Welcome to Marygrove Minute -- the e-newsletter with the latest information on Marygrove College. We hope you enjoyed the updates from last month and we look to you for feedback. Your input is essential to the success of this effort to stay connected with our friends. We look forward to hearing from you at dpuhl@marygrove.edu.

350+ VISIT MARYGROVE FOR JEFFREY EUGENIDES READING
On Sunday afternoon, October 30, 2006, Marygrove was the site for an ear-fest! More than 350 people came to hear the reading of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides.  Many bought his books and even more waited in line for his autograph.

“This type of event showcases Marygrove at its best,” said Dr. Frank Rashid, who coordinated the author’s visit.  “We demonstrate our academic and civic leadership when we bring this caliber of writer to the community.”

His appearance was a part of “Defining Detroit,” an interdisciplinary series of public exhibits, lectures, performances, readings and discussions that explore different aspects of Detroit life, made possible with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Previous presenters include Detroit poet laureate Naomi Long Madgett, novelist Joyce Carol Oates, historians Thomas Sugrue and Kevin Boyle, poets Philip Levine and Lawrence Joseph, and musical conductor and choirmaster Brazeal Dennard poet. 

The reading is also part of a fall 2006 collaborative series between Marygrove, the Matrix Theatre, the Downtown Detroit YMCA, Inside Out, and Wayne State University called Detroit Stories that records and presents drama, fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and oral history.   The Matrix Theatre’s current performance called “Boomtown,” which examines the Detroit of 1925, is another featured event of Detroit Stories.  Wayne State University is the member of the collaborative that is collecting oral histories of families coming to Detroit.  If you have a story, please contact Dr. Frank Rashid, Marygrove’s representative for the Detroit Stories collaborative, at (313) 927-1448 or frashid@marygrove.edu.

"HAVE A SEAT" A SUCCESS
Thanks to the artists who created amazing works of art from Marygrove chairs and stools and to the generous donors who bid higher than last year, Marygrove’s second “Have a Seat…and more!” Chair Auction and Strolling Dinner on November 9 was a rousing success!

Nearly 200 guests were treated to a wonderful strolling dinner in Denk Chapman and Alumni Halls as they bid on the auction items, which also included non-chair items like dinner with Dr. and Mrs. Fike and a weekend stay at The Inn at the Rustic Gate in Big Rapids.  Smooth Jazz V98.7 mid-day radio personality Janet G served as volunteer emcee and Charlie Langton as volunteer auctioneer. 

On her radio program the day after the auction, Janet thanked Marygrove for allowing her to be the emcee and told all her listeners what a wonderful event “Have a Seat” was and what a wonderful place Marygrove is!

The outstanding creativity of our own groundskeeper, Martin McNeeley, yielded the highest bid of the evening!  His work was joined in the auction by the work of internationally known artists like Nora Chapa Mendoza, Gilda Snowden and Dominic Pangborn.

Martin and ’07 Marygrove graduate Lasbrey Nwachukwu designed a special, surprise chair for Dr. David Fike in honor of his inaugural year as president.  Together, they designed the chair and Lasbrey hand-carved the Marygrove seal and the values of Competence, compassion and commitment into the wood.  Stop by Dr. Fike’s office to take a look and be proud.

The styling designs of Theresa Miles and her associates from the Banquet and Conference Center created a fantasy of chairs and stools and other pieces of art. 

If you missed it, mark your calendars so that you won’t have to miss it again. “Have a Seat…and more!” returns on November 8, 2007!

Artist Ann Bruttell poses with her “Little Miss Muffet” chair and tea set.	Diane Singletree Rieman poses with her contribution “By the Sea.”
Mark Gallo ‘00 with his wife and artist Barbara Cripps and her muse, daughter Maya.	The crowd gets into the excitement of the live auction.
Charlie Langton, volunteer auctioneer, sells another chair to the highest bidder.	Volunteer auctioneer Charlie Langton, Sylvia Rosales-Fike, President David Fike and the evening’s emcee, Janet G from Smooth Jazz V98.7.
Artists Lasbrey Nwachukwu and Martin McNeeley present their presidential chair to David Fike.

ASHLEY DAVIS MAKES MARYGROVE PROUD....NOW SHE NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Ashley Davis 07’ was selected as one of 51 women in the United States to participate in the 2006's Kellogg's Collegiate Women of Color Leadership Development Institute this past August.  As a participant, she was challenged to perform a service project at an organization of her choice.

Ashley’s choice, Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, is a non-profit organization that educates students in grades K-12 on financial literary, economics, workplace readiness and entrepreneurial skills.  She is looking for Marygrove students, staff, faculty and alumni to help provide JA programming at Aisha Shule/W.E.B. Dubois Preparatory Academy in Detroit.  The main responsibility of volunteers is to facilitate five lessons to a class at the Aisha Shule/W.E.B. Dubois Preparatory Academy. Volunteers will be paired with a teacher at the Academy and will have several weeks to complete their five-hour commitment.  She’d like to get programming started right away, so If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Ashley at (313) 927-1638 or adavis@jamichigan.org. 

AN EXPERIENCE IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND URGAN LEADERSHIP: CONGRATULATIONS COREEN MCCAUL!
Coreen McCaul, project coordinator, DPS-Marygrove College Collaborative, graduated from New Detroit’s Multicultural Leadership Series as a Marygrove College representative.

New Detroit is a coalition of leaders from civil rights and advocacy, human services, health and community and educational organizations throughout Metro Detroit.

The coalition formed in response to civil unrest in 1967. Wanting to serve as a Detroit leader, McCaul applied to and completed a yearlong course structured into eight 2-hour sessions with New Detroit under the sponsorship of Marygrove. McCaul says, “Last year, I came across the opportunity to be a part of something great and I took a chance. I went through a long but interesting application process and was accepted into the New Detroit program. In my sessions, I learned how to collaborate with diverse racial and cultural groups and to promote the elimination of racism by supporting racial justice and equality. Overall, I enjoyed my experience in cultural diversity in Detroit. I was truly honored to be involved in such a program with the support of Marygrove College.”  For more information, contact Anne Johnson, ajohnson@marygrove.edu or (313) 927-1209.

COME AND ENJOY A YEAR FULL OF EXCITING VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS!
November 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 December 1, 2, 3 2006
Polish Joke • By David Ives
Performance Times: Friday and Saturday (8:00 p.m.)
Sunday (2:00 p.m.) • Performed by The UDM Theatre Company at the Marygrove College Theatre
Contact • UDM Theatre Box Office (313) 993-3270 • theatre@udmercy.edu

November 20 – December 1, 2006
The Universe Canticle: a collection of banners from South Africa
Public Reception • Friday, December 1 • 4:30 – 8:00 p.m.
exhibit and reception in The Gallery
Contact • Jim Lutomski • (313) 927-1337 • jlutomski@marygrove.edu

December 2, 2006
A Fireside Christmas • Key Duets
Saturday • 7:30 p.m. • Alumni Hall
Contact • Sue Vanderbeck • (313) 927-1253
svanderbeck@marygrove.edu

December 7 – December 22, 2006
Lavanna Horton • BFA Student Exhibit
Public Reception • Thursday, December 7, 2006
4:30 – 8:00 p.m. • The Gallery
December 8 and 9, 2006 • Dance Department
Student Showcase Performance
Friday and Saturday • 8:00 p.m. • Marygrove Theatre

December 8, 9, 2006
Student Showcase Performance
Friday and Saturday • 8:00 p.m. • The Theatre
Contact • Sue Panek • (313) 927-1568 • spanek@marygrove.edu

December 10, 2006
Christmas Chorale Concert
Sunday, 5:00 p.m. • Sacred Heart Chapel
Contact • Ellen Duncan • (313) 927-1254 • eduncan@marygrove.edu

THE 'GROVE SWEEPS U OF M DEARBORN IN HOOPS DOUBLEHEADER
In front of a big crowd at U of D Jesuit High, Marygrove's women's and men's basketball teams claimed victories over the University of Michigan-Dearbon this past Wednesday night.  The women started the evening downing the Lady Wolves 87-73.  The men capped the night with a convincing 88-60 win over Dearborn's men.

In the women's game, the Mustangs trailed by three at the half, 42-39.  The Mustangs battled back at took the lead, 58-57, with with 12:00 remaining.  Sophomore guard S.B. Davis lead the Mustangs with 30 points.  Senior forward Amanda DeGain added 17 and junior guard Karmen Byrd chipped in 15.  The Mustangs improved to 2-1 and now head to Taylor University in Upland, IN this weekend for the Taylor Classic.
In the nightcap,  Dearborn's men came out hot hitting four three-point shots in their first five attempts to take a 14-5 lead.  Marygrove's men climbed back into the game with two Curtis Leavy three point shots to take the lead 17-16.  The Mustangs lead the rest of the way.  Marygrove lead 45-30 at halftime.  Leavy, a junior forward, scored all 19 of his points in the first half.  Senior forward Marques Barton scored 17 points and senior center Darryl Gay added 16.  The Mustangs are now 3-1. 

For more information, contact Athletic Director Dave Sichterman at (313) 927-1391 or dsichterman@marygrove.edu.

COLLEGE SELF-STUDY WELL UNDERWAY
Many who haven’t been touched directly by Marygrove’s Accreditation Self-Study may not know what the process entails, what it means to our future and that everyone in the Marygrove community has a stake in our accreditation.

 Let’s start with the basics. Every ten years, Marygrove College is reviewed by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Our last review was 1997 and we passed with flying colors. We’re required to go through the process ahead of our re-accreditation in March 2007. It’s already begun at Marygrove. Against several criteria, we’re required to conduct a self-study and generate a report to the Commission. Then the Commission sends in a team of evaluators to assess what we’ve reported. This team makes a report to the Commission with their recommendation. One of four outcomes is possible: 1) Marygrove could receive full accreditation for another 10 years or for a shorter time period; 2) we could receive accreditation with conditions that we fix what the team considers to be deficiencies; 3) we could be placed on probation; 4) we could receive no accreditation at all. NOT AN OPTION!

Here’s why being accredited is critical. Every institution of higher learning in the U.S. must be accredited for students to receive federal financial aid such as Pell Grants and Work Study funding. Institutions that aren’t accredited don’t get the funds. And they won’t get the students, either! Accreditation is the mark of a quality educational institution. And Marygrove is indeed a quality educational institution. We want to keep it that way. Right now, five teams are conducting self-studies corresponding to the following criteria:
• Mission and Integrity
• Preparing for the Future
• Student Learning and Effective Teaching
• Acquisition, Discovery, and Application of Knowledge
• Engagement and Service

You can well imagine that it’s a big job and one that requires the cooperation and input of the entire Marygrove community.  The Marygrove community includes not only students, faculty and staff but our alumni and members of the general public who share the Marygrove vision of providing quality education in the City of Detroit.

HELP RECRUIT STUDENTS TO MARYGROVE AND THEY RECEIVE SPECIAL BENEFITS!
Alumni who care about the future of their alma mater can help the Marygrove Alumni Recruiting Students (MARS) committee and the Office of Admissions by identifying potential Marygrove students for the Winter 2007 class. If you refer a student to Marygrove, he or she will have the $25 application fee waived and, if admitted and enrolled, a $250 gift card for books will be awarded to be used at the College Bookstore.

You can become a very important member of our staff as a volunteer alumni admissions representative by telling others of your experiences at Marygrove College. Do not discount the value of your experience as an opportunity to help people choose wisely about the future of their education.

Please use the Alumni-Referred Admission Application and feel free to make copies. If you know someone who would make a good addition to the Marygrove student community, give him or her an application to fill out and send in. Remember to include your name and graduation year in the “Referred by” line below so we know whom to thank! If you have questions, email info@marygrove.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (313) 927-1240. Thank you in advance for your continued support and commitment to Marygrove College.

Here is the Alumni Referral Form (.pdf).