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.

PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION EVENTS
It is with great pride and anticipation that Marygrove College is organizing the inauguration of its eighth president, Dr. David Fike.  A wide variety of cultural, artistic, educational and religious activities will take place as part of inauguration this spring. 

Below is the schedule:

Friday, March 16

• Marygrove College Celebrates Women’s History Month: An Evening Coffee House with Spoken Word Poets
  7:30 p.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Alumni Hall
  Presented by Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society…Home-grown poets are invited to share their views on leadership…Many of the spoken word poets are community activists and leaders…The coffee house provides a platform for the voice of writers such as activists Sonia Sanchez and Jessica Care Moore.

Friday, March 30

• Academic Symposium by Faculty and Students: “Urban Leadership: Expressions of Legacy, Commitment to Progress”
  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Denk Chapman Hall
  In the context of a host of urban issues, the theme connects the past with the present and looks ahead to the future…Papers from all academic disciplines will examine various aspects of the theme.

Friday - Sunday, April 13 - 15

• No Street Shoes Annual Dance Company Concert
  Friday, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 2:00 & 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, 4:00 p.m. Marygrove College Theatre
  The concert will feature guest choreographers Pattie Obey (international jazz artist), Gregory Robinson (Dayton Ballet), Sidra Bell (Sidra Bell Dance New York) and Barbara Selinger (Detroit Dance Collective).  The works will showcase a diverse, living world of urban movement.

Thursday, April 12

• Defining Detroit Lecture Series: Angela Dillard, associate professor at The Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan, discussing “True vs. False Religion: How Faith Mattered in Detroit’s Radical History.”
  7:30 p.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Alumni Hall
  Detroit native and scholar examines the role that faith has played in the city’s history….Sponsored by the Institute for Detroit Studies.

Friday, April 20

• Contemporary American Authors Lecture Series featuring Poet Marilyn Nelson
  8:00 p.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Alumni Hall
  CAALS has a 19-year tradition of bringing renowned African American authors to Detroit…Marygrove has created a literary event in and for the city that is free and open to the public…In master classes, Detroit public high school students have the opportunity to learn from and have personal contact with the author.

Sunday, April 22

• Sacred Traditions: The Marygrove College Chorale Concert
  4:00 p.m.; Liberal Arts Building, Sacred Heart Chapel
  Musical selections from the many faith traditions found in Detroit will be featured…Marygrove’s Sacred Heart Chapel houses the historic 1928 Casavant organ.

May 3 - 15

• Bachelor of Fine Arts Student Degree Show
  Opening Reception: Thursday, May 3, 4:30 – 8:00 p.m.; Liberal Arts Building, The Gallery
  Graduating seniors will showcase their work…The Gallery is considered one of Detroit’s cultural gems, exhibiting local and national as well as student and faculty artists.

Wednesday, May 9

• Urban Leaders VIP Mixer
  5:30 p.m.; location TBD
  Urban Leaders Circle members will be invited to a VIP Media Reception where they will have the opportunity to meet other ULC members as well as dignitaries and government and community leaders and where a press conference will announce the launch of the Urban Leaders Circle to the media.
• Presidential Blue Ribbon Panel
  7:00 p.m.; location TBD
  The mayors of major U.S. cities will conduct a lively, informative and important discussion about various facets of urban leadership…What does it take to be an effective urban leader today and in the future?...What are the unique attributes and skills required of urban leaders?...How do today’s urban leaders help develop the leaders of tomorrow?...What lessons can we learn from these mayors as they share their experiences, successes and challenges within the cities they serve?...The panel will be moderated by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Detroit native, radio talk show host, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities, and professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Saturday, May 5

• The Inauguration of Dr. David J. Fike
  All inauguration day activities are intended to be community-oriented with significant participation by community groups, local businesses and residents of the neighborhood surrounding Marygrove…Inauguration is a celebration of the tradition of quality higher education and civic commitment begun in 1927 when Marygrove moved to the City of Detroit…The inauguration, with its theme of “Urban Leadership: Expressions of Legacy, Commitment to Progress,” is envisioned as a rededication of the College to serving the City of Detroit and its environs.
• Celebration of Mass and Missioning
  10:00 a.m.; Liberal Arts Building, Sacred Heart Chapel
• Brunch
  11:30 a.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Main Dining Room
• Installation of the President
  1:30 p.m.; Liberal Arts Building, Marygrove College Theatre
• Reception
  2:30 p.m.; Madame Cadillac Building, Alumni Hall
  

ACCREDITATION SELF-STUDY COMPLETED AND DELIVERED!
The College’s self-study (three years in the making) was completed last week and sent off to the five members of the North Central Association evaluation team who will be visiting the campus on March 25-28.

Now the evaluation team’s task is to read through the entire document - a weighty 412 pages - and decide what they want to see and who they want to meet with when they come to Marygrove.

Continuing accreditation is critical to Marygrove’s future.  Only with NCA accreditation can our students receive federal grants and loans to attend Marygrove.  Accreditation is the hallmark of a quality institution of higher learning, a distinction Marygrove has enjoyed for decades.

You can review the executive summary of the self-study, which is a concise 27-page version of the report, online at www.marygrove.edu/nca.  Copies of the self-study are now available around campus and in the Library, LA104 and MC259. You’ll be able to borrow these and see for yourself all the great things that Marygrove people have been up to over the past ten years.

Several alumni and members of the community at large contributed to the report as did countless faculty and staff.  Thanks to all who made it possible for Marygrove to submit such a thorough self-study report.

ATTENTION TEACHERS! ONLINE MASTERS IN THE ART OF TEACHING (MAT) UP AND RUNNING
Marygrove launched its new Online Master’s in the Art of Teaching (MAT) degree in reading and literacy for grades K-6 in January.  The elementary reading program has eight students in its first cohort.  The next cohort for this area of study starts on March 22.  Marygrove will begin offering the Online MAT in mathematics for grades K-5 on May 14.

The Master in the Art of Teaching degree with concentrations in math or reading and literacy offer teachers the opportunity to study, practice and reflect on skills based on the most recent educational research. Courses include unique video case studies that demonstrate best practices in real-life classrooms. The structure of the master’s program allows working professionals to earn a master’s degree in less than two years.

Concentration in Reading and Literacy, Grades K-6
This program provides participants with a comprehensive knowledge base in the reading process and the instructional techniques that are most effective for teaching students to learn to read. The curriculum focuses on the structure of language and the five components of reading. Additional content includes specific research-based techniques for teaching reading skills and strategies, processes for utilizing curriculum effectively, methods for assessing reading progress in individuals and groups, and ideas for differentiating instruction for diverse learners.

Concentration in Mathematics, Grades K-5
This program provides an opportunity for elementary teachers to assess their own conceptual understanding of fundamental mathematics and allows them to build their own content knowledge by moving from procedural to conceptual strategies in the areas of number and operations, measurement, geometry, algebra, and data analysis and probability. Through analysis of research, specialist commentaries, classroom examples and student work, teachers examine ways to develop mathematical fluency that leads to continued success in higher-level mathematics.

For more information or to receive registration materials, please contact Stacey McNally toll free at 877-986-2794 or stacey.mcnally@marygrove.edu or visit www.marygrove.edu/onlinemat.

MARYGROVE CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Themed “The Talented Tenth,” Marygrove College has been celebrating Black History Month with a series of on-campus lectures, workshops and musical performances, including a discussion on the history of Black History Month, an examination of discrimination today, Negro spirituals and a trade fair by African-American vendors. On Tuesday, February 6, Royce Kinniebrew gave the history of black history month; the next day, there was a workshop on discrimination; on Monday, February 12, students, faculty and staff celebrated two African American traditions – spirituals and sweet potato pie – and shopped at an African American vendor fair. 

You’re invited to join us on Monday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m. when Glenn Brooks, director of student life, leads a retrospective of 100 years of African American fraternity and sorority traditions.  On Wednesday, February 21, at noon, the Sankofa Dancers and Drummers, Detroit’s premier African Dance troupe, celebrate African heritage through music and dance.

The Marygrove library is sponsoring a contest in honor of Black History Month. Stop by the library information kiosk located at the circulation desk and check out the collage of photos of famous African Americans. Identify as many as you can for a chance to win great prizes including books, art prints and fun Marygrove items! You will have two chances to test your knowledge of African American history – the first set of photos will be on display through Valentine’s Day, and a new set will be up from February 15 until the 28. For more information, contact Jennifer Meacham, (313) 927-1554 or jmeacham@marygrove.edu.

The Talented Tenth, written by W.E.B. DuBois in September 1903, speaks about the responsibility that educated African Americans have to help those who are not.  He wrote, “The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men. The problem of education, then, among Negroes must first of all deal with the Talented Tenth; it is the problem of developing the Best of this race that they may guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst, in their own and other races.”
 
Contact Glenn Brooks at (313) 927-1210 or gbrooks@marygrove.edu if you have any questions.

STANTON & FRIENDS IN CONCERT ON MARCH 16
Associate Professor and Composer-in-Residence Geoffrey Stanton bands together with friends and colleagues to present a memorable evening of eclectic music on Friday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Marygrove College’s Sacred Heart Chapel.  An annual event, the program features electronics and projections and the historic chapel pipe organ performing works by Stanton, Bach, Handel, Mozart, Milhaud and Tatum.

Dr. Stanton will introduce a new song cycle that he set to the poetry of fellow faculty member, Dr. Donald Levin, an award-winning poet and writer.  Joining Dr. Stanton will be fellow faculty members Jacqueline Csurgai-Schmitt, piano; Victoria Bigelow, soprano, and Anthony McGlaun, tenor, as well as Gail Jennings on organ and Eugene Zenzen on cello.  Stanton and his friends are all known performers in the greater Detroit area. 

Geoffrey Stanton is an award-winning multi-genre composer for solo instruments and full orchestra and an active recitalist and clinician who plays the organ, piano and synthesizers.  He has performed in Germany and England as well as across the U.S. and has been in residence at the Tanglewood (Lenox, Massachusetts) and Aspen, Colorado, Music Festivals as well as the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Stanton and Levin will give a pre-concert talk at 7:00 p.m.

The “Stanton and Friends” performance is free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Dr. Stanton at (313) 927-1310 or gstanton@marygrove.edu.

MARYGROVE COLLEGE'S UPCOMING MUSIC, DANCE AND THEATER PERFORMANCES
Marygrove College announces its winter 2007 series of music, dance and theater performances, which highlight the high quality of its Visual and Performing Arts programs.

On Sunday, February 25, the Marygrove College Theatre and the UDM Theatre Players perform the “Vagina Monologues,” at 2:00 p.m. in the Marygrove College Theatre, directed by Leslie Love and Courtney Burkett.  This performance, including several Detroit “celebrities,” commemorates V Day, a worldwide effort to raise awareness of and stop abuse of women and young girls.  Tickets: $15; $5 for students with ID.

Also on Sunday, February 25, Marygrove will host the Orchid Ensemble Concert at 4:00 p.m. in Denk Chapman Hall.  East meets west in this unique combination of instruments that creates a tapestry of musical textures and colors, from Chinese traditional and contemporary pieces to new music, world music and jazz.  A demonstration/workshop for students about Asian music and instruments follows the next morning.  Tickets: Adults $8; seniors $5; free for students with ID.

On Friday, March 16, Stanton and Friends will perform a concert.  See separate story in Marygrove Minute.

Friday through Sunday, April 13-15, the Marygrove College Dance Company presents “No Street Shoes,” featuring choreography by Pattie Obey (international jazz artist), Gregory Robinson (Dayton Ballet), Sidra Bell (Sidra Bell Dance New York) and Barbara Selinger (Detroit Dance Collective).  The annual spring concert takes place in the Marygrove Theatre on Friday, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 4 p.m. Tickets: $10; $5 for students/seniors.

On Sunday, April 22, the Marygrove College Chorale performs “Sacred Traditions,” a performance of music from different religious traditions including music for mixed choir, women’s choir, organ, handbells in the Sacred Heart Chapel.  The concert features a performance of Fauré’s Requiem with the Chorale and Joanne Rickards Clark, Marygrove director of the sacred music program, on the historic 1928 Casavant pipe organ. 

For more information about these Marygrove College events, contact Liz DiDonna, (313) 927-1538 or edidonna@marygrove.edu.

TOM HOLZER FORD
Tom Holzer Ford of Farmington Hills, MI, is a friend of Marygrove’s Athletic Department.  Tom “Buzzy” Holzer said, “If you purchase or lease a car or truck with the dealership, mention that you are a supporter of Marygrove College as a alum, student, staff or simply a friend, and we’ll send a $200 donation to the College.”  He made this offer at the Alumni Golf Scramble in September, and continues to stand by the promise.

Tom Holzer Ford is located at 39300 W. 10 Mile Road (at Haggerty Road) in Farmington Hills, and their phone number is (248) 474-1234. If you have any questions, please contact Maureen Leonard, Institutional Advancement Coordinator at (313) 927-1308.
Buying that new Ford helps Marygrove Athletics and the Michigan economy!

MUSTANG SPORTS REPORT
Marygrove’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are making the push towards March Madness.  In the most recent coaches’ polls released by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the Mustang men were ranked fourth in Division I and the women eighth.  Invitations to the USCAA national tournaments go out to the top 10 teams in each division.  The men’s and women’s tournaments will once again be hosted by Rhema Bible College in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on March 7-10.   

In other athletic news, the Mustang Athletic Program has recently submitted its application to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).  The NAIA consists of over 300 U.S. and Canadian institutions.  Marygrove’s current affiliation is with the USCAA, a five-year old national association comprised of 60 four-year institutions and community colleges with enrollments of 1,500 students or less.  A move to the NAIA would be a bold step for the Mustangs and the College. NAIA membership would greatly enhance Marygrove’s exposure statewide and nationally, where the College actively recruits.  

The results are great.  For men’s basketball, the number of prospective student-athletes that have submitted applications to the College for fall 2007 has tripled over fall last year.  If the ‘Grove is granted NAIA membership, the next step would be to add more varsity sports to go along with men’s and women’s basketball.  The NAIA’s regional evaluation team visited Marygrove this week to meet with College administrators, student-athletes and athletic staff. A decision is expected in the summer.

ALUMNI BOOK DISCUSSION: THE WOMAN WARRIOR: MEMOIRS OF A GIRLHOOD AMONG GHOSTS
Dr. Loretta Woodard, associate professor of English, will lead another intellectually engaging book discussion, this time about Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts.  The event will take place on Friday, February 23, 2007, in the Faculty Lounge, which is located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Building.  It will go from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. with a light reception to follow.

The New York Times calls Kingston’s work “A remarkable book…. It is anti-nostalgic; it burns the fat right out of the mind. As a dream—of the ‘female avenger’—it is dizzying, elemental, a poem turned into a sword.” Combining truth, fiction and imagination, Kingston’s memoir depicts the numerous adversities that Chinese women face in a society dominated by males. As the work progresses, Kingston explores her own cultural history through the women’s “talk stories,” and ultimately reveals her struggle to find a personal identity and a voice to express herself as a first-generation Chinese-American woman navigating between two worlds.

If you plan to attend, please contact Alumni Program Committee member Druel Outley at (313) 342-3208 or drueloutley@ameritech.net.

Driving Map to Marygrove’s campus (Remember the Lodge Freeway, M-10, is closed.) http://www.marygrove.edu/facilities/freeway_map.asp

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.