Events

Inclusion or Diversity

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Mon, 01/08/2024 - 18:10

��-Dearborn hosts the annual MLK Day of Service on Jan. 15, followed by a week of events that highlight Dr. King and the importance of continued social justice work.

Members of the ��-Dearborn community make blankets that were donated to local nonprofits during the MLK Day of Service in 2022.

Annual event highlights partnerships between U-M and Detroit

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 18:35:49 +0000

Annual event highlights partnerships between U-M and Detroit Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/30/2022 - 13:35

At um3detroit, Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-14) said Detroit has a reputation of strength; a fighting spirit that will only get stronger with education, investment and commitment.

Tonya Allen, Skillman Foundation president and CEO, said it’s important for an “Our Detroit” framework to be adopted for the city to succeed as an equitable, just and prosperous place.

And Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said Detroit has turned a corner and she feels the positive momentum.

“I don’t like to use the phrase ‘Detroit’s coming back’ because it suggests this backward looking thing of nostalgia and the good old days. And, frankly, the good old days weren’t so good for everyone,” McQuade said. “Instead, think of it as a future Detroit. A Detroit that’s creating something new—an inclusive place for everybody [that] has opportunities for everybody.”

The three speakers addressed more than 300 campus and community leaders who attended um3detroit Thursday, May 3. The event—now in its second year and held at ��-Dearborn for the first time—was designed to encourage discussion on how all three University of Michigan campuses can strengthen research, learning and collaboration opportunities with Detroit neighborhoods, businesses and organizations. Participants have the opportunity to share their research and ideas, network and make connections for future work.

“There are so many who have an interest, both an academic interest and a practical interest, in being part of the progress of metropolitan Detroit,” said Chancellor Daniel Little. “To bring this group of activists, researchers and engaged scholars to the ��-Dearborn campus for this event—this catalyst for change—is an honor and a privilege."

The event included poster presentations, panel discussions about topics like supporting Detroit community-based organizations and the higher education challenges of first-generation and non-traditional students, and lightening talks—which were seven-minute faculty research presentations.

The lighting talks included topics like flooding as a public health and social justice issue, teaching math to students at underperforming schools, the importance of partnerships for early childhood education, finding funding for collaborative projects and more.

��-Dearborn faculty members Lara Rusch and Francine Banner presented, “Holistic Justice: Detroit’s Street Outreach Court.” Banner said the specialty court—which organizes within the 36th District Court and is run by pro bono work—began more than five years ago to help marginalized people resolve minor violations, like not mowing the lawn, before fines build up. The volunteers hold court in soup kitchens.

"We are looking at this as a model not just within Detroit, but as a model for holistic justice perhaps more broadly,” said Banner, associate professor of sociology. “Unlike other court-ordered problem-solving courts, these are run on a stand-down model where clients—many homeless—are self-motivated to relieve fines and engage with the community. In exchange, clients must make a good faith effort to help themselves, like seek employment, enroll in a 12-step program, obtain a state ID card. In one case, a client needed to seek dental care.”

In closing the daylong event, U-M President Mark Schlissel said he noticed a common thread among the many ways in which U-M engages in and with Detroit.

“There is consistency on what I’ve heard today: The idea of partnership,” Schlissel said. “The key idea that keeps coming up again and again is partnership. Faculty and students working alongside community leaders and community members, recognizing and respecting that each of us has something unique and indispensible to contribute. Partnership is key when trying to work on a common set of goals for the city of Detroit.”

Metropolitan Impact

Mon, 05/07/2018 - 05:00

More than 300 campus and community partners strengthen connections at um3detroit.

Gear up for a community-building event

stuxbury — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 01:44:44 +0000

Gear up for a community-building event stuxbury Wed, 09/21/2022 - 21:44

The best things in life are often the little things. Bike riding on a sunny fall day. Seeing the people in your community. Enjoying nature.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud are putting these three activities together and inviting everyone to join them next week as they ride through campus and around the west Dearborn downtown area from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 29. Bring your bike or your walking shoes to join the Town and Gown Bike Ride; participants will meet in campus’ Lot F, located behind the Fieldhouse. There’s a 10K (6.2 mile) loop for bikers or a 5K (3.1 mile) walking loop for those who prefer to travel on foot.

“I hope this ride illustrates how we are all part of one fantastic community. We want the public to visit and use the resources on our campus and we want our students to know just how easy it is to explore Dearborn,” said Grasso, who often rides his blue (obviously) bike to campus. “��-Dearborn and the City of Dearborn have a great relationship and we're working together to build an even stronger future.

Chatting with Grasso about the ride recently, he shared his love of cycling, campus and the city. Here’s what he had to say.

The Reporter: Before we get started, do you have any great cycling experiences that you’d share?

Domenico Grasso: “I’ve done a lot of cycling and often commute by bike to campus. There’s a lot of beauty to see with the seasonal changes. But if I had to pick a favorite experience, I’d have to say cycling through Puglia, Italy, with my wife Susan and our children. We rode our bikes into the hometown of my mother (Vieste). That was a very powerful moment for me.”

R: Seeing the leaves change color is definitely a perk of fall bike riding. Other than the scenery, why should people come?

DG: “This is a great opportunity for our campus community to interact with those who live and work in Dearborn. We are going to explore some of the beautiful riding trails around campus and show everyone how easy it is to travel between ��-Dearborn and West Downtown. It's a perfect way for our students and faculty to learn more about the city and will give city residents a chance to see and learn about what's happening at our university.”

R: Why did you and Mayor Hammoud want to host this event together?

DG: “We are showing how integrated ��-Dearborn is to the city we call home. We want to demonstrate that ��-Dearborn and the city are partners who enhance each other. Mayor Hammoud is one of our outstanding alumni. He was recently named to Crain's 40 under 40 and epitomizes our deep connection with the City of Dearborn.

The City of Dearborn and ��-Dearborn have a symbiotic relationship. As Mayor Hammoud mentioned in last spring's commencement address, we can be rooted in something larger than ourselves and still make a difference locally. That's how our university operates. We not only see this whenever we meet alumni throughout town, but also when students, faculty and staff participate in some of our great campus traditions like the MLK Day of Service. Having an even stronger relationship between our campus and the greater Dearborn community benefits everyone.”

R: For people who are interested, but can’t make it to the event, what else can they do on campus?

DG: “One of the best kept secrets in Dearborn is the beauty of our campus and we have several resources that are free and open to the public to enjoy, including the Environmental Interpretive Center , the ��-Dearborn Observatory, Mardigian Library and Stamelos Gallery. You can spend the morning shopping and dining at our city's great stores and restaurants and then come to visit campus to hike, see art or explore the universe.

The next ��-Dearborn Observatory public night is tomorrow (Sept. 23). Guided by faculty and staff, you will use telescopes and see what’s happening in the night sky. The EIC, which is open from sunrise to sunset, offers some of the best hiking trails in metropolitan Detroit and anyone can use them. Our campus’ Stamelos Gallery can be found on the first floor of the library and recently opened a new exhibit of works by Detroit artist David Rubello, who has had a six-decade long career and had a mural up for more than 40 years on Detroit’s Julian C. Madison Building. He and his colorful works are remarkable.

When you get a chance, we invite you to explore campus. We are here for the community’s benefit and want you to enjoy what ��-Dearborn has to offer.”

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the event, including the Office of the Chancellor, Susan Grasso, Dean of Students, Office of Student Life, External Relations, Institutional Advancement, University Unions and Events, Business Affairs, Athletics and community partner Bike Dearborn.

Off

Thu, 09/22/2022 - 01:43

Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud invite you to join them on Sept. 29 to enjoy a bike ride and walk around campus and West Dearborn.

Photo of Chancellor Domenico Grasso riding his bike around campus.

Breaking down walls through art and expression

stuxbury — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:17:52 +0000

Breaking down walls through art and expression stuxbury Wed, 09/07/2022 - 21:17

Bryan Jones composes music. An accomplished piano player, he works for the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. Steven Hibbler draws and paints. Harper’s magazine and a ��-Dearborn exhibit have featured his work. Graduate student Penny Kane writes. She won a prestigious U-M Hopwood Award for her non-fiction collection.

Through artistic expression, all three found a sense of freedom while serving prison sentences. They also found — perhaps, more importantly — human connection.

“Artistic expression helped me become more than a number when I was inside (the prison). It’s also helped me create connections in the outside world, too,” said Jones, who guest lectures in the university’s Inside Out program. Jones served time for a robbery he committed as a teen. “Art opens doors and, for me, created a lifeline.” Inside Out, which began on campus 15 years ago, is a project-based learning class that encourages ��-Dearborn students to think about crime and punishment mechanisms in human terms.

Bryan Jones, left, talks to Associate Professor Anna Müller during the Winter '22 Inside Out course.

Sociology Professor Paul Draus and History Associate Professor Anna Müller are both long-time faculty in the program and have also developed courses, research and study abroad experiences around the power of artistic expression in challenging situations. From their work, they know the importance art plays in human connection when it comes to confinement. Beyond prison, this includes internment camps, medical-related isolation, substance abuse, poverty, and more.

“We all have walls. Some are imposed on us by others and others are the prisons we create for ourselves. Art is freeing and can help us express ourselves, learn about others and find connections where we didn’t see them before,” Draus said. “Art is a tool. It’s powerful.”

Now, they’ve created a new way for the public — students, faculty and staff from ��-Dearborn and surrounding schools; community members, formerly incarcerated citizens and others — to engage in dialogue that is focused around creative expression. The program is made possible through a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant.

Professor Paul Draus

“Art and Agency from the Inside Out” consists of free arts-centered workshops and discussions where people can openly share their experiences under the direction of facilitators trained in areas like writing, dance and metal arts. The program will take place throughout the academic year and will have a different artistic focus each month.

There will be two sessions per month, which will take place at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays in the Mardigian Library. Refreshments will be served.

The program is drop-in, but it’s encouraged that participants attend both workshops in a given month, as the material is spread across the two dates. The first session will typically be introductions, icebreakers and creative activities. The second continues with the activity and allows for in-depth dialogue and discussion. Formerly incarcerated individuals will serve as facilitators and guest lecturers along with Draus, Müller and the artists.

The first workshop, which takes place Sept. 13, is titled “Connection” and will be led by Kristin Palm. A journalist, essayist and poet, Palm co-facilitates Writer’s Block, a weekly poetry workshop at Macomb Correctional Facility. In part inspired by her experiences with the Inside-Out program, she recently joined the ��-Dearborn staff as assistant director of Communications. October’s session will feature either visual or performing arts. More details will be shared soon.

Müller said participants can share their experiences and listen to others in an educational space that serves as a platform for social commentary and utopian imagining. “Caring about others is the essence of friendship and citizenship. And, as humans, we are wired to imagine and dream and see beyond the situation we are in,” she said.

Students in the university’s popular Inside Out course — in which Jones, Hibbler and Kane have all been active guest lecturers or contributors — served as inspiration for the program, Müller said. Facilitators also include Jemal Tipton and Lynn McNeal.

The Winter 2022 Inside Out class planned several outreach events that included an art exhibit and a community conversation BBQ with police and formerly incarcerated individuals. At the end of the semester, students wanted to continue finding ways to engage with the greater community when it comes to learning about stigmas, resources, social justice efforts and the power that expression has when it comes to tearing down walls. Typically, students would go into the prison for the class, but COVID restrictions have created on-going challenges and the Inside-Out faculty team looked for other ways to create these important human connections.

“Our students saw how creative practice helped them reframe their own circumstances and also break down us versus them distinctions,” Müller said. “That helped them understand themselves better, and recognize the similarities they have to people they once saw as very different.”

Draus said “Art and Agency from the Inside Out” is designed to encourage people to think critically, learn from perspectives outside of our own and find the common ground necessary to create lasting change.

“Lack of connection with the world is harmful to both individual and collective life. So we wanted to provide a space that allows people to connect to each other in healthy ways, confront the injustices and limitations they experience, and come out of the experience having created something beautiful, something meaningful.”

Interested in attending the free “Art and Agency from the Inside Out” sessions? Choose the dates that work best for you and register. Registration is not required, but it’s strongly encouraged.

“Art and Agency from the Inside Out” program was made possible by a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant. Draus and Müller received one of the nine inaugural awards, which promotes the connection between teaching and the arts. Proposals for the program’s second round of funding are due Sept. 26. Grants are available up to $10,000 for individual projects from U-M faculty and staff, and up to $20,000 for teams.

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Arts

Awards

Experiential Learning

University-wide

Social Sciences

Off

Thu, 09/08/2022 - 01:16

A new program inspired by the Inside Out Program and funded by a U-M Arts + the Curriculum grant offers art-focused workshops and discussions that are free and open to the public.

Drawing of Yusef “Q” Qualls by Sociology Professor Paul Draus. Q was a juvenile offender who is currently serving time at the Cooper Street Correctional Facility in Jackson.“If thoughts are things ° Words are the hammer ° That I swing”

Halal Metropolis exhibition series opens Friday

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 17:36:01 +0000

Halal Metropolis exhibition series opens Friday Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/10/2022 - 13:36

This article was originally published on January 14, 2020.

Culture is the way people find a sense of community and belonging. The Halal Metropolis Exhibition explores the many ways in which the Muslim communities of Metro Detroit contribute to the culture of the region and vice versa.

In Dearborn, this can be seen in the way a Christmas tree is repurposed into a crescent moon to celebrate Ramadan. Or in the line of customers waiting at Al Joom’s BBQ for that special cut of halal brisket. Or in the brightly embellished Sanaani dresses Yemeni women wear for local weddings with the latest scarves from Haute Hijab.

Most people know that Dearborn has the largest concentration of Muslims in the U.S. — the city’s Muslims were recently featured on The Simpsons and in many a Twitter feed — but there are many things not known about the ways in which Muslim culture is shaping and being shaped by the larger culture of the region. That’s where Halal Metropolis comes in.

The exhibition series, created by ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell, U-M Associate Professor or Art Osman Khan and local documentarian Razi Jafri, explores the ways Muslim American culture and metro Detroit culture are now being created dialogically - especially in Dearborn where Muslims practice their faith and live their everyday lives in a community that comfortably accommodates them. Focusing on the visibility of local Muslim cultural practices, the exhibit has traveled to Detroit, Hamtramck, and Howell already, and now the ever-evolving installation has come to Dearborn.

Opening Friday, Halal Metropolis can be experienced on the Mardigian Library’s first floor’s Stamelos Gallery Center through April 3. An Opening Reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. The event is free and open to the public, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

The exhibition includes home videos from the late 1950s and early ‘60s of a Dearborn family visiting the Ford Rotunda’s Christmas Fantasy, celebrating Thanksgiving and Eid, and relaxing at Camp Dearborn. Works from local Muslim artists are featured. And there is a historical display of news clippings, photos and memorabilia, including a 1919 poster announcing plans to build Michigan’s first mosque in Highland Park.

“My last book focused on the history of mosques,” says Howell, “but my recent work looks instead at things outside the mosques - at the contributions Muslims are making in socioeconomic, cultural, and political spheres.“This exhibit shows the deep roots that Muslims have here. I feel it is important for us to recognize the neighborhoods and communities where Muslims can practice their faith freely, but to also look beyond the Muslimness of these spaces, to see the many other qualities they represent. Our project looks at the food, politics, cultural celebrations, art — whatever allows someone to express their full selves in these halal spaces.”

U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib at her 2018 watch party celebration. Photo by Razi Jafri

Jafri (‘05 B.S.), who grew up Downriver, spent the past week meticulously arranging portraits from floor to ceiling on the wall. They are images he took of local residents (some in CASL’s JASS Studio) stepping out for the holidays in eye-catching clothing.

“It’s the intersection of fashion, modesty and consumerism: Three things that you normally don’t associate together. Look at this man. He has Burbery trim on his keffiyeh. He embodies hip hop, Arab culture, high fashion and modesty — all in one. Muslims are influenced by the world around them, just like Muslims are influencers,” Jafri says, mentioning how actor Rami Malek won a Golden Globe a few days prior. “Through art, I want to create an awareness about our community that is frequently misunderstood, misrepresented and underrepresented in the media and in American culture, yet has a huge impact on American culture. Sharing culture is a way to reach hearts and minds.”

Jafri says reaching out to others is something he began to do after 9/11 when he was a ��-Dearborn sophomore. He recalls feeling shocked and scared, but that was the first trauma. The second trauma was the Islamophobia that followed. He looked for ways to educate and keep lines of communication open for dialogue here on campus. He served as the education chair for the Muslim Student Association, took part in the campus’ Pluralism Project, and founded a campus chapter of Americans for Informed Democracy.

“I was barely 20, but I saw that it wasn’t about religion, the prejudice was appearance based — about being perceived as Muslim. Someone could be a Sikh and get shot and killed because of how you looked. People fear what and who they do not know. My goal was, and still is, to share that we are people who want the best for our families, neighborhoods and communities just like everyone else. And look what wonderful culture — art, fashion, food, music — we are creating in the process.”

Howell, who has worked in the Dearborn community for more than 30 years, says there are so many aspects to this exhibit that non-Muslims and Muslims both will learn something new. It might be that Orville Hubbard liked raw kibbe. About the work of a new favorite artist. Or a newfound appreciation of how the Dearborn of today came to be. Or, possibly, a stronger connection to our community and the people within it.

“It’s foundational to American culture to say we are made up of people who have come from different places and that our nation is built on the idea of liberty and justice for everyone. But there is a tension inherent in these words when we recognize that they have never been applied they universally. Muslims have been here since the country’s founding. They have deep roots in this community especially where they have created thriving neighborhoods, schools and economies, despite facing many challenges. They’ve given and continue to give a tremendous amount and they have a great story to tell.”

For more information, go to the Halal Metropolis website.

Upcoming educational Gallery talks are:

6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23: Making the Halal Metropolis Project
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6: Culinary Pioneers
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20: Fashion Influencers
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 12: Dearborn Foodies
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26: Innovating the Halal Holiday

2019 Ramadan lights in Dearborn. Photo by Razi Jafri

Faculty Research

Inclusion or Diversity

Center for Arab American Studies

Stamelos Gallery Center

Tue, 01/14/2020 - 06:00

The exhibition series looks at food, politics, cultural celebrations, art and more — whatever allows someone to celebrate their full selves in their halal spaces.

The Halal Metropolis exhibition series was created by U-M Associate Professor or Art Osman Khan, local documentarian Razi Jafri and ��-Dearborn’s Center for Arab American Studies Director Sally Howell.

‘There is so much beauty in nature that needs our protection’

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:39:19 +0000

‘There is so much beauty in nature that needs our protection’ Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/23/2022 - 15:39

This article was originally published on October 20, 2021.

The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world. Its floor touches the Amazon Rainforest. And, located within them, are large bodies of ice that are strikingly beautiful and provide an important natural resource.

Earth and Environment Professor Ulrich Kamp, a 30-year glaciologist, has hiked in the Andes and has seen the Quelccaya Ice Cap, located in the Andes. He knows how important the ice masses are to the Peruvian fresh water supply during the dry season. But in the 17 years since Kamp first saw glaciers in the Andes, there have been environmental changes.

In recent years, Quelccaya went from the largest to the second largest tropical body of ice — and climate models predict that without mitigation measures, Quelccaya is likely to disappear within the next century...and some say in the next 35 years.

“Unfortunately, some local communities and regional authorities welcome the additional meltwater — but it often also means flooding. In some places, irrigation and agricultural systems that have worked for decades, or even hundreds of years, have been destroyed by the excess water,” Kamp said. “But in the near future, the meltwater runoff will cease. Once the glacier recedes to the summit, its highest and coldest part, the melt stops and, with it, the meltwater flow. Entire communities might lose their main natural water resource. It will be devastating.”

Professor Ulrich Kamp

After Kamp — an active researcher who has monitored glaciers in India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other parts of the world — gave a lecture about his research at Vanderbilt University in 2018, an archaeologist in the audience approached him to discuss a 1931 photo taken of the Vilcanota Range, located in the Andes Mountains.

It was a black and white aerial picture from an exploratory expedition by Harvard University geologist Robert Shippee and pioneer aerial photographer Robert Johnson that showed what the Vilcanota glaciers looked like only five years after Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.

“Heritage photographs are a treasure trove for modern researchers concerned with landscape change analysis. I couldn’t believe that there was an aerial image of these glaciers from 1931. The photo was sharp and good quality — and I learned there were more at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH),” he said. “I wanted to be the glaciologist to research those pictures.”

Kamp’s glacial imagery research is one of nine projects highlighted in the College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters Annual Faculty Research Slam. The event, where professors give seven-minute abstracts of their work, takes place at 3 p.m. Oct. 28 via Zoom.

Kamp said he wanted to participate in the event to bring our global impact to the forefront. “There is so much beauty in nature that needs our protection.”

Knowing the power of documentary photography, Kamp traveled to the AMNH in New York to view and digitize photos from the collection. There were 3600 photographs to sift through, 400 containing glacial images.

During the eight-month National Geographic Society-endorsed Shippee-Johnson Peruvian Expedition of 1931, the two men flew Bellanca Peacemaker monoplanes and planned to capture images of archaeological sites like the Great Wall of Peru and the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. But they also inadvertently documented the ice masses prior to major effects of industrialization. “They accidentally came upon them,” Kamp said.

Kamp’s goal is to map the plane’s flight path and compare the heritage photos to more current imagery. However, because no data came with the images like the plane’s flight altitude or photo-shooting direction, this is a difficult task. Graduate students Elise Arnett and Renato Marimon are helping Kamp recreate the flight path by checking the physical photos against satellite images on Google Earth.

“We have made progress on this. Using satellite images, our preliminary results from three sites document recessions at individual glaciers of up to 94% since 1931,” Kamp said.

Oblique aerial views of the Vilcanota Range in Southern Peru: photograph by George Johnson from 1931 on left; Google Earth satellite image from 2021 on right

The plan is to travel to Peru in the next year and conduct fieldwork where Kamp and the team of this National Geographic Society-funded project will take 45-degree angle images from an airplane and a drone. Then, using 90 years of imagery, he will visually show the glacial recession. Kamp is currently seeking additional interested ��-Dearborn students to assist him in this research.

The project team will create a traveling exhibit of the timelapsed imagery, once the research work is completed, and will make both the old and new images publicly available and searchable online.

“I can write pages and pages of publications about cubic kilometers of ice disappearing rapidly, but that doesn’t have the same effect as showing someone what that looks like,” he said. “When you see this impressive ice mass shrinking, the information stays with you.”

Kamp hopes that showing the effects of climate change will encourage behavior and habit changes like driving less, using energy more efficiently, and slowing down consumption. Quoting his favorite explorer Alexander von Humboldt, Kamp said, “Everything is interconnected.”

“The Peruvians are being impacted by emissions produced from the northern hemisphere. What we do here, doesn’t just stay here. It impacts the quality of life of people around the world. Almost two billion people rely on water from glacial meltwater.”

Kamp shares his research in campus courses and through getting students involved with research. Seeing the advocacy and environmental justice efforts by his students, Kamp said change may come before the damage is irreversible.

“They are angry that these environmental changes have been relatively ignored, but are channeling that anger through something positive — advocacy,” he said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to know what we can do with a huge message like changing a culture of comfort and consumption. My advice is to learn from the information we now have and teach the next generation to do better than we did. That is where the hope lies.”

Kamp’s research projects connected with the Shippee-Johnson Peruvian Expedition of 1931 are in collaboration with Indiana State University, Stony Brook University, Vanderbilt University, and the U.S. Geological Survey agency.

If you are a ��-Dearborn student interested in Professor Kamp’s research, please contact him at ukamp@umich.edu. If you are involved with a media outlet that wants to learn more about this research, drop us a line at ��Dearborn-News@umich.edu. Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Faculty Research

Nature or Environment

Sustainability

Natural Sciences

Wed, 10/20/2021 - 05:00

Professor Ulrich Kamp is using 90 years of images to visually show how the glaciers in the Andes of Southern Peru are rapidly melting — and hopes seeing is believing. His research is one of nine faculty projects highlighted in CASL's Faculty Research Slam on Oct. 28.

Natural splendor of Cordillera Vilcanota, which is part of the Andes Mountains, includes lakes, glaciers and snow-capped peaks. Photo by Serge Kruppa.

The ��-Dearborn degree: ‘A blueprint to construct a well-rounded worldview’

stuxbury — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:35:24 +0000

The ��-Dearborn degree: ‘A blueprint to construct a well-rounded worldview’ stuxbury Thu, 04/28/2022 - 15:35

Thousands of people — from ��-Dearborn’s campus to around the world in nearly all seven continents — watched as members of the Class of Spring 2022 heard their names, walked up the outdoor stage and waved to the biggest fans.

Three outdoor ceremonies — 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. — took place on campus April 30.

During the ideal spring day, 60 degrees and partly sunny, 1000 Dearborn Wolverines and their friends and families celebrated the 1,031 degrees at a maize-and-blue adorned stage outside of the Fieldhouse. People from more than 500 locations tuned in via ��-Dearborn’s livestream on YouTube and Facebook. See photos of the big day.

Chancellor Domenico Grasso told the newest Wolverine alumni that their Michigan degree is part of who they are — and he hopes they use it to impact the world around them.

“You will have the chance to make a positive change in the world, and when that opportunity arrives, I hope you seize it. Remember to whom much is given, much is expected,” he said. “The Class of 2022 is going to contribute great things to our society. I am confident that you will take the knowledge and skills you learned here at ��-Dearborn and build a better tomorrow.”

Chancellor Grasso celebrates the Spring 2022 Wolverine graduates.

Commencement’s Keynote Speaker and City of Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud — a proud ��-Dearborn graduate — said the U-M experience is a world-class one, even when a regional campus, at times, feels local. But it’s much more than that. Hammoud said studying at Dearborn also gives people the blueprint to construct a well-rounded worldview.

“There is a good chance that the person seated next to you was the first in their family to attend college. You no doubt met someone who spoke another language, who had lived in another part of the world,” he said. “You got to see so many journeys and detours toward the American dream. And learn better than most what a vibrant, messy multicultural democracy looks like. The Dearborn Difference is exactly that. It’s knowing that the hyphen on your degree is an invitation to understand the world through a local lens.”

Mayor Hammoud delivers the keynote address.

In addition to gaining a new perspective of the world, Commencement Student Speaker Halle Mancuso said the ��-Dearborn experience helps students find ways to grow internally. Mancuso, who graduated with a bioengineering degree, wanted her fellow grads to remember a few things as they are starting new careers, updating resumes, beginning graduate school and more.

She said self-worth doesn’t come from a GPA or a job performance, it’s important to work in an area you are passionate about, accountability for your actions is essential, and look for opportunities to serve as a mentor to others. “Years from now, be absolutely sure that you can say that you chose your life and that you didn’t settle for it. Congratulations, Class of 2022. Good luck and Go Blue!”

Mancuso was joined by so many people — in the seats, across the state, and throughout the world — sending words of encouragement

Alumnus Elliott Ring, now a CPA who owns his own firm in Michigan, showed solidarity with his Wolverines by live chatting on YouTube that he graduated 44 years before. Mushfiqurrahman Maruf commented on the Facebook Live feed, “Congratulations....to all the best” from Malaysia. And Jennifer Hughey wanted her grads to know, “Your mom is watching in Africa.” See more well wishes for the ��-Dearborn Class of 2022.

And it’s this connection with people around the world that makes the community, and the campus, a great place to live and learn, keynote speaker Hammoud said.

“Yes, the world contains Dearborn. But Dearborn also contains the world,” he said. “Class of 2022, this place has given you the tools to change the world for the better, no matter where you choose to take them. Congratulations and … Go Blue!”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

College of Education, Health, and Human Services

College of Business

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Sat, 04/30/2022 - 23:00

Speakers shared how ��-Dearborn’s diversity in culture, language and experiences are gained along with their diploma. “Yes, the world contains Dearborn. But Dearborn also contains the world,” said Spring 2022 Commencement Keynote Speaker Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, ‘10.

Hiba Mzannar walks across the stage during the 2 p.m. April 30 Commencement ceremony. Photos by Jen Prouty

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The ��-Dearborn community came through with record donations on Giving Blueday

kmccul — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 15:19:45 +0000

The ��-Dearborn community came through with record donations on Giving Blueday kmccul Wed, 03/23/2022 - 11:19

This year’s Giving Blueday was ��-Dearborn’s biggest ever. The platform crashed several times and strained the back up plan, but that couldn’t stop the philanthropy of ��-Dearborn’s alumni, faculty, staff, friends and students. Together, we came together to make an incredible difference for students on our campus. Preliminary results show ��-Dearborn raising more than $130,000 from over a thousand gifts on March 16, far surpassing any previous Giving Blueday. Across the university, ��-Dearborn had the second most donors overall this year.

There were many people behind many causes this year. Several campus leaders came together to match over $11,000 for the ��-Dearborn Go Blue Guarantee, an endowment that will provide free tuition to the state’s best and brightest. The entire match was exhausted and well over $40,000 was raised for the endowment. Our Alumni Society Board, Alumni Affiliates, and many alumni shared our stories online, and the #GivingBlueday hashtag continues to have a prominent ��-Dearborn presence online.

Our students’ philanthropy shined, too. Our sponsored student organizations — Alpha Kappa Psi, Beta Alpha Psi, the Criminology and Criminal Justice Collective, the First Gen Student Org, and the Society of Women Engineers — combined raised over $7,500 from more than 130 donors. And many of our sports teams also had strong Giving Blueday campaigns, with volleyball and women’s soccer both seeing 50 or more supporters each.

Due to the technical difficulties on Giving Blueday, donors were given a second day to give and a $25 match on March 17. With the need to use multiple platforms, reconcile multiple days of many gifts, and iron out any other technical issues, we had to pause on announcing the winners of two challenges. On campus, the four colleges participated in the College Competition, where the college with the highest percentage of faculty and staff donors will earn extra scholarship dollars for their respective college’s scholarships. For the ��-Dearborn Athletics teams, the team with the most Giving Blueday donors would get an extra $1,000 donated to their team’s efforts. We expect to announce those winners as soon as we’ve received final totals.

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Story by Eva Gogola

University-wide

Alumni Engagement

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Wed, 03/23/2022 - 15:19

The initial tallies show ��-Dearborn raised more than $130,000 from over a thousand gifts on March 16.