Faculty & Staff

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.

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

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

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. 

With the goal of protecting and strengthening Oakland University’s already exemplary academic programs, as well as providing students with extensive financial and academic support services, the Oakland University Board of Trustees on Monday approved a $271.5 million budget for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Throughout her time as an Oakland University employee, Jill Lawson has gained a reputation for going above and beyond in support of university initiatives and goals. Her dedication and commitment will be formally recognized on June 12 when she is presented with this year’s Sharon L. Wilhelm Award at the university’s Exemplary Employee Award Celebration. 

The latest First-Destination Survey Report, which is based on data from the 2015-2016 graduating class, shows positive trends for recent OU graduates in the job market and other post-graduation paths.

Barbara S. Ducatman, M.D. will join OUWB and Beaumont on July 31, 2017 where she will have an appointment at OUWB as Professor and Chair of Pathology.

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. 

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

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

The Oakland University Department of Music, Theatre and Dance recently honored some of its top student performers and distinguished alumni during the 18th annual MaTilDa Awards, which took place on April 18 in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. The “red-carpet” event included dinner and music performances, as well as award presentations recognizing exceptional service and performance by Music, Theatre and Dance students. 

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.

David Archbold, director of the International Students and Scholars Office at Oakland University, was recently selected by his peers as the 2017 recipient of the David Horner Award for Exceptional Service, which is the highest honor given out by the Michigan Association of International Educators.

On Wednesday, April 5, Oakland University held its fourth annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference. This year’s theme was “Leveraging Diversity: Creating a Community of Belonging” and featured presentations from leading experts in the field of diversity and inclusion.

Beth Talbert, a longtime Oakland University employee and community leader, recently earned the 2017 Phyllis Law Googasian Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of women. 

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.

On Wednesday, April 5, Oakland University held its fourth annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference. This year’s theme was “Leveraging Diversity: Creating a Community of Belonging” and featured presentations from leading experts in the field of diversity and inclusion. 

Transgender advocate Charin Davenport, who teaches writing and rhetoric at Oakland University, has been selected to serve on the National LGBTQ Task Force, an organization that has been promoting equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities for more than 40 years.

The Presidential Search Committee successfully performed its duties and recommended the names of highly qualified individuals to the Board of Trustees. The full Board will consider these recommendations and invite two candidates to campus for public forums and further interviews.

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. 

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’s Center for Human Animal Interventions will host a workshop on therapeutic approaches in equine-assisted interventions for counselors and social workers on Friday, June 23. 

The Presidential Search Committee has successfully performed its duties and has recommended the names of highly qualified individuals to the Board of Trustees for their consideration.

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. 

The Oakland University AP Assembly is currently seeking nominations for the 2016 Outstanding Administrative Professional Award.

On Sunday, April 2, the Oakland University community will join a worldwide movement to mark World Autism Awareness Day by bringing blue light to the Elliott Tower. This is Oakland’s third year hosting an event on its campus to highlight autism as a growing global health priority. 

Tickets are now available for Oakland University’s 2017 Varner Vitality Lecture featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Goodwin will present her talk “How Did We Get Here: The First 100 Days of an Unprecedented Presidency,” at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) on Thursday, April 13 in the Athletics Center O’rena, on OU’s campus.

The work of nearly 50 Oakland University researchers was showcased March 10 at the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters (MASAL). This year’s conference was organized by Western Michigan University and featured the work of 520 researchers. 

The Office of Public School Academies was well represented by Shawna Boomgaard, Manager of Academic Accountability, and Adam LeRoy, Administrative Coordinator for Special Services, who were selected to present at the Annual Michigan Department of Education Fall 2016 School Improvement Conference in Lansing.

Daytime and evening classes on Thursday, March 9, at the Oakland University Anton/Frankel Center in Mt. Clemens have been canceled due to a building power outage.

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.   

Being an entrepreneur isn’t just a dream for Christian Kettenbeil. Already involved in several start-up ventures, entrepreneurship is his way of life.

Students, faculty and staff gathered in Oak View Hall on Tuesday for a meet-and-greet celebrating OU’s international community. Cohosted by the Honors College and International Students and Scholars Office, the event gave attendees an opportunity to learn about each other’s ethnic backgrounds and cultural traditions amid a festive atmosphere that featured live music and international cuisine. 

The theatre program at Oakland University is designed as training for a professional life in the performing arts, but the skills theatre students build their proficiency on can be of value to anyone whose career path will involve communicating their ideas.

For the 2017 Jean and Fred Braun Memorial Lecture, the Oakland University community will welcome Aaron James Draplin to campus on Wednesday, March 1. 

More than 660 higher education professionals from throughout the United States and Canada gathered at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott this week for the 2017 Great Lakes Regional Student Success Conference, hosted by Oakland University and sponsored by The Kresge Foundation. 

The Chief Human Resources Officer for Oakland University, Libby Ciliberti, has been named a member of the 2017 Career Mastered Leaders in Action class. This distinguished group is made up of 25 metro Detroit women making an impact in their respective career fields.

Letter from Oakland University Board of Trustees Chair Richard L. DeVore on Tuesday, February 14:

As the Oakland University men’s and women’s basketball teams prepared to square off against the University of Detroit Mercy this past week, alumni and fans of the two schools were engaged in the second annual Giving Challenge. 

The Oakland University Board of Trustees has approved a $7.2 million plan to expand main campus parking capacity by more than 8 percent, as well as to create a new traffic circle at the intersection of Pioneer Drive and Meadow Brook Road.

For several days a week, Evan Hodge can be found working at his job as a courtesy clerk at a Kroger store near his hometown of Rochester. The 24-year-old greets customers, helps bag groceries and uses a pulley system to retrieve shopping carts from outside the building, among other responsibilities. 

Two Oakland University employees have been named to the Oakland County Executive’s Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. The program honors exceptional individuals, under the age of 40, who excel in their field and improve the quality of life in Oakland County. Alex Delavan, director of Sponsored Programs, and Shaun Moore, director of e-Learning, are being recognized for outstanding career achievements and community contributions. 

As part of an ongoing initiative to inspire benefits-eligible faculty and staff members to lead healthier and more active lives, a host of University departments are teaming up to launch the CARROT Wellness TM program.