Academics

This past weekend, students in Oakland University’s Project Upward Bound were in the presence of Motown greatness. Martha Reeves, leader of the famed 1960s singing group “Martha and the Vandellas,” visited OU’s campus to share stories from her life and career, stressing the importance of setting goals and cultivating confidence.

Each year, at least 2 million people in the United States become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of those infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Oakland is the third-best college in Michigan for Accounting majors, according to a recent report from Zippia.com. 

A research poster presented by Oakland University undergraduates Erika Cleary and Mary Asher was awarded the grand prize by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) at the Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference and Exposition, held June 19-22 in Denver, Colorado.

Literature buffs, take note. Oakland University is the second-best college in Michigan for English majors. 

Our popular study abroad program, Classical Theatre Study in Greece (THA 482), is in full swing, with eight students spending two and a half weeks on the island of Hydra where they are experiencing Greek life, while at the same time taking classes and rehearsing the play Electra in a new version written by Professor Karen Sheridan, based on works by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides.

Oakland University’s School of Business Administration will welcome its first Honors class in the fall of 2018, but high school seniors interested in being admitted to the program are encouraged to apply starting in July 2017 as enrollment in the program is limited to 35 students per year.

Air Force Veteran, entrepreneur, project manager, single father of three, Richard Morrow, HRM ‘17, lives the adage it’s never too late to learn. Morrow, who received the Crestmark Bank scholarship in Winter 2017, embodies persistence in pursuing a college education. 

“Learning How to Learn,” the massively popular course focused on giving students “powerful mental tools to master tough subjects” will be coming to an Oakland University classroom this fall.

Payscale and Zippia recently named Oakland University among top colleges for business majors in Michigan. The organizations recognized Oakland based on career outcomes and return on educational investment for graduates of Oakland’s School of Business Administration. 

Oakland University’s Project Upward Bound (PUB), a college preparatory enrichment program, has received a $3 million grant from the federal government. The five-year grant will help sustain one of the university’s most successful and enduring programs. Oakland University’s PUB is the second-largest in Michigan and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. 

For the third time in less than a year, Oakland University Psychology Professor Martha Escobar has received a research grant from the National Science Foundation in support of her collaborative efforts with Tuskegee University in Alabama to increase participation by minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related fields.

The Wind Symphony is Oakland University’s premier wind band. Its undergraduate and graduate student musicians are selected annually through competitive audition. Under the direction of Dr. Gregory Cunningham, director of bands, the Wind Symphony always maintains an active concert schedule both on and off campus, but next year will bring particularly exciting opportunities.

Throughout her professional career, Paulette Grass has seen many new college graduates enter the workforce and be disappointed because their career choice wasn’t what they’d envisioned. 

Every day more and more companies are leveraging the benefits of business analytics to improve customer service, enhance operational performance, identify new business markets and drive revenue growth. The industry is flourishing, and Forbes reports the market is expected to nearly double by 2020.

The Oakland University Chorale is embarking on a European Concert Tour at the end of June, and they have announced a Bon Voyage Concert on June 27 at Sweetest Heart of Mary Church in Detroit.

Oakland University students Alanna Jonna and Megan Denha will have a chance to pursue their lifelong dream of attending law school this fall, thanks to a partnership between Oakland University and Wayne State University Law School that allows students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in just six years.

For the sixth year, Huntington Ford of Rochester Hills has awarded a full-tuition, renewable scholarship to an Oakland University-bound student who has demonstrated financial need, outstanding academic performance and devotion to extracurricular activities. 

Oakland University students Adam George and Elee Younes recently received Boren Scholarships totaling nearly $40,000 to fund their study abroad programs in Tanzania and Morocco. 

Before family, friends and current medical students, the Class of 2017 received their M.D. degrees during a commencement ceremony that included being hooded by their PRISM mentors, and in some cases their family members.

After a demanding 12 weeks of competition in the two-part International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition (ICBSC), the OU Business Scholars placed second for overall performance in their world.

Oakland University's Pawley Lean Institute is pleased announce that Erika Palaian (Industrial and Systems Engineering/SECS) and Sarah Dyson (Human Resources Development/SEHS) have each been awarded a $1250 undergraduate scholarship.

The Oakland University School of Nursing has been notified that Cheryl Nickolaou, DNPc, MSN, FNP-BC is the recipient of a $20,000 Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar Program award from the Jonas Center for Nursing to continue her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at Oakland University.

Following a national search involving 61 candidates, the Oakland University Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to appoint Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., as its president, beginning July 1. Pescovitz becomes the university’s seventh president, succeeding George W. Hynd, who is completing a three-year term.

Ahmad Mansour, a Computer Science and Informatics Ph.D. candidate at Oakland University, recently won the award for Best Full Paper at the 12th annual Cyber and Information Security Research Conference held at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. 

Ten members of the OU DECA team traveled across the country to represent the Oakland business school at the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, Calif. After the first round, two OU DECA teams and one individual advanced to the final stage of the competition.

Whether you’re considering running for office or just want to learn more about the process, Oakland University is offering a new course that will help students gain a better understanding of the basics of campaign strategy, tactics and techniques.

Claudia Leandres came to the United States from her native Rio de Janeiro in 2001 as a result of her husband’s job opportunity.

The Meeting of Minds Undergraduate Research Conference will take place on Friday, May 12 on OU’s campus.The Meeting of Minds Undergraduate Research Conference, which invites students from Oakland University, the University of Michigan-Flint and the University of Michigan-Dearborn to present the results of their scholarly and creative endeavors through oral or poster presentations, will take place on Friday, May 12 on OU’s campus.

Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences recently hosted the inaugural Healthology Symposium.

Students in Oakland University’s Managing Investment Funds course (FIN 480/4900) packed their bags and headed to New York to learn at the seventh annual Quinnipiac Global Asset Management Education (GAME) VII Forum. Here, students from around the world networked with industry leaders, investment professionals, other students and faculty members from around the world to learn best investment management practices. 

Oakland University has developed an exciting new Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema Studies with a Specialization in Filmmaking, which will start enrolling students this fall.

Oakland University honored more than 30 faculty members for their scholarly achievements, dedication, path-breaking discoveries in research and critical teaching roles in educating the leaders of tomorrow during its 22nd Annual Faculty Recognition Luncheon on Wednesday, April 19.

A great leader finds joy in the success of others and inspires generations of future leaders. After 51 years in the classroom – 30 at Oakland – it’s safe to say Accounting Professor Gadis “Buck” Dillon, Ph.D., has done just that.

Starting with the fall 2017 academic term, Oakland University will implement changes in its payment and cancellation due dates.

This past week, students in the Oakland University School of Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine gathered in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms to take part in a workshop and discussion about the nation's growing opioid abuse epidemic. 

Oakland University’s MBA and Executive MBA programs rank among the best in the nation, according to CEO Magazine’s Global MBA Rankings for 2017.

Oakland University’s MBA and Executive MBA programs rank among the best in the nation, according to CEO Magazine’s Global MBA Rankings for 2017.

Students from the International Technology Academy (ITA) in Pontiac visited Oakland University last week to experience a day in the life of an Honors College student. The high school students were paired with an Honors College student with whom they attended class, listened to research presentations and lunched in Vandenberg Cafeteria. 

Oakland University is working to bridge the gap between industry’s need for  work-ready, highly skilled engineers and the availability of graduate and  undergraduate students who identify engineering as a career path of choice. 

We want to say a thank you to our OU Dance Heroes, for supporting the effort to purchase a new portable sprung dance floor for our dance program! We appreciate your commitment and support. We have received over $10,000 in gifts and pledges towards the dance floor, and are well on our way towards the goal of $30,000. 

When Oakland University leaders launched a Nonprofit Management Certificate program in 2016, part of their mission was to engage and support the surrounding region, including the city of Pontiac, with which the university shares a strategic partnership. 

Anastacia Maurer, a double major in German and History, and a member of the Honors College, has been selected as a winner of a “Come-to-Oldenburg” grant.

A Chorus Line depicts the often angst-ridden atmosphere of a Broadway audition as professional dancers, “gypsies,” compete against each other for coveted spots in the ensemble of a new show. The characters reveal their dreams and disappointments along the way.

As director of pharmacy at McLaren Oakland Hospital, Sharelle Brown, MBA ’15, was already an experienced healthcare professional when she decided to pursue her Executive MBA.

Great preparation paid off for the members of Oakland’s DECA team who competed at the Collegiate DECA state competition last month. The Oakland University team brought home 12 plaques and 20 medals. Twelve members qualified to continue on to the international competition in Anaheim, California, in April.

Jaden Fowler remembers his nervousness as a sophomore nursing student trying to master basic clinical skills, like taking vital signs, in OU’s Nursing Therapeutics Lab. 

The Search Committee continues to be very optimistic and confident of a timely and successful search.