Sunday, May 19, 2013

Marygrove Names its First Urban Leadership Fellow

In keeping with Marygrove College’s strategic vision of fostering urban leadership to promote progressive and positive change, which was born out of and inspired by its historical commitment to the City of Detroit where it was founded over 80 years ago by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the College has named Ms. Brenda Price, former program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in Detroit and, until recently, also in Gary , Indiana, as Marygrove’s first Urban Leadership Fellow. The Urban Leadership Fellow will be an active learning member and catalyst for innovation with the various teams of faculty and staff involved in designing and leading the College’s Urban Leadership Initiatives. In addition, as this is an area of interest for Knight, the foundation has committed to making a planning grant to Marygrove to support this work.

DEEP THOUGHTS: A discussion with Marygrove Professor Steve Patterson

To sit down and chat with Marygrove Professor Steve Patterson, Ph.D., is to bring conversation to an entirely new level—and that level is deep. That could be because, Patterson, who has been teaching at Marygrove for six years now, is a philosopher.

Forget any visions of a guy walking about in a toga, sandals and flowing gray hair. He’s clean cut and very approachable, but you’d better have your mind ready for an unusual journey. Patterson is interested in argumentation theory, and his work in this area brings him in collaboration with philosophers around the globe.

Marygrove Biology Professor pens latest edition of book

“In Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology, Donald C. Rizzo (Marygrove College) presents an outstanding primer that covers all the basic elements of the discipline in clear and impactive terms - a book notable not only for what it says, but how it says it.” -- John Aiello Editor and Publisher, The Electric Review

Don Rizzo, a Marygrove Biology professor for 36 years, recently published the third edition of his book “Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology” (published by Del Mar Cengage). The book is accompanied by a study guide as well as a CD for instructors.

Marygrove students become urban leaders by mentoring area high school students

As part of Marygrove’s larger focus on urban leadership, the College has formed what is known as the Marygrove Urban Agenda initiative (MUA). MUA was developed to help local high school students develop leadership skills to find ways they can have a positive impact on the communities where they live and go to school.

With help from a grant from Campus Compact and program leader Marygrove professor Tal Levy, fifty students from Mumford and Cody high schools came to Marygrove to discuss the concept of peer mediation as a way to find solutions to the problems of learning in their schools—specifically violence.

As these students are trained in peer mediation, they learn practical ways they can take control and manage difficult and/or violent situations. These “peer mediators,” then discuss the ideas with other students to advance the concept.

Levy’s inspiration for the MUA evolved from a Wayne State University Urban Agenda (UA) program. The original UA program was created by his mentor and friend, the late Otto Feinstein, a political scientist and activist for social justice from Wayne State University, Levy’s alma mater. The UA program was originally an exercise in political and civic literacy—it called for enhancing students’ understanding of the political process by participating in political gatherings with students from other colleges and universities.

Sigma Zeta has stellar first year, inducts new members

Beta Upsilon, Marygrove’s chapter of the national science and mathematics honor society Sigma Zeta, will be hosting an induction ceremony for new members on Saturday, June 12 at 10:00 a.m. Marygrove formed the Beta Upsilon chapter in April 2009.

In the year since it was formed, Beta Upsilon students have accomplished much and Marygrove professors Dr. Don Rizzo and Dr. Mary Lynam, co-advisors for Beta Upsilon, are proud. “We’re excited,” said Rizzo. “Four of our students (Jay Biernat, Carla Sims, Lloyd Weishap and Semaj Wilson) presented their senior seminar research projects at the Sigma Zeta National Convention this past March at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky, which is quite an honor.”