Community
UDM News for our Neighbors
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SACD to hold special preview screening of Resurgo: The Rise from Within, March 18
Friday March 13, 2026
The School of Architecture & Community Design (SACD) will hold a special screening of the film Resurgo: The Rise from Within, on Wednesday, March 18, at 2:30 p.m., in the Loranger Architecture Building Exhibition Space.The event will include a 45-minute preview screening of the film followed by a discussion. All are welcome.
Resurgo: The Rise from Within is a feature-length documentary that offers an immersive look at Detroit’s urban transformation through the eyes of filmmaker Stephen McGee. It explores themes of neighborhood resilience, community identity and the evolving built landscape. Co-produced with Detroit Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore, the film highlights the voices of longtime Detroiters with sweeping visual sequences to challenge the dominant ruin narrative and present the city on its own terms. The film has earned critical acclaim and recognition in documentary film circles, including Oscar eligibility consideration.
Stephen McGee is a California-born photographer and filmmaker who has made Detroit his home since 2005. A former Detroit Free Press staff photographer, he has spent two decades embedded in the city’s neighborhoods, building relationships and an expansive visual record of a place in profound transition. His directorial work spans community storytelling, commercial campaigns and civic projects, always insisting that Detroit be seen with clarity, beauty and honesty.
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Nada Fadul to speak on humanitarian crisis in Sudan, April 1
Friday March 13, 2026
Detroit Mercy welcomes guest speaker, Nada Fadul, on Wednesday, April 1, who will present virtually on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and give a general overview of Sudan’s history with an in-depth description of the current war, including the role of international actors.The presentation will begin at 5 p.m. Please register below to receive a Zoom link to the presentation.
With the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, there are staggering numbers of casualties and many wounded, displaced or facing food insecurity. As hospitals and medical facilities continue to be targeted in the conflict, Fadul will discuss how mobile clinics are trained to respond to medical crisis situations in these dangerous conditions. She will also introduce SuDRO, the organization she works with, which focuses on sustainable development and provides both primary care and trauma services during the ongoing war.
Fadul is assistant dean and professor of Medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). She is a board member of the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association (SAPAA).
This event is co-sponsored by Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive (CLASA), the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS), and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. For more information or any questions, please contact Gail Presbey at presbegm@udmercy.edu.
Register for Zoom presentation here. -
Award-winning author Jim Daniels to read at UDM, March 17
Thursday March 12, 2026
The Detroit Mercy English Department will host a reading and conversation featuring author Jim Daniels, recipient of the 2025-26 Michigan Author Award for lifetime achievement from the Library of Michigan and the Michigan Center for the Book.
This event will take place on Tuesday, March 17, at 12:45 p.m., in the Bargman Room, 2nd Floor of the McNichols Campus Library.
Daniels’ newest book, Late Invocation for Magic: New and Selected Poems, will be available for sale at the reading.
A native of Detroit, Daniels has authored more than 30 collections of poetry, seven collections of fiction and four produced screenplays. His collection of essays, An Ignorance of Trees, published in 2025, was recently named a Michigan Notable Book. He has also edited many anthologies, including RESPECT: The Poetry of Detroit Music.
Daniels is a recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and numerous writing awards including five Michigan Notable Book Awards and three Gold Medals in the Independent Publisher Book Awards. His films have won awards in film festivals around the world. His work has been published in The Best American Poetry and Pushcart Prize volumes.
This event is free and open to the community.
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‘Becoming A Better U’ returns March 28
Thursday March 12, 2026
Becoming a Better U returns to campus this spring as the Alumni Relations team invites all faculty, staff, alumni and students to a morning devoted to personal and professional development.The free half-day event is set for Saturday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in the Student Union on the McNichols Campus. Registration opens 8:30 a.m. the morning of the event.
Enjoy a morning of inspiring speakers, hands-on sessions and a complimentary professional headshot. Workshops cover a wide variety of topics and are sure to have something for everyone. Click the registration link below for a full list of workshops.
Free breakfast is also provided. Please register by March 23. For more information or any questions, please call 313-993-1540.
Register for Becoming A Better U. -
Poet Joanne Godley to launch award-winning collection at reading, March 25
Thursday March 12, 2026
Broadside Lotus Press and the University of Detroit Mercy Press will host a virtual reading and conversation with Joanne Godley, author of How the Black Panthers Fell from the Sky and winner of the 2025 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award.The reading will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. Please register below to obtain Zoom link.
Godley grew up in Detroit during the city’s industrial heyday and amidst the activism of the labor unions. Her memoir reflects on her teenage years, when, impatient with someday freedom songs and despairing at the horrors of the Vietnam war, she is swept up by the daring promise of those militant “cats” in black leather jackets. The poems remind readers of the hopefulness and exhilaration of Panther Party times as well as provide Godley’s mature reflections on the Party’s dismantlement.
How the Black Panthers Fell from the Sky is the fourth co-publication of Broadside Lotus Press and UDM Press. It can be purchased at the Detroit Mercy bookstore and online through Hatteras printing.
Register here.
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Resources, Centers and Clinics
Center for Social Entrepreneurship
The Center provides business expertise and acumen as well as mentors to assist local entrepreneurs, beginning with the “Boost” workshop that aids entrepreneurs in developing business plans to achieve a greater social impact.
Counseling Clinic
The clinic provides no-cost counseling services to Detroit residents who otherwise may not have access to mental health services.
Dental Center
Detroit Mercy Dental offers dental services and education through two clinics, nine outreach clinics, a mobile dental clinic and a school-based dental sealant program.
Dental Mobile Clinic
The clinic travels to local participating schools in Detroit and Wayne County to provide comprehensive care for K-12 children.
Detroit Collaborative Design Center
The design center provides design services to non-profit community and civic organizations to engage communities and enhance neighborhoods.
Detroit Mercy Eye Institute
The Detroit Mercy Eye Institute includes the state-of-the-art equipment and technology needed to diagnose, monitor, and treat numerous eye conditions. The clinic will also provide affordable eyecare to the uninsured and vulnerable populations.
Law Clinics
Detroit Mercy Law provides legal assistance to Detroit area residents through six clinics: Immigration Law Clinic, SADO Criminal Appellate Clinic, Criminal Trial Clinic, Veterans Law Clinic, Juvenile Law Appellate Clinic and Intellectual Property Law Clinic.
Pre-College Programs
Detroit area students in grades 4-12 participate in more than 15 outreach programs annually through Saturday classes, summer camps, and innovative curricula in the sciences, technology engineering, mathematics, architecture and design.
Psychology Clinic
The Psychology Clinic provides assessment and counseling services for approximately 300 clients annually. Fees are based on ability to pay.
Rx for Reading Program
This program increases access to children’s books and supports families in reading to their children. The program has distributed more than 2,000 children’s books a month at a variety of locations, including low-income health, dental and WIC clinics; homeless shelters; and Head Start programs.
Summer Camps
A variety of summer activities available on UDM Campuses. Some are hosted by UDM; some are simply located on our campuses.
Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN)
TENN is a student-led and community-driven food justice program that delivers fresh produce to 60 families in New Martin Park Neighborhood and 80 seniors at Theresa Maxis Senior Apartments.
Alliances and Initiatives
Reimagining the Civic Commons
University of Detroit Mercy serves as one of the institutional anchors for the “Reimaging the Civic Commons” initiative, which is funded through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant. The initiative focuses on the City of Detroit’s neighborhood revitalization priority: the Livernois/McNichols area. The project’s goal is to revitalize the neighborhoods between its two anchor institutions, Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College, creating a denser and more diverse urban community.
Live6 Alliance
University of Detroit Mercy helped to launch the Live6 Alliance in August 2015 to strengthen the Livernois Avenue and McNichols Road commercial corridor in northwest Detroit.
Service Immersion Days / Trips
These experiences give students opportunities to serve in shelters, soup kitchens, after school projects, urban farms and many other important community based projects both locally and nationally.
Directories
Media Experts Guide
Detroit Mercy scholars are experts in their fields and many have agreed to be available to media. Note that experts' views are their own and may not reflect the views of their colleagues or University of Detroit Mercy.
Migration Research Directory
The AJCU Migration Research Directory is an open-access resource for high-quality research on migration, provided by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Faculty members from Jesuit universities around the world provide important migration and refugee research from a wide variety of perspectives.