarship for $5,250, which will help Hawatmeh finish her degree without the burden of loans. Hawatmeh credits her education at Oakland for preparing her with a solid foundation for a career in occupational safety and health — one that landed her an internship this summer at General Motors.
   
• In the short tenure of a typical Oakland University MBA student, India has transformed itself in the eyes of the typical American from an impoverished Third World nation, struggling to feed and house its masses, into a major player in international commerce. So when the School of Business Administration (SBA) last year began to formulate plans for its Study Abroad Trade Mission to India it was not undertaking an interesting side trip for the edification of a few students and faculty members. It was responding to a mandate.
   
• More than 60 potential employers attended OU’s Diversity Career Fair, looking for full- and part-time employees and interns, on Jan. 26. The goal of the Diversity Career Fair, which is open to all students of all class levels as well as OU alumni, is to get as many diverse students from the campus population as possible to attend.

• Spike Lee signs autographs after his lecture at OU on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

  Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni crowded into the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms and the overflow area in the food court to listen to actor, director and producer Spike Lee discuss the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

• Oakland University marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day with events to pay tribute to his legacy and also opened the month-and-a-half long African-American Celebration at OU. The African-American Celebration, “The African-American Journey: Liberation Through Organization," continued through Thursday, Feb. 23.

• Oakland University celebrated and embraced the diverse culture on campus during Cultural Awareness Week.

• Oakland University kicked off “Trabajando para el Futuro, Working Toward the Future” the 2006 Hispanic Celebration that will run Sept. 13-29 with presentation, dance lessons and arts and crafts that explore the history and culture of the Hispanic heritage.

• The International Students and Scholars Office is launching a new initiative to help international students become acclimated to campus life. The program, OU International Allies, pairs up an international student and a domestic student to provide both with new cultural experiences through social events and individual outings.

• Vincent Khapoya, professor of political science, received the Presidential Diversity Award given to one faculty and staff member annually.

  University Diversity and Compliance has awarded the second annual Presidential Diversity Awards to Vincent Khapoya, professor of political science, and Petra Knoche, CAS '02 and assistant director of the International Students and Scholars Office. The award recognized one faculty and one staff member who have been proactive in creating and promoting diversity on campus.

• More than 200 Oakland University employees attended a luncheon in support of the Women’s Employee Resource Group May 5, on Cinco de Mayo Day. Held on the sun-filled patios of the Oakland Center, attendees were treated to flamenco guitar music; a drawing with giveaways; and tortillas, mock sangria and Mexican wedding cookies for lunch.

• As dean of the School of Education and Human Services, Mary Otto is familiar with the teacher shortage around the country and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining good students to become future teachers in Michigan’s area schools. Otto decided to address the issue head on for the students who often have the greatest difficulty with making the decision to complete a teacher education program. Earlier this year, Otto created several five-year scholarships for incoming freshmen graduating from local urban high schools.
   
• A group of prospective students experienced what college life was like during Oakland University’s Diverse Student Leaders program Feb. 9-11. The program allows a group of underrepresented prospective students from the tri-county area the opportunity to become familiar with Oakland University, its students, faculty and staff.

• James Earl Jones spoke to a packed house at Meadow Brook Theatre on Jan. 24. Hundreds more watched a simulcast in the Oakland Center Pioneer Food Court.

  More than 600 people crowded into Meadow Brook Theatre and hundreds of others filled the overflow area in the Pioneer Food Court to hear legendary actor James Earl Jones speak Jan. 24. There also were two special guests in the audience, two cousins of Jones’ who attended and graduated from OU years ago.

• Maya Angelou doesn’t fly anymore…at least commercially, anyway. She doesn’t mind being approached by strangers in the airport, but after a pilot left the controls of an air plane to talk to her, she got a bus and now travels the country by luxury coach. On Oct. 2, her coach brought her to Oakland University where the 78-year-old poet, actress and author spoke of the people who inspired her and encouraged the university community to inspire others. 
   
• The Department of Music, Theatre and Dance presented two concerts in February as part of Oakland University’s African-American Celebration. Lettie Alston and Friends performed a concert of works by African and African-American composers. The second concert featured Jamaican-British pianist Maxine Franklin, who performed dynamic solo piano works featuring music by Africa and the African Diaspora. 
   
• Oakland University hosted festivities for the first Asian-American Celebration on campus Jan. 30-Feb. 3. Event organizers hope this becomes an annual event.

• The International Students and Scholars Office hosted the Chinese New Year Celebration Jan. 19 as a way for OU’s international students to expose their peers to traditions and celebrations of their cultures.

• Oakland University celebrated International Night April 7 to honor OU’s rich and diverse ethnic community.

• OU celebrated National Women’s History Month with the theme “Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams” with a variety of events March 8-April 12.
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National Recognition

• Oakland University’s women’s basketball team has received nationwide acclaim on its way to winning the 2006 Mid-Continent Conference championship and making it to the Division I NCAA Tournament.
   

• OU's name was displayed on The Palace floor as the host of first- and second-round games for the 2006 NCAA Division I Tournament.

  Oakland University hosted eight of the teams in the first and second rounds of the Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament March 17 and 19 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Many OU students, faculty, staff and police officers volunteered their time to help make the event run as smooth as possible.
   
• Oakland University ranked 19th nationally for its high percentage of female engineering faculty members. The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) published the results of the national study in the January 2006 issue of Prism magazine.
   
• For 19 years and counting, June Teisan has taught the same subject in the same classroom at Harper Woods Secondary School, but that doesn’t mean she’s not going places. Teisan, a seventh grade general science teacher and second-year doctoral student at Oakland University, recently added two distinctive honors to her resume: 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. Only 100 PAEMST awards are presented each year.
   

• Former OU basketball player Rawle Marshall now plays for the Dallas Mavericks. The team is in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.

  Last June, Rawle Marshall, CAS ’05, was preparing to enter the NBA draft. While he was disappointed by not being drafted, things started looking up when teams began competing over signing him as a free agent. He was signed by the Dallas Mavericks and expected to play with the Fort Worth Fliers, but he was able to play in 23 games for the Mavericks this season and will be with the team as they take on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. While Marshall isn’t on the playoff roster, he helped the team prepare for the finals as part of the practice squad before being traded to the Indiana Pacers in the off-season.
   
• It’s one of her biggest accomplishments. She has earned a Grammy nomination and a chance to play the 250-year-old Guarneri violin once owned by Niccolo Paganini, and now, Regina Carter, CAS ’85, can add MacArthur Fellow to her list of honors. Carter received one of 25 fellowships provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which will give her $500,000 to further her career as a jazz violinist.
   
• 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.
    
• Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services was recognized by the American Association of College for Teacher Education (AACTE) for its development and implementation of a gender equity assessment tool for student teachers.
   

• Jayne Houdyshell is nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway play “Well.”

  Growing up in Kansas, Jayne Houdyshell developed a passion for theatre. She dreamed about one day receiving a Tony Award for one of her performances. In 2006, she was nominated for a  Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in the Broadway play “Well.” Houdyshell credits her time spent at the Academy of Dramatic Arts at Oakland University and her experiences at Meadow Brook Theatre for getting her where she is today.
   
• As a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California Santa Barbara in the late 1980s, David Garfinkle, now a professor of physics at OU, teamed up with two other researchers to look at black holes and string theories. Together the three researchers published “Charged Black-Holes in String Theory,” which now has been cited more than 500 times in scientific literature.
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Community Outreach

• Dr. Susan Love

  Dr. Susan Love, MD, MBA, author of “Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book,” is a highly respected breast cancer researcher who believes the eradication of the disease is closer than we think. She shared her findings during the third lecture in the Varner Vitality Series Feb. 1.
   
• Oakland University recently launched “Return to Earn,” a new initiative to encourage displaced autoworkers to attend college. The program aims to help workers adapt to Michigan’s changing economy through education and offers grants of up to $1,000 to defray the cost of attendance.
   
• Oakland University’s School of Nursing (SON) hosted the 18^th Annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing on Wednesday, May 10 at the San Marino Club in Troy. The program honored eight award recipients and eight runners up for their dedication to the field of nursing. Rachel Nevada, radio personality and producer at WJR AM 760 served as the evening’s emcee. The ceremony honors nursing professionals and their contributions while raising funds for student scholarships and other department needs.
   
• Oakland University became the first university in the country to offer a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) preparedness course and graduated its first group of students from the seven-week program in January. The CERT course is based on the Department of Homeland Security national curriculum and covers theory and practical applications to prepare individuals to help themselves and the community in the event of a catastrophic disaster, especially when emergency personnel are unable to assist.
   

• Amy Marshall of the Amy Marshall Dance Company in New York one of the guest artists at the Great Lakes Dance Festival. (Photo by Lois Greenfield)

  Oakland University held the second annual Great Lakes Dance Festival this summer. The two-week summer program for students, teachers and professional dancers ages 16 and over featured an exceptional faculty of professional dance artists. Joel Hall, Amy Marshall and Laurie Eisenhower were among the artists. The Great Lakes Dance Festival offered classes in modern and ballet technique, jazz, hip hop and repertory.
   
• Elementary, middle and high school students from around the area come to OU to experience campus life and hopefully be inspired to work through the challenges they face and obtain a college degree. OU’s pre-college program, GEAR UP, recently received funding for three more years of service.

• Oakland University’s Department of History is helping the Waterford School District move toward the future by going back in time. Through a Department of Education grant, OU professors will help elementary, middle school and high school better prepare their students in the area of history. 
   
• George F. Will is a Pulitzer-Prize winning newspaper columnist and best-selling author. According to Will, he writes to support his baseball habit. A die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, Will includes many baseball analogies to reinforce his political arguments. Will participated in two lectures at Oakland University on Thursday, Oct. 26. He spent time with OU students explaining how to be successful in writing, and later in the evening he shared his political views during the College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities.

• Trainer Bonnie Karas works with TOP Performance patient Kelsey Kaline, who is getting back into shape after ACL surgery.

  You’re in the throes of a soccer match and suddenly – pop! Your knee gives or your ankle twists, taking you out for the rest of the match or maybe the entire season. What can you do to get your game back? You can sit it out on the bench or take a proactive approach. A unique program, called TOP Performance, offered by Oakland University’s Department of Campus Recreation was designed to help female athletes stay in top shape or get back in form faster.
   
• Oakland University’s King-Chavez-Parks program brought more than 1,000 middle school and high school students to campus during the 2005-2006 academic year as part of the College Day event, capping one of the program’s most successful years. The KCP mentors are gearing up for more than 100 students participating in KCP’s Extended College Day program this summer and finding ways to motivate the students to focus on school so they can get into college. Students who participate in KCP also are eligible for a number of scholarships including the McCree Scholarship and the Compact Scholarship.

• OU hosted its third annual Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Conference Friday, Oct. 20. Guest speakers include Michael Brown, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and undersecretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security, and Richard Marshall, senior information assurance representative for the National Security Agency.

• Transitions student Micah Fialka-Feldman enjoys the classes he takes at OU and also likes participating in college life.

  The Transitions Program at OU helps developmentally challenged students answer the question “what next?” in preparing themselves for life. After three years on campus, the students, peer mentors and others close to the program can say the students have certainly grown and some are succeeding beyond their wildest expectations. Transitions is a program run by Rochester Community Schools in conjunction with Oakland University to provide an age-appropriate setting as the students learn about the responsibilities of adult life.

• For teachers, summers can be a quiet and slow time. But 17 teachers who are part of Oakland University’s English as a Second Language endorsement program are spending four weeks out of their summer educating non-native English-speaking students about the English language — while earning credit toward the endorsement and possibly a master’s degree in the process.

• OU students, faculty, staff and administrators made 1,575 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to donate to local shelters and organizations.

  OU students, faculty, staff and administrators turned out Feb. 15 to help Golden Key International Honour Society assemble peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for local shelters and organizations. The 1,575 sandwiches that were made within an hour topped the 2005 record of 1,500 and the goal of 1,000.
   
• Well-known fiction writer Lee K. Abbott who wrote “All Things All at Once: New and Selected Stories,” was among the featured authors at Oakland University’s annual Far Field Retreat for Writers held in May. 
   
• Nearly 80 Oakland University students who participated in the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) were honored at a reception for their time and dedication to the campus and community. The Volunteer Incentive Program is held on a yearly basis and helps students find opportunities to get involved in the community.
   
• The Oak Park Business and Education Alliance honored Oakland University for its dedication to preparing Oak Park students for college through programs like Project Upward Bound, KCP College Day and the Wade McCree Scholars.

• Sharhar BenDoor spins dreidels with students at Harvey Swason Elementary School.

  OU’s international students began to participate in a program called Learn About Me, where they go into the community to teach children of all ages about their cultures.

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

• Oakland University and The College Board hosted the Institute for the Teaching of Advanced Placement in July. The week-long conference was for high school educators who teach advanced placement classes. More than 250 teachers from Michigan and around the world attended the conference.

• The Michigan Healthy Living Expo to celebrate health and wellness, sustainable living and an environmentally conscious lifestyle took place April 22 in the Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion. Oakland University Energy Management was one of the organizations to sponsor the event.

• Christina Goldsworthy teaches Nick Finn how to read a thermometer.

  Twenty-five seventh- and eighth-grade students from around the Metro Detroit area received an education in what it means to be a nurse. The School of Nursing’s day camp, Camp RN, gave the students a taste of the medical profession and the education they can get at Oakland University.

• Oakland University’s Katke-Cousins Golf Course was listed in Crain’s Detroit Business magazine as the 11^th toughest golf course in the state, based on U.S. Golf Association evaluations.
   
• Meadow Brook Theatre brought Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to local schools through its educational outreach program with the help of the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union.
   
• Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences presented Live Long – Live Well, a conference and informational seminar addressing the health and wellness needs of baby boomers and their contemporaries, on May 12. 
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Regional Partnerships

• On July 18, officials from Oakland University and St. Clair County Community College (SCCCC) signed an agreement that will allow students to enter bachelor’s degree programs in OU’s School of Engineering and Computer Science with junior standing, after completing their first two years at SCCCC. OU/SCCCC students may enter the computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, information technology, mechanical engineering, engineering physics or engineering chemistry programs.
   

  Jadi Inc., one of the first tenants of Oakland University's business incubator, demonstrates one of its unmanned robots during OU INC's grand opening.

• As part of Oakland University’s Founders’ Day celebration April 18, the university officially opened OU INC, a SmartZone business incubator located on campus in Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion. The OU INCubator is collaborating with Automation Alley, the Great Lakes Interchange, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Oakland County and the City of Rochester Hills to provide business services, counseling, mentoring, pre-seed funding, training and business development to start-up businesses. OU INCubator businesses have access to a network of OU resources including faculty, students and research centers.
   
• Oakland University announced that it will further its collaboration with the Thomas M. Cooley Law School by offering two new degree partnership programs. Soon, students will be able to pursue an Oakland University master’s degree in public or business administration while pursuing a Cooley juris doctor degree, saving students both time and money, according to Cooley Associate Dean for International, Graduate and Extended Programs William Weiner.
   
• Macomb Community College and Oakland University welcomed students into the state’s first joint admission, concurrent enrollment program this fall. Dubbed Macomb 2 Oakland, the program is the centerpiece of a partnership between the two higher educational institutions to bring more meaningful degree-program options directly to the residents of Macomb County.
   

• OU President Gary Russi and MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon announced the MSU/OU social work partnership.

  On Aug. 21, representatives from Oakland University and Michigan State University announced they will work together to build an accredited bachelor’s in social work (BASW) program for Oakland University. In addition, MSU will establish an advanced standing master’s in social work (MSW-AS) program on Oakland’s campus. MSU maintains one of the oldest BASW programs in the country. They plan to assign an MSU faculty member to work as a consultant to OU, assisting in the establishment of Oakland’s BASW curriculum, policies and procedures.
   
• The American Bar Association has granted Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s request to establish full, three-year Juris Doctor degree programs at its Oakland University and downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., locations. The move will allow students the opportunity to earn a law degree at any of the school’s three Michigan locations. 
   
• With an eye on the nursing shortage and the critical need for nurses to work with underserved populations, Oakland University’s School of Nursing is partnering with St. John Health System in Detroit.
   
• The Oakland community was invited to spend April 1 exploring downtown Rochester and taking advantage of special discounts and incentives offered just to OU students, faculty, staff and alumni during OU Day in Rochester. Oakland University is a proud partner of the City of Rochester.
   

• Scare Bear — a Grizzly-inspired scarecrow — was created and designed by Debra Lashbrook, art director for OU’s Communications and Marketing

  Scare Bear — a Grizzly-inspired scarecrow — joined more than 40 other custom scarecrows, built and sponsored by Rochester merchants, and on display throughout the downtown Rochester area in October and November. Scare Bear was located on the corner of Third Street and Main Street. The scarecrows help kick off the fall celebration, which culminated with the first annual Rochester Pumpkin Festival Saturday on Oct. 28, featuring the largest display of lit pumpkins in Michigan.

• Dozens of local businesses shared information with Oakland University students, faculty and staff during “Community Days at OU.” The two-day event was held in the Oakland Center on Tuesday, Oct. 3 and Wed., Oct. 4.
   
• This year marks an important anniversary for Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services. For 20 years, the OU-Guizhou exchange program, established in 1986 by the first OU delegation to China and the Guizhou Education Commission, has been building bridges and furthering teacher education on both sides of the world.
   
• The Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee chose downtown Rochester, Oakland University’s hometown, as one of only six communities for “Super City” designation as part of the celebration surrounding the Super Bowl. Rochester’s Ice Sculpture and Shopping Spectacular featured more than 40 ice sculptures throughout the downtown area, including an Oakland University Golden Grizzly ice sculpture.

• An OU police car escorts the Images dance team and OU cheerleaders down the parade route.

  Oakland University’s dance team, cheerleaders and an OU police car joined more than 120 floats, bands and participants to march down Main Street during the Rochester Hometown Christmas Parade. Broadcast live by WXYZ-TV, Channel 7, the parade features more than 130 floats, bands and participants. More than 100,000 people lined the streets to welcome Santa Claus and the holiday season on Sunday, Dec. 3. Four OU students carried the university’s sponsorship banner.
   
• Oakland University students, faculty, staff and alumni association members can take advantage of special discounts and incentives by showing the new OU Community GO Discount Card or their OU identification. More than 40 merchants from Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills and Pontiac are participating in the GO Card program, including neighborhood eateries, retail stores and service providers.
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