Original Story: crainsdetroit.com
The University of Michigan has reopened its Taubman Health Sciences Library after a $55 million overhaul and rethinking of how a library for medical students should function.
Hundreds of thousands of books were moved to an off-site location and are available on demand for delivery. Becoming "bookless," the school said, frees space for medical student education. The facility on the school's Ann Arbor campus officially reopened over the weekend. An Atlanta university lawyer is following this story closely.
"Today's library can be anywhere, thanks to technology, yet there is still a desire for a physical location that facilitates collaboration, study and learning," Jane Blumenthal, associate university librarian and Taubman Library director, said in a statement.
The books were moved about two years ago before construction began. The library includes a realistic, simulated clinic; and medical students will work with those studying public health, dentistry, pharmacy, social work, nursing and kinesiology — much like they will in their future careers. An Atlanta education lawyer works with clients to ensure education adequacy because they understand the long-term economic impact.
The library also features a virtual cadaver, a life-size display that's manipulated using a touch screen to view different layers of the body, The Ann Arbor News reported. A scalpel tool also can be used to make incisions and even cut away portions of the body for inspection.
"This new space is truly designed by educators, and it shows in every detail," said Dr. Rajesh Mangrulkar, associate dean for medical student education. "For example, students can write on erasable walls and tables to help facilitate discussions and teamwork.
"There's supportive technology infused in every element, not so that it stands out but so it's an integral part of the learning environment."
The 35-year-old, 143,400-square-foot library will serve as the central learning hub for the university's nearly 780 medical students as well as provide lecture and advising space for the medical school's more than 1,100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical sciences.
The school has a historical collection of medical books at the Hatcher Graduate Library.
Showing posts with label University of Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Michigan. Show all posts
05 August 2015
20 March 2015
U-M FRATERNITY PERMANENTLY DISSOLVED FOR SKI-RESORT RAMPAGE
Original Story: freep.com
The University of Michigan's Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity has been permanently disbanded by its parent organization for not only wrecking a northern Michigan resort but also for not stepping up and facing the music.
"It is regrettable that these vandals, as well as the officers of the chapter, decided that avoiding personal accountability and/or university sanctions took priority over the welfare of the entire chapter; their lack of cooperation led to the university's withdrawal of recognition of the entire chapter for a four-year period. Sigma Alpha Mu worked in cooperation with university officials and regretfully agreed with their request to close the chapter," executive director Leland Manders wrote in a statement. An Atlanta college discipline lawyer is following this story closely.
"The action was necessary as a result of: a) the lack of cooperation by those responsible for the damage in not coming forward, b) the chapter officers' refusal to identify the members who damaged the hotel property, c) the lack of action to stop the vandalism by bystanders.
"Sigma Alpha Mu's values and standards of conduct were violated by the actions of the those members whose behavior was abhorrent.
"When the incident first occurred, the fraternity's board took immediate and decisive action by suspending the chapter from all activities until a full investigation could be conducted. As a result of that process, a membership review was conducted and most of the senior members of the chapter refused to participate."
The statement says all members have been placed on alumni status and some face disciplinary action from "various authorities." An Atlanta university discipline lawyer represents students facing disciplinary action by their college or university.
The university itself was "pleased (the national organization) followed through with this action," U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald told the Free Press, adding the actions taken by both the university and the national group prove they took the issue seriously.
U-M is still waiting for information from the police on individuals who might have been involved. No disciplinary proceedings have been started against any individuals, Fitzgerald said.
Those living in the house have until May 3 to move out. That's the official end of the school year at U-M.
This end was inevitable, said Alan Greenberg, a member of the alumni board that owns the house. The chapter leaders "chose to protect those who destroyed this chapter," he said.
Greenberg has been involved with the U-M chapter since 2004, when the house reopened after burning in 1999.
"We started with 10 kids and quickly grew," he said, noting that within a few years the U-M chapter was among the best SAM chapters in the nation.
"I'm clearly very disappointed in this," he said. "(The national organization) stated the reasons for this very clearly. It was almost a foregone conclusion this was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.
"I also fault the parents, because they didn't impose their will on the students to make them deal with this and they had chances to do so."
About 120 U-M students, members of Sigma Alpha Mu and women from its sister sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, had gathered at the ski resort in January. There was damage to 45 rooms, and students destroyed ceiling tiles and exit signs, broke furniture and doors and urinated on carpeting, pictures showed.
Damage estimates have climbed to over $400,000. State Police are investigating. No students have been charged. The prosecutor did not immediately return a request for an update.
University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel in late February barred Sigma Alpha Mu from campus life for at least four years, the most severe sanction that can be implemented against any campus student organization. He also asked the fraternity's national council to revoke its charter.
Schlissel's statement said sanctions against the fraternity include "paying full restitution to Treetops" and "participating in restorative measures in the Gaylord community."
Sorority Sigma Delta Tau was placed on a two-year disciplinary suspension because its members "stood by at Treetops Resort and allowed others to vandalize the facility," according to the U-M sanctions.
The University of Michigan's Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity has been permanently disbanded by its parent organization for not only wrecking a northern Michigan resort but also for not stepping up and facing the music.
"It is regrettable that these vandals, as well as the officers of the chapter, decided that avoiding personal accountability and/or university sanctions took priority over the welfare of the entire chapter; their lack of cooperation led to the university's withdrawal of recognition of the entire chapter for a four-year period. Sigma Alpha Mu worked in cooperation with university officials and regretfully agreed with their request to close the chapter," executive director Leland Manders wrote in a statement. An Atlanta college discipline lawyer is following this story closely.
"The action was necessary as a result of: a) the lack of cooperation by those responsible for the damage in not coming forward, b) the chapter officers' refusal to identify the members who damaged the hotel property, c) the lack of action to stop the vandalism by bystanders.
"Sigma Alpha Mu's values and standards of conduct were violated by the actions of the those members whose behavior was abhorrent.
"When the incident first occurred, the fraternity's board took immediate and decisive action by suspending the chapter from all activities until a full investigation could be conducted. As a result of that process, a membership review was conducted and most of the senior members of the chapter refused to participate."
The statement says all members have been placed on alumni status and some face disciplinary action from "various authorities." An Atlanta university discipline lawyer represents students facing disciplinary action by their college or university.
The university itself was "pleased (the national organization) followed through with this action," U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald told the Free Press, adding the actions taken by both the university and the national group prove they took the issue seriously.
U-M is still waiting for information from the police on individuals who might have been involved. No disciplinary proceedings have been started against any individuals, Fitzgerald said.
Those living in the house have until May 3 to move out. That's the official end of the school year at U-M.
This end was inevitable, said Alan Greenberg, a member of the alumni board that owns the house. The chapter leaders "chose to protect those who destroyed this chapter," he said.
Greenberg has been involved with the U-M chapter since 2004, when the house reopened after burning in 1999.
"We started with 10 kids and quickly grew," he said, noting that within a few years the U-M chapter was among the best SAM chapters in the nation.
"I'm clearly very disappointed in this," he said. "(The national organization) stated the reasons for this very clearly. It was almost a foregone conclusion this was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.
"I also fault the parents, because they didn't impose their will on the students to make them deal with this and they had chances to do so."
About 120 U-M students, members of Sigma Alpha Mu and women from its sister sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, had gathered at the ski resort in January. There was damage to 45 rooms, and students destroyed ceiling tiles and exit signs, broke furniture and doors and urinated on carpeting, pictures showed.
Damage estimates have climbed to over $400,000. State Police are investigating. No students have been charged. The prosecutor did not immediately return a request for an update.
University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel in late February barred Sigma Alpha Mu from campus life for at least four years, the most severe sanction that can be implemented against any campus student organization. He also asked the fraternity's national council to revoke its charter.
Schlissel's statement said sanctions against the fraternity include "paying full restitution to Treetops" and "participating in restorative measures in the Gaylord community."
Sorority Sigma Delta Tau was placed on a two-year disciplinary suspension because its members "stood by at Treetops Resort and allowed others to vandalize the facility," according to the U-M sanctions.
30 June 2014
ADVOCATES SOUGHT INNOVATION WHEN MAKING UNIVERSITIES SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS
Original Story: freep.com
As Michigan’s charter law was put together two decades ago, those drafting it faced a problem: Who should be responsible for authorizing charter schools and keeping an eye on them?
It could have been the Michigan Department of Education, but legislators, representatives from then-Gov. John Engler’s office and others working on the law didn’t want to tie up the schools in a traditional education bureaucracy.
That led to the state’s 13public universities. With 10 of the 13 boards running the schools featuring board members handpicked by Engler, the move was made to make those schools the backbone of the charter system.
Engler “knew he had appointed the board members, so he knew he would have influence,” said Jim Goenner, an early CMU hire who became the director of CMU’s charter school office. Goenner, now president/CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, said he believes the universities are doing a good job running the charter school system.
Western Michigan University and Michigan Technological University are the only state universities with an appointed board that do not have charter schools.
In the late 1990s, a faculty committee looked at whether Western Michigan should start schools. The recommendation was that WMU become involved only in charter schools that had the support of existing traditional public schools, WMU spokeswoman Cheryl Roland said. The university did get involved in planning for one middle school, but it never opened — and the university has not pursued doing another one.
Michigan Technological University never pursued charters in part because it does not have a teaching college.
The three Michigan public universities with elected boards — University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University — don’t have any charters.
At U-M, the decision not to charter schools is simple, said longtime board member Andrea Fischer Newman.
“We’re not in the K-12 charter school business,” she said.
Longtime officials at MSU couldn’t remember any formal discussion of chartering schools by MSU’s board.
But Wayne State jumped in early — opening its own public school in 1993, even before the charter law took effect. It was turned over to Detroit Public Schools in 2002. WSU officials said at the time they wanted to partner with DPS, not compete with it for students. Today, Wayne State has no charters.
Twenty years after the law took effect, Dan DeGrow, former Republican Senate majority leader, said he still likes having universities involved. He believes the charter system is a mixed bag now and would like to see the law require more connection to the universities’ schools of education, which train teachers.
“I would require any charter authorizer to be heavily involved in setting curriculum, hiring staff and making decisions (for the charter school).
“If they had more involvement, then if things went wrong, it would be embarrassing for the universities and perhaps they would act sooner to fix or close the schools.”
As Michigan’s charter law was put together two decades ago, those drafting it faced a problem: Who should be responsible for authorizing charter schools and keeping an eye on them?
It could have been the Michigan Department of Education, but legislators, representatives from then-Gov. John Engler’s office and others working on the law didn’t want to tie up the schools in a traditional education bureaucracy.
That led to the state’s 13public universities. With 10 of the 13 boards running the schools featuring board members handpicked by Engler, the move was made to make those schools the backbone of the charter system.
Engler “knew he had appointed the board members, so he knew he would have influence,” said Jim Goenner, an early CMU hire who became the director of CMU’s charter school office. Goenner, now president/CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, said he believes the universities are doing a good job running the charter school system.
Western Michigan University and Michigan Technological University are the only state universities with an appointed board that do not have charter schools.
In the late 1990s, a faculty committee looked at whether Western Michigan should start schools. The recommendation was that WMU become involved only in charter schools that had the support of existing traditional public schools, WMU spokeswoman Cheryl Roland said. The university did get involved in planning for one middle school, but it never opened — and the university has not pursued doing another one.
Michigan Technological University never pursued charters in part because it does not have a teaching college.
The three Michigan public universities with elected boards — University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University — don’t have any charters.
At U-M, the decision not to charter schools is simple, said longtime board member Andrea Fischer Newman.
“We’re not in the K-12 charter school business,” she said.
Longtime officials at MSU couldn’t remember any formal discussion of chartering schools by MSU’s board.
But Wayne State jumped in early — opening its own public school in 1993, even before the charter law took effect. It was turned over to Detroit Public Schools in 2002. WSU officials said at the time they wanted to partner with DPS, not compete with it for students. Today, Wayne State has no charters.
Twenty years after the law took effect, Dan DeGrow, former Republican Senate majority leader, said he still likes having universities involved. He believes the charter system is a mixed bag now and would like to see the law require more connection to the universities’ schools of education, which train teachers.
“I would require any charter authorizer to be heavily involved in setting curriculum, hiring staff and making decisions (for the charter school).
“If they had more involvement, then if things went wrong, it would be embarrassing for the universities and perhaps they would act sooner to fix or close the schools.”
30 July 2012
Full Employment in Ann Arbor's Future
Story first reported from Detroit Free Press
Full employment -- when everybody who wants a job can find
one in a reasonable time -- is something you'd expect to see in places such as
North Dakota and Texas, not Michigan.
Ann Arbor is getting closer to this
economic nirvana. Help-wanted signs have popped up in the windows of some of
its crowded restaurants and bars, and the area's online jobs portal for
high-skilled workers has nearly 900 job listings yet to be filled. In late
June, the Web security firm Barracuda Networks announced plans to create 184
jobs in Ann Arbor for software engineers and other technical workers during the
next three years.
With the lowest jobless rate in the state, 6.2% in June,
the college town has rebounded from the loss of 2,100 Pfizer jobs and the
demise of Borders' corporate headquarters. With a vibrant downtown, a Big Ten
university and cultural activities such as this month's art fair, Ann Arbor is
leading Michigan's economic recovery.
Ann Arbor is the new job growth center of the greater
Detroit region, said Richard Florida, an economist at the University of
Toronto's Rotman School of Management and author of the best-seller "The
Rise of the Creative Class."
He said Ann Arbor resembles Austin, Texas, in the 1990s and
Boulder, Colo., in the early 2000s. It tied for fourth place on his list of the
top 20 creative metro areas in the country, behind only Boulder, San Francisco
and Boston.
Stores and restaurants are full, and it all looks and feels
affluent, said Donald Grimes, the co-author of a Washtenaw County economic
outlook report and a senior research specialist at the University of Michigan's
Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy.
It took Tyler Mettie just two weeks to land a part-time job
after he stepped up his search efforts. On July 16, the 20-year-old Washtenaw
Community College student started washing dishes at Tios, a Mexican café on
East Liberty Street.
Ann Arbor's jobless rate plunged to a recent low of 5% in
April. Along with the rest of the state, this rate has since increased because
many people who previously had stayed out of the job market now are looking for
work.
Economists say that Ann Arbor's rate of full employment is
likely in the 4% range. For the country as a whole, full employment -- also
known as the natural unemployment rate -- was 6% in late 2011, according to the
Congressional Budget Office. In June, the U.S. jobless rate stood at 8.2%.
Full employment is the jobless rate that if you dip below
it would spark inflation, said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic
Policy Institute. It can never be 0% because there are always people changing
jobs.
The labor market, however, can vary
widely from one metropolitan area to the next. Just 33 miles to the east of Ann
Arbor, the Detroit metro area has a jobless rate of 10.2%, the highest in the
state.
What accounts for the difference? "The work force in
Ann Arbor is far better educated than the work force in Detroit and the
suburbs," Grimes said.
Donna Doleman, vice president of marketing, communications
and talent at Ann Arbor SPARK, the area's economic development organization,
said the Ann Arbor job market is thriving because it is diversified, with
industries such as health care, software, life sciences and automotive research
and development.
So far this year, employers have posted 1,737 jobs on
SPARK's online jobs portal ( www.annarborusa.org/talent/jobs ), and 850 of
these positions have been filled.
All of this is a turnaround from five years ago, when the
pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced plans to shutter its massive Ann Arbor
research campus, a loss that Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje describes as similar
to the closing of an auto plant.
A third of the 2,100 laid-off Pfizer workers wound up
staying in Ann Arbor, and in recent years the University of Michigan has
stepped up its efforts to transfer its technology to local businesses. The area
is now home to dozens of start-up firms.
The tighter labor market means employers such as Terumo
Cardiovascular Systems and ProQuest have had to become more proactive to find
the talent they need.
Terumo, which makes heart-lung machines and other medical
devices, has 35 positions to fill and has hired almost 200 workers during the
last 18 months. To find experienced medical device workers, the company has
participated in Michigan Economic Development Corp. recruiting events in Boston
and northern California.
Like other companies, Terumo gets a flood of résumés when
it posts any entry-level positions that require only a high school education.
But for technical positions, DeLuca said they are happy to get 3 to 10
applications.
ProQuest, a research products firm, held its first-ever job
fair at its Ann Arbor headquarters in mid-June to fill 20 information
technology positions, including Java software developers and Oracle developers.
The job fair drew 50 people, with the company choosing to do further interviews
with 16 of them. So far, ProQuest has hired three people from this group, but
it still has about 40 positions to fill in Ann Arbor..
High-skilled workers aren't the only ones in demand. Tios
is struggling to find delivery drivers, who earn $6 an hour plus delivery charges
and tips.
To be sure, Ann Arbor's jobless rate is still high enough
that many people are searching for work for months, not weeks. Keely Ann
Kaleski, 53, has been sending out résumés and going to job fairs and networking
events since late May. The former software implementation and training manager
now is targeting smaller companies and increasing her networking efforts.
The last time Kaleski had looked for work was in 2005, and
back then it only took her a month to find a new job. "Everything is just
taking a lot longer," the Ann Arbor resident said.
But Kaleski may not have to wait much longer to get hired.
Economists expect the jobless rate in the Ann Arbor area will continue to
decline. After all, before the recession, the area's annual unemployment rate
hovered in the 4% range.
Grimes predicts that Ann Arbor will get to full employment,
because universities tend to be very stable employers.
More Details: Ann Arbor's largest employers as of January
2012 for the metro area.
1. University of Michigan
2. University of Michigan Medical
Center
3. Trinity Health
4. Ann Arbor Public Schools
5. ACH Saline (auto supplier)
For more national and
worldwide Business News, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For more local and
state of Michigan Business News, visit the Michigan
Business News blog.
For more Health News, visit the Healthcare and Medical
News blog.
For more Electronics News, visit the Electronics
America blog.
For more Real Estate News, visit the Commercial and
Residential Real Estate blog.
For more Law News, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For more Advertising News, visit the Advertising,
Marketing and Media blog.
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Responsibility News blog.
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website optimization or for the latest SEO News, visit the SEO Done Right blog.18 June 2010
U of M Solar Car Tops Out at 105 MPH
cNet
The 2010 American Solar Challenge isn't until next week, but records may have already been broken. In testing, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team's Infinium clocked speeds of more than 100 mph for 30 seconds at Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Proving Ground, achieving a top speed of 105 mph.
"No one we have spoken to has ever heard of a solar car reaching 100 mph, and a U-M car has never reached it," said Rachel Kramer, the team's project manager. "Our goal for the 2010 American Solar Challenge is to win Michigan's sixth North American championship. We hope to win an unprecedented third consecutive title."
While the high speed should theoretically help the team reach the finish line first, all drivers must obey all posted speed limits in the 1,100-mile competition, which begins in Tulsa, Okla., to near Chicago. This week the solar-car team is competing in the Formula Sun Grand Prix, the qualifying event that leads up to the race on June 20.
The Infinium is the tenth vehicle built by the UM solar-car team. Last year UM placed third place with this car at the 2009 Global Green Challenge (formerly the World Solar Challenge) and this year hopes to take first place.
Five of the university's vehicles have won the American Solar Challenge (formerly the North American Solar Challenge) in the open class, and four have placed as high as third in the Global Green Challenge, but no American team has won it since General Motors in 1987.
"No one we have spoken to has ever heard of a solar car reaching 100 mph, and a U-M car has never reached it," said Rachel Kramer, the team's project manager. "Our goal for the 2010 American Solar Challenge is to win Michigan's sixth North American championship. We hope to win an unprecedented third consecutive title."
While the high speed should theoretically help the team reach the finish line first, all drivers must obey all posted speed limits in the 1,100-mile competition, which begins in Tulsa, Okla., to near Chicago. This week the solar-car team is competing in the Formula Sun Grand Prix, the qualifying event that leads up to the race on June 20.
The Infinium is the tenth vehicle built by the UM solar-car team. Last year UM placed third place with this car at the 2009 Global Green Challenge (formerly the World Solar Challenge) and this year hopes to take first place.
Five of the university's vehicles have won the American Solar Challenge (formerly the North American Solar Challenge) in the open class, and four have placed as high as third in the Global Green Challenge, but no American team has won it since General Motors in 1987.
04 May 2010
U of M Student Steals Spotlight at Commencement Ceremony
Ann Arbor
University of Michigan graduate Alex Marston, the designated student speaker for the commencement ceremony this morning, briefly grabbed the spotlight by delivering a whimsical, thoughtful speech reflecting on the importance of embracing change.
Marston, referencing the “change you can believe in” theme from President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, said students need to embrace change even when it feels unpleasant.
“As a nation, we have found that changes can bring us together. But they can also tear us apart,” the English major and Rockville, Md., native said. “Today we must reexamine our views toward change. We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity.”
Marston, who could not be reached by AnnArbor.com after the speech, was the star of the show among seven speakers preceding Obama on the podium.
He was only given four minutes, but he made the most of it, sprinkling his speech with thoughtful reflections, Ann Arbor references and a little bit of Wolverine humor.
“We can see our ambivalence about change here on campus, as well. After the horror of a certain football game played here a few years ago, many were thrilled when Michigan hired a coach who would bring a new energy and style of football to our school. But after two seasons, change has been slow and full of growing pains,” Marston said in a sly reference to U-M’s disastrous loss to Appalachian State and the subsequent hiring of controversial coach Rich Rodriguez, whose tenure thus far has been a disappointment.
That line drew laughter from U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, who could be seen leaning toward Gov. Jennifer Granholm and whispering something.
The speech drew high praise. Obama said he “really liked Alex’s remarks” - an observation not included in the prepared text of the president’s speech.
Marston devised his speech strategy in the weeks before the ceremony with retired speech communication professor Al Storey, who has advised every student speaker since 1998.
The speech alternated between wit and introspective cultural analysis. On a serious note, Marston offered a purposeful critique of Generation Y, saying “we desire change, yet we fear it.”
“We say things like, ‘I just want to make a difference in the world,’ yet we grow uneasy when the world around us changes,” he said. “We invent new technologies and then we worry that they will ruin our values and our traditions. We want instant gratification without hard work or sacrifice.”
The instant gratification provided by Ann Arbor’s legendary cuisine destinations, however, was altogether welcome.
“We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity,” Marston said. “While most of us will no longer be able to spend our Fridays at Charley's and our Sundays at the UGLi, we will create new traditions and find new goals to achieve.”
Here’s the text of Alex Marston’s speech, as transcribed by AnnArbor.com:
Thank you, Dean McDonald. President Obama, distinguished guests, faculty, friends, family and fellow graduates:
Today, we graduates are forced to change, to move forward in a new direction. But change is a funny thing. We desire change, yet we fear it. We say things like, ‘I just want to make a difference in the world,’ yet we grow uneasy when the world around us changes.
We invent new technologies and then we worry that they will ruin our values and our traditions. We want instant gratification without hard work or sacrifice. President Obama was elected on his promise of “change we can believe in.”
But after he took office, he found many resistances to change. (Obama nods and smiles.)
As a nation, we have found that changes can bring us together. But they can also tear us apart. We can see our ambivalence about change here on campus, as well. After the horror of a certain football game played here a few years ago, many were thrilled when Michigan hired a coach who would bring a new energy and style of football to our school. But after two seasons, change has been slow and full of growing pains. (Coleman laughing).
Today we must reexamine our views toward change. We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity. While most of us will no longer be able to spend our Fridays at Charley’s and our Sundays at the UGLi, we will create new traditions and find new goals to achieve. With what we have attained at the University of Michigan, we will become the teachers, doctors, lawyers and engineers who will shape the future of our country.
Of course, there are some changes that cannot be spun in a positive light. After all, there is no deli in the world that can match the pastrami at Zingerman’s and no burger whose grease is quite as delectable as the grease of a Blimpy Burger.
But still we must embrace change and follow the lead of Michigan graduates who have changed the world.
Arthur Miller, who in 1949 redefined American theater with his play “Death of a Salesman.” Margaret Brewer, who in 1978 became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the United States Marine Corps. And Gerald Ford, who, after being named the most valuable player on the 1934 Michigan football team, went on to become the leader of the free world.
So as we graduate today, I encourage us to embrace change and realize that we can make a difference. We can join the ranks of over 400,000 living Michigan alumni.
And when we’ve reached our goals, we can look back on our time together at Michigan and be grateful to a university that has provided us with the tools and the will to make the world a better place. Go Blue!
Marston, referencing the “change you can believe in” theme from President Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, said students need to embrace change even when it feels unpleasant.
“As a nation, we have found that changes can bring us together. But they can also tear us apart,” the English major and Rockville, Md., native said. “Today we must reexamine our views toward change. We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity.”
Marston, who could not be reached by AnnArbor.com after the speech, was the star of the show among seven speakers preceding Obama on the podium.
He was only given four minutes, but he made the most of it, sprinkling his speech with thoughtful reflections, Ann Arbor references and a little bit of Wolverine humor.
“We can see our ambivalence about change here on campus, as well. After the horror of a certain football game played here a few years ago, many were thrilled when Michigan hired a coach who would bring a new energy and style of football to our school. But after two seasons, change has been slow and full of growing pains,” Marston said in a sly reference to U-M’s disastrous loss to Appalachian State and the subsequent hiring of controversial coach Rich Rodriguez, whose tenure thus far has been a disappointment.
That line drew laughter from U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, who could be seen leaning toward Gov. Jennifer Granholm and whispering something.
The speech drew high praise. Obama said he “really liked Alex’s remarks” - an observation not included in the prepared text of the president’s speech.
Marston devised his speech strategy in the weeks before the ceremony with retired speech communication professor Al Storey, who has advised every student speaker since 1998.
The speech alternated between wit and introspective cultural analysis. On a serious note, Marston offered a purposeful critique of Generation Y, saying “we desire change, yet we fear it.”
“We say things like, ‘I just want to make a difference in the world,’ yet we grow uneasy when the world around us changes,” he said. “We invent new technologies and then we worry that they will ruin our values and our traditions. We want instant gratification without hard work or sacrifice.”
The instant gratification provided by Ann Arbor’s legendary cuisine destinations, however, was altogether welcome.
“We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity,” Marston said. “While most of us will no longer be able to spend our Fridays at Charley's and our Sundays at the UGLi, we will create new traditions and find new goals to achieve.”
Here’s the text of Alex Marston’s speech, as transcribed by AnnArbor.com:
Thank you, Dean McDonald. President Obama, distinguished guests, faculty, friends, family and fellow graduates:
Today, we graduates are forced to change, to move forward in a new direction. But change is a funny thing. We desire change, yet we fear it. We say things like, ‘I just want to make a difference in the world,’ yet we grow uneasy when the world around us changes.
We invent new technologies and then we worry that they will ruin our values and our traditions. We want instant gratification without hard work or sacrifice. President Obama was elected on his promise of “change we can believe in.”
But after he took office, he found many resistances to change. (Obama nods and smiles.)
As a nation, we have found that changes can bring us together. But they can also tear us apart. We can see our ambivalence about change here on campus, as well. After the horror of a certain football game played here a few years ago, many were thrilled when Michigan hired a coach who would bring a new energy and style of football to our school. But after two seasons, change has been slow and full of growing pains. (Coleman laughing).
Today we must reexamine our views toward change. We must embrace change and realize that with every change comes new opportunity. While most of us will no longer be able to spend our Fridays at Charley’s and our Sundays at the UGLi, we will create new traditions and find new goals to achieve. With what we have attained at the University of Michigan, we will become the teachers, doctors, lawyers and engineers who will shape the future of our country.
Of course, there are some changes that cannot be spun in a positive light. After all, there is no deli in the world that can match the pastrami at Zingerman’s and no burger whose grease is quite as delectable as the grease of a Blimpy Burger.
But still we must embrace change and follow the lead of Michigan graduates who have changed the world.
Arthur Miller, who in 1949 redefined American theater with his play “Death of a Salesman.” Margaret Brewer, who in 1978 became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the United States Marine Corps. And Gerald Ford, who, after being named the most valuable player on the 1934 Michigan football team, went on to become the leader of the free world.
So as we graduate today, I encourage us to embrace change and realize that we can make a difference. We can join the ranks of over 400,000 living Michigan alumni.
And when we’ve reached our goals, we can look back on our time together at Michigan and be grateful to a university that has provided us with the tools and the will to make the world a better place. Go Blue!
02 December 2009
U of M Settles Suit Over Student's Dismissal
Detroit News
The University of Michigan agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit with a former dental student who claimed she was illegally kicked out of school.
The details are in a document obtained Friday by the Associated Press under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.
The AP reported a settlement on Oct. 30, but the university and Alissa Zwick's lawyer had refused to talk about it, citing a confidentiality clause.
Zwick sued dental school faculty members over her dismissal and won a $1.7 million verdict nearly a year ago. The university was appealing the verdict when it decided to settle the case.
Zwick is getting about $675,000. Her lawyer, Deborah Gordon, is getting nearly $327,000. Zwick claimed her rights were violated when she was dismissed.
The details are in a document obtained Friday by the Associated Press under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.
The AP reported a settlement on Oct. 30, but the university and Alissa Zwick's lawyer had refused to talk about it, citing a confidentiality clause.
Zwick sued dental school faculty members over her dismissal and won a $1.7 million verdict nearly a year ago. The university was appealing the verdict when it decided to settle the case.
Zwick is getting about $675,000. Her lawyer, Deborah Gordon, is getting nearly $327,000. Zwick claimed her rights were violated when she was dismissed.
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