This week on campus

Tuesday, March 20

• All are welcome to join a short discussion at University Ministry Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Young Martyr's Chapel in Shiple Hall. FREE homemade food and refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, March 21

• University Ministry will host Director of the Vatican Observatory Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., to discuss "Where Faith and Science Meet" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Come and learn how a life of faith and science is lived. Register online.

Thursday, March 22

• Come have a FREE meal and casual discussion with fellow classmates at Soup & Substance from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Lansing-Reilly Hall on the McNichols Campus. Director of the Vatican Observatory Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., will be the keynote speaker. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to finsteba@udmercy.edu; seating is limited.
• The Detroit Mercy Titans for Life organization will host its 7th annual Baby Shower to benefit the Image of God pregnancy centers from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Fountain Lounge. Please join for food, games, prizes and supporting a great cause. See event page for more information.
• Students: Be sure to dress appropriately and bring your resume to the Spring Career/Networking Fair from 12:30 to 3 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. The Career Fair is an excellent opportunity for students to network with employers and representatives from graduate and professional schools. See the event page for the list of organizations attending this year's fair.
• The Pre-PA Club will host a Cancer Awareness Day presentation featuring students from the Detroit Mercy Cancer Biology class during dead hour in Room 124 of the Health Professions Facility. Topics of discussion will include understanding cancer onset, learning about early detection methods and exploring current and experimental treatments.
• Through a special project with the John Dingell Veterans Hospital in downtown Detroit, Detroit Mercy Engineering and Nursing students will demonstrate the prototype of a powered platform lift called the Wheelchair Escalator from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Engineering Building's High Bay. See the news release for more information.
• The Autism Alliance of Michigan will host the third of its four professional development sessions, educating attendees on autism and its effect on learning for students diagnosed with the condition. This session will focus on facilitation skills for productive meetings, and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room 208 of the Student Union. See the event page for more information.

Friday, March 23

• The African & Caribbean Student Organization will host "Experience Wakanda," a celebratory evening of arts, fashion, food, dance, music and other African and Caribbean culture from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.

Sunday, March 25

• University Honors Convocation is an annual event that celebrates the academic excellence and leadership of University of Detroit Mercy students. There will be a special Honors Convocation Mass at 1:30 p.m. in the Commerce & Finance Building's St. Ignatius Chapel. Students will be honored by their respective college or schools; see the event page for specific times and locations.

Greek Week

• Students: Stay tuned to Snapchat for times, locations and updates on all the Greek Week activities! Follow us @detmercy or contact Marketing & Communications at marcom@udmercy.edu if you need our Snapcode.

Next week on campus

Monday, March 26

• University of Houston Associate Professor of Social Work Dawn McCarty will speak on "The Immigrant Situation on Both Sides of the Texas-Mexico Border," beginning at 10 a.m. on the Riverfront Campus.

Tuesday, March 27

• The Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive welcomes University of Houston Associate Professor of Social Work Dawn McCarty to speak on "The Immigrant Situation on Both Sides of the Texas-Mexico Border," from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 317 of the Jane & Walter O. Briggs Building. This event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday, March 28

• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will host a culture slam event for students from 7:10 to 9:10 p.m. in the Student Union Fountain Lounge. Enjoy all forms of ethnic foods, dances, games and music.
• Faculty/staff: Are you interested in or planning to submit a grant to the NIH? Want to learn more about the Biosketch requirement? Wayne State University Associate Provost for Scientific Training Workforce Development and Diversity Ambika Mathur will host a Biosketch workshop from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 131 of the Engineering Building. Register online.
• Student Life invites all Detroit Mercy women to come celebrate at the annual Phenomenal Women's Reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The Ashley Grey Legacy Award will be presented as well; see the event page for more information and to register.
• As the concluding lecture of its 2018 Winter Lecture Series, Detroit Mercy School of Architecture (SOA) welcomes Melissa Dittmer of Bedrock Detroit at 5:30 p.m. in the Warren Loranger Architecture Building's Genevieve Fisk Loranger Architecture Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Thursday, March 29

• Attention all interested faculty, staff and graduate students: Come to the next Women's Leadership Round Table from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 208 of the Student Union, featuring keynote speaker Katy Snyder, interim Dean for the College of Engineering & Science. FREE coffee, tea and light refreshments will be offered. Please RSVP to Felicia Mitrovich at mitrovfl@udmercy.edu.
• There will be a Holy Thursday Mass at 4:30 p.m. in the Commerce & Finance Building's St. Ignatius Chapel.
• Come and share in the conversation about our current agricultural crossroad at "The Future of Food: Lessons from African Smallholder Farmers." Northern Arizona University Professor Emerita of Political Science Carol Thompson will share how African smallholder farmers are successfully adapting to climate change by community participation in farmer field schools for seed breeding and seed saving. The event will be from 6 to 7 p.m. in Room 124 of the Health Professions Facility. See the event page for more information.

Detroit Mercy professor studying primary care for people with serious mental illness

Associate Professor of Psychology Kristen Abraham will never forget the days leading up to her winning Detroit Mercy's 2017 Faculty Achievement Award. She was honored to receive the award after two life milestones. A key component of Abraham's work is a three-year project awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. See her full story online.

Pi Day at Detroit Mercy

Detroit Mercy's chapter of the Pi Mu Epsilon Honorary Mathematics fraternity sponsored a Pi Day Extravaganza on the McNichols Campus last week; watch video highlights online.

PA students win grant to attend conference

Physician Assistant (PA) students Kristina Jennings and Ashley Meerschaert received grants from the Michigan Academy of PAs to attend a leadership conference in Virginia. The Leadership and Advocacy Summit in early March provides a way for PA students to meet other PA students and network with practicing PAs from across the country, said Amy Dereczyk, chair of Detroit Mercy's PA program. Read more online.

Men's acapella group performs

A little belated, but here's a special treat for everyone who celebrated St. Patrick's Day! Detroit Mercy Men's Acapella Group, Treble in Paradise, singing the classic, "Danny Boy."

Theatre Company presents: The Complete History of America (Abridged)

The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company presents its closing production of season 48, The Complete History of America (Abridged), April 6-22. Performances will be The Marlene Boll Theatre at the Boll Family YMCA, 1401 Broadway, in downtown Detroit. The Complete History of America (Abridged) is a 90-minute romp of slapstick humor and breathlessly paced vaudevillian takes of our country's history.

The Complete History of America (Abridged) will have performances at 7:30 p.m. on April 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21, and 3 p.m. on April 8, 15 and 22. Tickets can be purchased online at DetroitMercyArts.com or over the phone at 313-993-3270. Be sure to visit The Theatre Company website and follow us on social media to stay up to date on performances, tickets and more.

Helpful reminders from your friendly, neighborhood Marketing & Communications Department

Approved Detroit Mercy Style Guide: As a reminder, the Marketing & Communications Department provides an approved writing style guide that governs style for all communications. Please remember that the use of "UDM" when referencing Detroit Mercy is no longer allowed. Continued use of this acronym causes market confusion among various audiences and undermines the new brand and identity of the institution. The style guide is available online.

Share your stories with us: We want everyone to know about the individual stories that make Detroit Mercy such a special place. Do you have a story of a connection made or a life changed? A moment of sharing or giving that makes a difference? Or maybe an experience that can only have taken place at Detroit Mercy? Fill out the form online and let us know!

Marketing & Communications Plans: The Marketing & Communications Department is available to meet and discuss how we can better market and communicate information about programs, services, initiatives and events to a wide audience. Over the past year, the department has created marketing and communications plans for individual programs attuned to their specific audiences. Many of the communication and marketing platforms available to Detroit Mercy are free. For more information, contact Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications Gary Erwin at erwingj@udmercy.edu or 313-993-1254.

VN represented at NYC

Detroit Mercy students (pictured from left to right) Emily Jones, Johnathan Zhu, Deej Oster and Phylisha Drayton represented The Varsity News (VN) at the College Media Association spring conference in New York City, March 7-10. The student trip was funded through the generosity of former VN editor Hank Durkin '73. Associate Professor of Communication Studies Tom Stanton accompanied the students as they participated in a variety of writing workshops and seminars.

Economic and Community Impact on Metro Detroit 2017 now available

The 2017 issue of Detroit Mercy's "Economic and Community Impact on Metro Detroit" is now available online. This publication provides information pertaining to the University's economic and community impact and is perfect to include with grant applications and other fundraising and/or program appeals to donors and organizations.

Mission Leadership Awards nominations open

On behalf of the Mission Effectiveness Team, nominations are now open for the two annual Mission Leadership Awards: the Vivere ex Missione ("to live the mission") and the Agere ex Missione ("to do the mission"). Thank you in advance for nominating candidates for these awards.

The Vivere ex Missione Award is an annual award presented to up to four graduating students who best exemplify the mission of University of Detroit Mercy. One qualified student will be selected from each of the following categories and the award will be presented at their respective commencement ceremony: McNichols undergraduate programs; McNichols graduate programs; the School of Law; and the School of Dentistry.

The Agere ex Missione Award is presented annually to two individuals: a faculty member and either a staff member (or administrator) who exemplify the mission of University of Detroit Mercy. This award is presented at the President's Convocation, which will be held on Thursday, Aug. 16.

Specific criteria for the awards and additional information can be found online under the accordion, Mission Leadership Awards. Nomination letters should be submitted to Sr. Judy Mouch, RSM, co-chair of the Mission Effectiveness Team, at mouchj1@udmercy.edu by midnight on Sunday, April 1.

University welcomes MacArthur 'Genius' Fellow Tiya Miles

University of Detroit Mercy will welcome Professor Tiya Miles to campus to discuss and sign her latest book, The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straights. This special engagement takes place on Friday, April 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Chemistry Building Room 114. See the news release for more information.

What do you think of the McNichols Campus Library?

The team over in the McNichols Campus Library is seeking feedback from faculty, staff, administrators and students on its status in the Detroit Mercy community and how it may become a better partner in the future. All individuals who complete the survey online before Sunday, April 15, will be automatically entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card.