Community
UDM News for our Neighbors
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SACD to host lecture on transitioning from academia to architectural practice, Nov. 7
Friday October 31, 2025
Detroit Mercy’s School of Architecture and Community Development (SACD) invites the campus community, architecture professionals and anyone interested in international work and entrepreneurship to attend an upcoming lecture featuring Marisol González, principal of M-G Estudio and faculty member at Tec de Monterrey, Mexico.The lecture, titled “Things I Wish I Knew Before Becoming an Architect: Reflections and Practice,” will take place on Friday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. in the Warren Loranger Architecture Building Exhibition Space. This lecture is free and open to the public.
González will share insights from her journey as both educator and practitioner, offering valuable perspectives on navigating the transition from academic study to professional practice. Her talk will explore the intersection of architecture, entrepreneurship and international collaboration.
This visit is part of an ongoing teaching collaboration between Detroit Mercy and Tec de Monterrey’s architecture program. González will be accompanied by architecture students from Tec de Monterrey, furthering the institutions’ commitment to cross-cultural educational exchange.
For more information, contact Associate Professor of Architecture & Community Development Tadd Heidgerken at heidgetw@udmercy.edu.
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SAAC Halloween Trunk or Treat prior to men’s soccer game, Oct. 31
Thursday October 30, 2025
Celebrate Halloween with the Detroit Mercy Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Titans at this frightfully fun event on Friday, Oct. 31 in the Titan Field parking lot.
All are invited to a spooktacular evening of Trunk or Treating from 5-6 p.m.
Then, stick around for the UDM men’s soccer game at 6 p.m. at Titan Field and show your spirit for the Titans as they take on Purdue Fort Wayne.
Costumes are encouraged. There will be a costume contest, so bring your best Halloween look and show off your fang-tastic creativity.
Bring your friends, grab some candy and enjoy Halloween, Titan-style!
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Attracta Kelly to speak on ‘The Latest in Immigration Law’ at CLASA event, Nov. 5
Monday October 27, 2025
Attracta Kelly, OP, a prominent member of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, known for her work as an immigration attorney and director of their Immigration Assistance Office, will be the guest speaker at a special Carney Latin American Solidarity Archive (CLASA) event on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Briggs Building, Room 317.All are welcome to attend to this free event.
Sr. Attracta will provide an overview of immigration law with a focus on recent legislation, orders and practices related to immigration. She’ll also explore how Church teachings inform her work and share her efforts to help alleviate the suffering and problems associated with border crossings.
A former Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation, Sr. Attracta has a history of community organization, including efforts to integrate schools, assemble discussion groups and address basic needs in marginalized communities. She also advocates for immigrant rights and climate action and was awarded the Thomas More Award by the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Sr. Attracta earned her Juris Doctor from Catholic University of America in 1996. She then worked for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Dublin and other places.
For more information, please contact CLASA Director Gail Presbey at 313-993-1124 or presbegm@udmercy.edu.
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Black Freedom, Religious Excitement and the Invention of a Public Health Crisis, lecture set for Oct. 29
Monday October 27, 2025
The 2025 Bruttell Endowment for Social Ethics presents “Black Freedom, Religious Excitement and the Invention of a Public Health Crisis,” a lecture by Judith Weisenfeld, the Agate Brown and George L. Collard Professor of Religion at Princeton University.This event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m., in the Architecture Exhibition Space, inside the Loranger Architecture Building. The talk is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available.
Weisenfeld will examine the rise of mental institutions as public institutions in the late 19th Century and the increasing prominence of a racialized understanding of “religious excitement” as a public health crisis that served as justification for the institutionalization of the formerly enslaved and their descendants.
Weisenfeld’s research and teaching focus on African American religious history, religion and race, and religion in modern American culture. She is the author most recently of Black Religion in the Madhouse: Race and American Psychiatry in Slavery’s Wake and New World A-Coming: Black Religion and Racial Identity during the Great Migration, which was awarded the 2017 Albert J. Raboteau Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions. She is also the director of The Crossroads Project: Black Religious Histories, Cultures, and Communities, which is funded by the Henry Luce Foundation and supported by Princeton’s Center for Culture, Society and Religion.
For any questions, please contact Chair of the Department of Religious Studies Todd Hibbard at hibbarja@udmercy.edu.
The event is co-sponsored by University of Detroit Mercy College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences, the African American Studies Program and the Department of Religious Studies.
Register here. -
Celebrate community at TENN’s third annual meal, Oct. 30
Sunday October 26, 2025
Join Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN) in celebrating our community at the third annual community meal on Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5-7 p.m. in the Fountain Lounge inside the Student Union. All are welcome to come together to share a meal, connect and celebrate what makes our community so special.Volunteer Chef Bob from RóBear Culinary will be preparing a delicious meal for all to share.
This event is free, but please help us plan and ensure there’s plenty of food, by registering using the link below.
For any questions, please email tenn@udmercy.edu.
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.