In the news

News outlet logo for favicons/huffingtonpost.com.png

Ian Studders quoted in Huffington Post about retail at Wayne State

As unique small businesses continue to sprout and help transform Detroit's economic landscape, a largely untapped retail concept is quickly gaining steam called pop-up. Retailers are seeking pop-up shops, temporary stores that \"pop up\" one day then disappear shortly thereafter. Universities are starting to get into the mix. \"Our interest in pop-up stores is tied to the flexibility they provide WSU -- we could \"test\" a number of new and interesting stores in this pop-up setting, see what works well, and then help those businesses further serve our campus community,\" said Ian Studders, associate director, leasing and retail services at Wayne State University. \"Pop-up stores could also give us access to businesses that we may have otherwise overlooked.\"

Wayne State advances to Division II regional finals with playoff win

Wayne State University advanced to the national quarterfinals for the first time in school history with a 38-26 win against second-seeded Nebraska-Kearney (10-2) on Saturday. The sixth-seeded Warriors have won back-to-back playoff road games to set a school record with 10 wins on the season (10-3). WSU will play on the road next Saturday at fourth-seeded Minnesota Duluth, who recorded a 24-21 road win at top-seeded Colorado State-Pueblo.

Renal & Urology News reports findings from WSU study on hypertension in African Americans

Vitamin D supplementation may reduce blood pressure in African-American patients with hypertension in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of the intensity of antihypertensive treatment, researchers announced at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2011. "The findings, if confirmed in future studies, will have huge therapeutic and public health implications because vitamin D can potentially be a very useful adjunct to conventional antihypertensive treatment," Dr. John Flack, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Wayne State University, told Renal & Urology News.
News outlet logo for favicons/wdetfm.org.png

WSU Police Chief Anthony Holt on "Safe Cities Drive Strong Economies"

Wayne State University Police Chief Anthony Holt joined Craig Fahle to talk about the upcoming WSU event "Safe Cities Drive Strong Economies." Holt, along with Detroit Chief of Police Ralph Godbee, will hold a discussion about community public safety and how it relates to the overall economic development of Detroit. This free event will take place noon to 1 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium.

WSU research team receives $1.9 million from NIH to create novel cystic fibrosis treatments

Cystic fibrosis, one of the most common chronic lung and digestive system diseases in children and adults, is caused by a defective gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). The most common mutation is the deletion of the phenylalanine amino acid residue at position 508 that leads to a defect in the protein transport to the cell surface, resulting in premature digestion of the protein. A Wayne State University research team led by Fei Sun, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology in the School of Medicine, recently received a grant with an anticipated amount of nearly $1.9 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to better understand how this defective protein in cystic fibrosis patients is prematurely digested. Sun and Hilary Ratner, Wayne State's vice president for research, comment in the story.
News outlet logo for favicons/freep.com.png

WSU law professor Robert Sedler quoted in Detroit Free Press

Gov. Rick Snyder lost the battle -- his first significant defeat since taking office in January -- to convince the Legislature to sign off on one of his top priorities: building a public bridge between Detroit and Windsor. But expectations are growing that he will push the New International Trade Crossing outside of the Legislature, a strategy that raises serious legal questions over the extent of the governor\'s executive authority. Constitutional experts disagree on whether Snyder can pull it off without the Legislature\'s approval. Robert Sedler, Wayne State University law professor hired as a consultant by the owners of the Ambassador Bridge, said the governor can\'t do it. Sedler said talk of Snyder proceeding without the Legislature is ridiculous. \"The State of Michigan can only act through a law,\" Sedler said. \"In order for the State of Michigan to undertake the tremendous legal and financial obligations that come with owning a bridge, a law is necessary.\"

Ned Staebler to contribute to HuffPost Detroit

An article notes that Ned Staebler, Wayne State University vice president for economic development, will be among several contributors for the new HuffPost Detroit website. The site, huffingtonpost.com/detroit, is expected to offer news coverage, views and community response - much like The Huffington Post, along with some coverage of sports, the restaurant scene, real estate, architectural restoration, green living, fitness and business.
News outlet logo for favicons/xconomy.com.png

Wayne State med students to get access to latest surgical simulation tools (Xconomy Detroit)

The Health and Wellness Foundation of Greater Detroit announced last week that it has awarded $250,000 to finance the construction of nine web-enabled laparoscopic training simulators for residents and medical students on the Detroit Medical Center campus of Wayne State University's School of Medicine. This grant is intended to give students access to the latest simulation technologies in developing their surgical skills. "There's a huge projected shortage of physicians, so training more doctors is important," said Dr. David Bouwman, Walt Professor of Surgical Education at Wayne State, which has approximately 300 medical students. "Going along with that is the importance of building an educational infrastructure so you can train them well. The general trend is less hands-on training, and that's where simulation is the answer. Simulators allow large numbers of students to get enough practice to have a skill."

Numerous media outlets report Warriors' postseason win

Wayne State gets first postseason win as Toney Davis runs for five TDs Led by a career performance from running back Toney Davis, the Wayne State University Warriors upset St. Cloud State 48-38 in a first-round game Saturday at Husky Stadium. Davis broke the WSU school record for rushing yards in a game by finishing with 38 carries for 326 yards and five touchdowns. The Warriors finished with a total of 386 rushing yards. "It was a lot of fun for our guys because we didn't think we'd have a second chance," Wayne State head coach Paul Winters said. "They got their second chance and took advantage of it." WSU came back from a 21-6 deficit in the second quarter to win. "The playoffs are win or go home. And we don't want to go home," Davis said. "We're trying to get to that championship game. We played together after we got down 21-6. When we play together, no team can beat us. Now we're going to Nebraska." The Warriors (9-3) advance to the second round next Saturday where they will travel to face No. 2 seed Nebraska-Kearney.
News outlet logo for favicons/freep.com.png

Detroit Free Press reports state aid to universities could hinge on performance goals

Gov. Rick Snyder says at least some of the state aid for Michigan\'s 15 public universities next year will likely be based on how well they meet certain performance standards, possibly graduation rates or number of specialized degrees awarded. The measurements, level of funding and other details are being studied this year in Lansing. Michigan university officials say it\'s the wrong time to consider reducing funding after lawmakers this year cut 15 percent in state aid from each state university\'s budget. Universities say they had to cut programs, lay off workers and increase tuition to preserve educational missions. Some universities also fear that performance-based funding could unfairly target some schools. \"Graduation rates is just a piece of the puzzle in measuring whether a university is doing a good job educating students,\" said Ned Staebler, WSU\'s vice president for economic development, who has been involved in the talks about performance funding. WSU serves a largely urban student body. WSU President Allan Gilmour currently is reviewing the school\'s admission\'s policy in hopes of selecting students with a better chance of graduating.
News outlet logo for favicons/mlive.com.png

WMU to partner with other universities and state for small-business program

Connecting small businesses with resources is about to get easier with the establishment of the Michigan Corporate Relations Network engagement office next year. The program aims to provide a new tool for business growth while connecting the state's major research hubs at Wayne State University, Western Michigan University, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Dearborn, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University. The program seeks to create a easily accessible business engagement office on each campus equipped with the database and increased access to university library resources.