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NOTED SCIENCE FICTION WRITER SAMUEL R. DELANY VISITS CAMPUS ON APRIL 11
What do Gloria Naylor, Ernest J. Gaines, Rita Dove, Jamaica Kincaid and 15 of the world’s other most distinguished authors have in common? Each has been a guest speaker at Marygrove College’s Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series, an event that brings a nationally-known author to the College’s campus each year for a public lecture and seminar with students.

This year the Marygrove English and Modern Languages Department has announced that noted science fiction writer Samuel R. Delany will be the twentieth visiting author to participate in the series. He will deliver the Lillian and Donald Bauder Lecture on Friday, April 11, at 8:00 p.m. in Marygrove’s Madame Cadillac Building Alumnae Hall.
The second author of science fiction to participate in the series—the first was the late Octavia Butler in 1994—the tireless Delany has written nearly fifty book-length works: novels, short stories, essays, memoirs, and literary criticism. He grew up in Harlem and began his career as a novelist at age nineteen. By the time he was twenty-five (1967), he had published nine novels and won two Nebula Awards, given to the year’s best works of science fiction.

Since then, he has continued to produce groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy. Major works include novels Babel-17 (1966); The Einstein Intersection (1967); Nova (1968); the trilogy The Fall of the Towers (1970); Dhalgren (1975); Triton (1976); a series of fantasy novels, Return to Nèverÿon (1979-87); Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand (1984), Equinox (1994), and Phallos (2004). He has two collections of short-stories, Driftglass: Ten Tales of Speculative Fiction (1971) and Aye, and Gomorrah and other Stories (2003), which includes the stories of the earlier volume. His nonfiction includes critical essays about literature and about language, sexuality, and race -- among a wide range of other subjects.
In addition to four Nebula Awards, Delany has twice received the Hugo Award for science fiction, the Science Fiction Research Association’s Pilgrim Award for Excellence and the William Whitehead Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement for Gay and Lesbian Literature. He has also been elected to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

Delany has taught at a number of universities, including the University of Michigan; the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; SUNY Buffalo; Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Since 2001 he has been professor of English and creative writing at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Jane Branham Weedman, author of one of four book-length studies of Delany’s work, has written, “Few writers approach the lyricism, the command of language, the powerful combination of style and content that distinguishes Delany's works.” She adds, “Few writers . . . so successfully create works which make us question ourselves, our actions, our beliefs, and our society as Delany has helped us do.”

… And You Can Still Be a Part of It!!  
The Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series is one of Marygrove’s – and the city’s – outstanding cultural events and you can be a part of it!  Find out about sponsorship of the event, advertising in the program, or purchasing tickets to attend the private reception and dinner ($100 per person, $600 for a table of eight) with the author.  Contact Janet Kuras at (313) 927-1436 or jkuras@marygrove.edu.

IHM SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY RECEIVES NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION
“IHM Sisters have committed their lives and resources to respond to the needs of the world.  We are re-visioning our community and our entire Monroe campus in ways that respond to the wider needs of the world, focusing on the interdependency and interrelation of economic, environmental and social equity. Through learning and prayer, our community seeks to live and minister in ways that express our commitment to sustainable living … Our IHM community considers sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century.”
                                                  --from the IHM Sisters Moral Mandate for Sustainability

When the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary realized that their Motherhouse was in need of serious repair and regeneration, they made a prayerful decision.  In keeping with their mission to “work with others to build a culture of peace and right relationship among ourselves, with the Church and with the whole Earth community,” they decided to make all renovations to the property in a manner that would promote sustainable living.   A sustainable way of life means that the needs of the present are met without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs.

The Motherhouse and its surrounding campus, in Monroe, Michigan, now stand as a national model and on Monday, March 17 between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., NBC’s TODAY show will feature a segment on the IHM Sisters award-winning sustainable living renovations.  The campus, a 280-acre parcel of developed and undeveloped land bordering the River Raisin includes 35 acres of native woodlands, including a rare and ecologically important oak savannah, open meadows, an organic garden, a pond, an undeveloped four-acre island and other valuable natural features.

The IHM community considers sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century.  They believe that growing ecological consciousness places all humans in interdependent relations to one another and to all life on the planet. Living sustainably involves changing the way one thinks about life on the planet. It calls for the human species to move from being a disruptive force on the earth to a benign presence.  Resources are used wisely.  One thinks beyond today and immediate gratification and change so that future generations will have adequate resources. It is a mandate that requires transformation.

Through an intensive planning process with substantial community involvement, the IHM’s wanted the campus to become a living laboratory for sustainable communities across the globe. They chose to recycle and retain original furnishings wherever possible and to review the environmental impact of new products and materials before making purchase decisions. The sisters also used earth-friendly materials and practices.  This included creating constructed wetlands and an organic farm and installing environmentally friendly electrical, plumbing and heating systems, such as gray water recycling and geothermal heating and cooling.

In addition to attention from the Today Show, the IHM Sisters have won nearly a dozen prestigious awards for the Motherhouse renovation including selection as one of the Top Green Projects for 2006 by the American Institute of Architects. Others include the 2007 Energy Star Award for Small Businesses and Congregations from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED-NC certification; the 2005 Design Honor Award from Faith & Form magazine and The Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture; the 2004 Pyramid Award for Best Project Team – Michigan; the 2003 Build Michigan Award and the 2002 Clean Air Excellence Award.

The IHM community sees both the process and the ultimate goal of a 21st century sustainable community incorporating all the elements of a triple bottom line approach. This approach incorporates and integrates the elements of social, environmental and economic sustainability.  Having embarked on making their vision a reality, the IHM community has established itself as a learning laboratory and center of new growth and transformation.

TRICIA MEEK '08, POLITICAL SCIENCE/PRE-LAW
Career Goal:  I would love to go to law school and study Constitutional Law. I hope to one day work as a prosecutor in the Attorney General's office and want to help get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified.  I want to fight for the rights and equal treatment of women around the world.  I’m the first in my family to attend college and I want to ensure I'm not the last.

Hometown: Hazel Park, Michigan

Special Interests: Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, President of Marygrove Honors Program, volunteer work at Faith Tabernacle, dance, theatre, politics, Study Abroad program and travel to Belgium, France, Netherlands, Brazil, Hungary and Cyprus.  The Contemporary American Authors Lecture is my favorite Marygrove event! I came to Marygrove because:  Dean John Ambrose, who was my admission counselor at the time, actually cared if I came and was interested in me as a student and a person.  Once I got here, I stayed because I really am a name, not a number; my professors not only know me and my academic goals and achievements but a lot of them also know what’s going on in my personal life and Marygrove feels like a second home--not because I spend a majority of my time here but because the people have a vested interest in me.

Advice: Marygrove is not a traditional college with a traditional student body; the students here are here because they want to be here.  We¹re trying to learn from our professors, but our professors are trying to get us to learn from each other.  Students and faculty are here for that reason: we¹re connected and we love it, so if that’s not what you¹re looking for...

MARYGROVE COLLEGE PRESENTS "STANTON AND FRIENDS" CONCERT MARCH 28 FEATURING UNIQUE ORGAN/SYNTHESIZER COMBINATION
Dr. Geoffrey Stanton, composer-in-residence at Marygrove College, will present "Stanton and Friends," an annual concert of chamber music and electronics on Friday, March 28, in the Sacred Heart Chapel. The 7:30 p.m. concert is free and open to the public.

Stanton will be joined by fellow faculty member Dr. Donald Levin, head of the English and Modern Languages Department. Stanton, an artist/clinician for Rodgers Instruments, LLC (Roland Group), will be performing on a new state-of-the-art Rodgers organ (provided through Hammell Music), which will in turn be connected to computers and synthesizers to create a hybrid organ/synthesizer capable of producing unique, live, complex electronic sounds coupled to the organ's self-contained sounds.

Stanton will present new pieces for organ-controlled synthesizers commissioned by Marygrove College in addition to repertoire from classical to contemporary. Stanton has been cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York as "a composer of extraordinary talent." His past concerts have featured collaborations with poets, dancers, artists and other musicians and at least one new work by Stanton, ranging from short electronic studies to full-length song cycles.

For information, contact Dr. Stanton at (313) 927-1310 or gstanton@marygrove.edu.

UPCOMING ALUMNI DEPARTMENT EVENTS

Ballroom Dance Classes and Dance
March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24, May 2
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Ballroom dancing is making a comeback and here is your chance to learn this elegant and graceful art form. The Marygrove College Alumni Program Committee is offering six 1 ½ hour lessons followed by a dance where you can show off your newly acquired or finely honed skills. Wear leather soled shoes.

Reuben Collier and Margo Lee ’00, both experienced instructors who love to dance, will guide you through the lessons and have you dancing like Fred or Ginger in no time! In addition to being fun, ballroom dancing is also very healthy, as it has physical, mental and social benefits.

Lessons, which are $5 for alumni and $3 for students, will be held in the gym on the following Thursdays: March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 17, 24. To show-off your new skills, a dance will be held in the Main Dining room in Madame Cadillac Hall on Friday, May 2. Tickets are $10 and should be purchased in advanced.

"On Pilgrimage" from Visitation-North in Bloomfield Hills to the City of Detroit
Saturday, April 26
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Expand your horizons and join us on a pilgrimage to the city of Detroit! Fr. Tom Lumpkin of the (Dorothy) Day House Soup Kitchen and Sr. Angela Cerna Plata, IHM, involved in Hispanic ministry, will be our guides. We will visit three locations: St. Anne's Parish, known for their ministry to the immigrant population; Manna House, a soup kitchen sponsored by Most Holy Trinity and St. Peter's Episcopal and Day House, where there will be an opportunity to celebrate the Liturgy together and a reflection time to help us grow in our appreciation of the beauty and challenges of the city. This will be followed by a simple lunch. The registration fee: $50 (includes lunch and bus) Contact: Mary McDevitt, IHM, at Visitation-North, 7227 Lahser Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, (248) 433-0950 or maryihm@comcast.net.

La Traviata at the Detroit Opera House
Friday, May 16
7:30 p.m.
Paris is the setting for Giuseppe Verdi’s tragic tale of the forbidden love between the courtesan Violetta and her young nobleman suitor Alfredo. Convinced by Alfredo’s meddling father that she has brought disgrace to his family’s name with her sinful ways, Violetta feels compelled to abandon her love. Only later, as his lover is confined to her deathbed, does Alfredo learn that it is his own father who has caused the flower of his love to wilt. If you have never enjoyed opera before, this is the one to see. If you have heard this opera in the past, it is time to enjoy it again. A limited number of group rate tickets are available in the Balcony Section for $42. Reservations must be received by April 24.

The Color Purple
Friday, May 30
8:00 p.m.
Fox Theater
Oprah Winfrey presents The Color Purple, a soul-stirring musical based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy in life, and her true inner beauty. Nominated for eleven Tony Awards, The Color Purple is a landmark theatrical event. With a joyous grammy-nominated score featuring jazz, gospel and blues, The Color Purple is capturing the hearts of young and old, and uniting audiences in a celebration of love. Mezzaine and Main floor ticket cost: $58.50 Reservations must be received by April 25.

To register for any of these events please make your reservations by sending a check, payable to Marygrove College, attention Marianne Gaynor, IHM, 8425 West McNichols, Detroit, MI 48221.

MEET ALUMNA DR. ANGELA CELESTE MAY '90
Education:
B.M. in voice performance and psychology, Marygrove College (Detroit)
M.A. in clinical and humanistic psychology, Center For Humanistic Studies (Detroit)
Ph.D. in clinical and organizational psychology with sub-specialties in forensics and neuropsychology, The Union Institute (Cincinnati)

Harmony is important to Dr. Angela Celeste May. In fact, her world revolves around it. Whether she’s singing on her new album, No Limits, writing her new book, Freedom: What is the Experience of Living without Negative Self-Imposed Limitation, or using her psychology experience to work with people of diverse backgrounds, her goal is to bring people in harmony. “I absolutely do not believe in limitations. With God first, there is no ‘can’t’, and age truly is a just a number,” she says. “I am always working toward the next goal, because I feel that I have much to do before my time is complete on this earth.”

Dr. May says the legacy of her family is one of helping others and Marygrove College played a role in reinforcing that. Her maternal grandmother, Willie May Walton, mentored young people, and her paternal great-uncle, Copeland DeLoach, helped pioneer the union movement in Detroit. And they passed that commitment on to her. Her mother, Mary Walton, also teaches music at Marygrove College.

Dr. May received the 2004 Marygrove College Distinguished Alumni Award, the 2004 ACE Woman of the Year Award and was nominated as the 2006 Teacher of the Year at the University of Phoenix where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology, counseling and business. Catch her at http://www.myspace.com/angelacmay.

Experience:
Voice instructor; popular conference presenter; television and radio guest star; music and film producer; music arranger and writer; clinical and organizational psychologist; forensic psychologist; adjunct professor of organizational behavior and management, philosophy, psychology and sociology; mentor.

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 upcoming year. If you refer a student to Marygrove, they will have the $25 application fee waived, and if they are admitted and enroll, they will get a $250 gift card for books 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. Your experience is valuable in helping young people make wise choices about 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. 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.