Faculty & Staff

Minnesota’s Black Community in the 21st Century, a book co-edited by Oakland University Professor Chaunda L. Scott, has received the 2020 R. Wayne Pace Human Resource Development Book of the Year Award from the Academy of Human Resource Development, a global professional organization that encourages and highlights the systemic study of human resource development theories, processes, and practices.

The Oakland University Center for Autism is offering a free virtual event series for Autism Awareness Month in April. The series will highlight various topics, including World Autism Day, jobs in the autism field, personal insights about living with autism, and autism research at OU. 

For a second straight election cycle, Oakland University has been designated a “Voter Friendly Campus” by the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The designation is valid through December 2022. 

Oakland University Professor Scott Tiegs is a co-author on a new study that examines how glacier loss, driven by global warming, affects glacier-fed river ecosystems. The study was published March 15 in the journal Nature Climate Change. 

Oakland University and William Beaumont Hospitals have extended their affiliation agreement through 2041.

Oakland University has been named to Phi Theta Kappa’s 2021 Transfer Honor Roll, which recognizes excellence in the development and support of dynamic and innovative transfer pathways for community college transfer students. 

Now in its 37th year, Oakland University’s Women and Gender Studies Film Festival will spotlight the documentary film “KIKI” from 6-7:30 p.m. on March 13 via Zoom. 

Since June 2018, David McCallum has worked for Custom Biogenic Systems, where the main mission is keeping things cold – freezing cold. The company serves an array of clients whose work depends on state-of-the-art cryogenic equipment. They include pharmaceutical and biotech firms developing vaccines. At his job, McCallum uses computer software to design equipment that allows for safe storage and transport of these and other climate-sensitive materials. 

Upon recommendation by the Office of Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Britt Rios-Ellis, and with support of President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, the Oakland University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a request to appoint David Garfinkle, Ph.D.; Zissimos Mourelatos, Ph.D.; and Barbara Oakley, Ph.D. to the rank of Distinguished Professor at the formal February meeting. The appointment is effective August 15, 2021.

Starting today, Oakland University is distributing an additional $6.9 million in emergency relief funds to eligible students enrolled in the Winter 2021 semester. Those who qualify for an award were notified via their OU email. 

Nearly 300 students from a variety of health-oriented academic programs recently took part in Oakland University’s fifth annual Interprofessional Education Workshop on opioid abuse. Although this year’s event was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, it featured plenty of insights into the challenges and opportunities health professionals have to deliver the highest quality of patient care. 

If you want to change your life and the way you see the world – study abroad. 

Xiangqun Zeng, distinguished professor of analytical chemistry, was invited to give a talk during a virtual celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The February 11 event is hosted by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in collaboration with the Leibniz‐Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) and Space Foundation.

Oakland University and Kirtland Community College have forged a series of new articulation agreements that will help Kirtland students transition to OU in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Sciences, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Integrative Studies. The agreements help students save money by increasing the number of credits they may transfer to OU for each program. 

February 2 is Groundhog Day. But this year, it’s also the day of Oakland University’s first-ever Day of Giving – and greatness is in the forecast. The 24-hour event starts at midnight and invites OU faculty, staff and supporters to contribute to their favorite OU gift funds, which include scholarships, departments, programs, and more. 

In response to the state’s recent reallocation of $30 million in Michigan Capital Outlay funds toward the planned renovation and expansion of South Foundation Hall, the university will close the building and establish an associated construction perimeter on Monday, February 1.

Oakland University has been awarded a $321,075 Healthy Aging grant by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund in support of the university’s HOP-UP-PT (Home-based Older Persons-Upstreaming Prevention-Physical Therapy) program.

Led by a group of Oakland University researchers, the largest study of genetic diversity in Ukraine has been published in the open science journal GigaScience. The study provides data on genetic variants associated with human health and describes historical factors that helped give rise to remarkable genetic variation in a part of the world that has been underrepresented in genome research. The project was an international effort that brought together researchers from Ukrainian institutions, headed by Uzhhorod National University, as well as institutions in the U.S. and China. 

As the pandemic continues, many students have lost jobs and income, and some are dealing with family members who are sick. OU is committed to providing support in the face of these challenges. Applications are being accepted for emergency aid through the OU Student Emergency Relief Fund. 

Recent Oakland University graduate Shreyas Gavit was part of an innovative team that won the Salesforce Career Journey with Deloitte, a case study competition in which college students were tasked with helping a fictional online retailer meet recruiting and hiring challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Dr. Alta Marie Boover, an assistant professor of voice at Oakland University, will present a virtual performance of Bon Appétit — a one-woman operatic scene by Lee Hoiby based on Episode No. 228 of Julia Child’s PBS television show “The French Chef” — at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 on Zoom.

UPDATE: Here is the Oakland University YouTube link to watch Monday, Jan. 18th's Keeper of the Dream virtual event. The premiere begins at 11:30AM.For helping break down stereotypes and promote racial and cultural understanding, nine students will be recognized during Oakland University’s 29th annual Keeper of the Dream Awards Celebration. This year’s event will be broadcast via YouTube on Monday, January 18, 2021, starting at 11:30 a.m. The link will be posted at Oakland.edu. 

Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services received a perfect score on its latest accreditation report from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, a national group that evaluates teacher education providers. 

To honor this year’s summer and fall graduates, Oakland University will host a virtual commencement celebration on Saturday, December 19. The pre-recorded event will be broadcast on OU’s YouTube channel starting at 10 a.m. 

Dr. Brandy A. Randall, dean of the Graduate School at Oakland University, has been appointed to serve a two-year term as a member of the Council of Graduate Schools’ Advisory Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy. Her term will begin in January 2021.

Todd Shackelford, distinguished professor and chair of Oakland University’s Department of Psychology, is editor of the newly published SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology. This comprehensive, up-to-date reference text provides a rich overview of the most important theoretical and empirical work in the field. 

To help protect campus from a COVID-19 outbreak, Oakland University is offering students, faculty and staff an advanced technology device called the BioButton, created by BioIntelliSense Inc. These wearable devices are now available to students, faculty and staff free of charge.

Oakland University percussion students, faculty, and alumni participated in the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), which took place Nov. 13-14.

FALL EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:Our fall performance season kicked off with Mark Stone’s annual Peace Day concert on Sept. 20. The event happened live in the Varner Hall Courtyard and was livestreamed on the SMTD Facebook page. Professor Stone was interviewed by Civic Center TV, during which he discussed the return to campus and the Peace Day concert.

Adam Avery, an assistant professor of biochemistry, has been awarded a three-year, $400,000 grant to research gene mutations associated with Spinocerebellar Ataxia, a degenerative brain disorder that affects motor skills, including balance, coordination and speech. 

Mark Navin, Ph.D., professor and chair of philosophy at Oakland University, recently co-authored an article for Pediatrics — the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics — about the non-acceptance of vaccine refusers in primary care.

Join us as C. Michelle Piskulich, Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, interviews Oakland University's two newest deans.Polly Boruff-Jones, Dean of the University Libraries, was hired in April 2020 and Brandy Randall, Dean of the Graduate School, was hired in July 2020.

Actress, activist, recording artist and author Keke Palmer encourages everyone to live their best life by “breaking the chains of limiting ideas.” She will share her wisdom and experiences with the OU community via Zoom on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. 

A recent study led by Oakland University Professor Tanya Christ indicates that minority students’ reading comprehension improves when reading culturally relevant books whose characters, places and events align well with their own cultural and experiential backgrounds.

To better serve the needs of transfer students, Oakland University has expanded its partnerships with Oakland Community College and Washtenaw Community College. 

All emergency grant funding that Oakland University received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)  has been disbursed to eligible students. A total of $6,898,412 in emergency grants was distributed among 11,504 students to help ease financial burdens brought about by the pandemic. 

Oakland University’s Healthology Symposium is going virtual this year and will focus on the creative solutions developed across different health sectors in response to the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strong recruiting ties were a driving force behind Ford Motor Company’s generous donation of 50,000 disposable masks to the Oakland University community. The Dearborn-based automaker made the donation through its philanthropic arm, the Ford Motor Company Fund, as part of a goal to distribute 100 million masks nationwide. 

Julian RrushiJulian Rrushi has been awarded a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to discover the physics of cyberspace, an emergent research area that could revolutionize the field of cybersecurity. 

Following a national search, Oakland University has selected Britt Rios-Ellis to serve as Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost pending Board of Trustees approval. She will begin her appointment on January 4, 2021.

A grant from the National Science Foundation recently helped researchers at Oakland University acquire a flow cytometry cell sorter, a scientific instrument which will allow for hands-on collaborative research in the areas of amphibian biology, plant genomics, and stem cell biology.

For the seventh consecutive year, Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for political science college students, has recognized Oakland University’s Nu Omega chapter with a Best Chapter Award. 

Oakland University’s PI Academy, which trains early-career faculty in the key aspects of becoming a nationally recognized researcher and scholar and then pairs them with prestigious scholars from across the nation, is going virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meaghan Barry, partner and creative director and Unsold Studio and associate professor of graphic design at Oakland University, has been selected as a Crain’s Detroit Business’ 2020 Notable Woman in Design.

This year, Oakland University is taking its student-run hackathon virtual. The 36-hour GrizzHacks competition, in which students develop a variety of technology-based projects, will take place September 18-20. 

“When you go to a foreign country, you learn so much about yourself and different cultures,” says senior journalism major Claudia Marques Molina. “It opens your mind and becomes part of you.”