Accessibility or Affordability

'A once in a lifetime experience'

stuxbury — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:38:28 +0000

'A once in a lifetime experience' stuxbury Fri, 07/25/2025 - 17:38

Intrigued by movies and books that featured the Eiffel Tower, senior Bryanna Worthy wanted to go to France. Learning more about the country, she saw something special in the architecture, the food and the culture. She started taking language lessons as a high school freshman and continued through college. But she didn’t know if or when she’d ever visit.

Earlier this year, thanks to 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s faculty-led “France Sites of Memory” Study Abroad experience, Worthy spent a week traveling the country while earning course credit. She saw castles, World War II sites, famous paintings and — of course — the Eiffel Tower.

Director of Global Engagement Scott Riggs said the university wants any student who wishes to study in another country to have that opportunity. There are both exchange programs and faculty-led study abroad programs available for interested students on the M-Navigator website. Upcoming experiences include travel to Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

Scholarships help students afford the travel — and the sooner students apply, the earlier they can learn about covered costs. “Applying does not mean you are committed to going — but it does start the process of seeing what scholarships and funding you qualify for,” Riggs said. “Last academic year, about $60,000 in aid for study abroad was given to 22 students. So it is not an insignificant amount.” A signature scholarship is the Go Global Guarantee, which is need-based support of up to $4,000. Interested in 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Study Abroad programs? Reach out with questions.

Bryanna Worthy, right, got to see the Eiffel Tower with her 51��Ƶ-Dearborn friends.

Worthy, who had her trip partially funded through the Go Global Guarantee, said her time in France was “a once in a lifetime experience.” And the communications major wanted to share it with readers in her words. Worthy is a blogger for the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Admissions’ student blog. Below is an entry she wrote about her time in France, which is lightly edited for style and to add details.

Nothing is better than falling in love with a country after spending years learning the language. Over spring break, I had the opportunity to attend the France Sites of Memory 2025 study abroad. This experience was life-changing. I was able to connect with my professors, students and even the locals. As a student with eight years of experience learning French, here's a day-by-day rundown of how my journey went.

Day One: Bonjour, Paris
Our first day in Paris was short, but fun. We landed at the Charles de Gaulle airport around seven in the morning. Afterward, we headed straight for the hotel. Once we arrived, the rooms were not ready yet, so we headed to a nearby café, Le Bistro, for a coffee and lunch. I ordered a BLT with fries and everything was so fresh and amazing. After our petit lunch, we headed to see an antique chapel, Parisse Saint Merry, that was quite extraordinary,and went to Père Lachaise Cemetery where some of the most prominent French writers were buried. To top the night off, we headed to a quaint restaurant that had the best French onion soup I’ve ever tasted in my life. It was warm, rich and delicious.

The students explored the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.

Day Two: Bienvenue au palais de Versailles
During our trip to Versailles, we learned a lot about why the palace is built the way it is. Although the palace is 356 years old, it still holds its glory today. With an astonishing 357 mirrors in the hall of mirrors alone, the Sun King, Louis XIV, created a space that resembled the true French identity. For the duration of my visit, each and every corner of the palais left me in awe. From the jardins (gardens) to the private estates, Versailles won my heart. With the Greek and Roman influences, the palace has such a rich historical connection and display. King Louis XIV really demonstrated his power and achievements through the 357 mirrors in the “salle de glace” — hall of mirrors — which reflected the painted walls that displayed his achievements through Greek, Roman and Christian references. One day was not enough to see everything that Versailles had to offer.

The students saw art, like the Mona Lisa, while on a guided tour at the Louvre.

Day Three: Paris, Je t’aime toujours
Our third day in Paris was magical. We started our morning with the most perfect petit déjeuner (breakfast) that had croissants, fromage (cheese) and assorted fruits. In one word, it was parfait! After breakfast, we headed to Le Louvre, which had so much art history about France and other countries. Our guided tour provided stories behind these great works of art, one of which was the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci created it between 1503 and 1517 — and it was stolen from Le Louvre in 1911, returning a couple years later. Before leaving Le Louvre, we were able to stop at the iconic Laduree Patisserie, which had the best macarons and cutesy gift items a person could imagine. After our trip to Le Louvre, we visited an area in Paris not far from Notre Dame that had small cafés, shopping and plenty of sightseeing. We also had a movie-esque outdoor lunch with a view of the quaint streets of Paris. Once we finished our lunch, we headed to the Latin Quarter, where students of Paris have studied for many years. In this part of the voyage, we were able to witness beautiful architecture that was hundreds of years old. Afterward, we had dinner at Les Noces de Jeannette (the Weddings of Jeannette). This restaurant has every bit of elegance and composure that one could have imagined. The restaurant, located near the Opera, had timeless decor that brought the scenery to life. When our night came to an end, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. The tower is embedded with approximately 20,000 lights that sparkle over Paris. Every student that attended this part of the trip was blown away. We were taken aback by its beauty, by its culture and by its history. All in all, day three was most definitely my favorite!

When in Tours, the students visited several castles, including Château de Chambord.

Day Four: Les Châteaux
Day four was a sweet memory as well. Monday morning, we woke up early and headed to Tours, France, where we went to tour the castles. Upon arrival, Provost (now Chancellor) Gabriella Scarlatta gave us the historical background of the castle we visited. After the guided tour of Château de Chambord, we had lunch right on the premises. Then once we were finished, we headed to our second castle, Château D'amboise, which was — in one word — magnifique! It had the most gorgeous small chapel on its grounds, as well as a beautiful view from the top of the castle that overlooked the town and river. For dinner, we went to a fun and elegant restaurant called Bistro Rossini, where I ate a chicken and potatoes dish that went along with a tomato sauce on top. When the day came to an end, we headed to our hotel, aptly named Le Grande Hotel De Tours. A hotel that was, in fact, grand.

Bryanna Worthy saw the sea for the first time when at the Gulf of Saint-Malo.

Day Five: St. Malo
Day five is another one of my favorites. We started the day early and took a walk around the city of Tours, where we saw ancient buildings, many from the medieval period, that were still intact. Then, after visiting a few hidden gems, we visited our last castle, Château d'Azay- le-Rideau, which was one of my favorites. It had a beautiful, serene stream running through it and a gorgeous, petite garden all around. The castle itself was small, but had a demanding presence. After our tour (which had a guided speaker phone), we headed to St. Malo, which is where we saw the sea. This was my first time seeing the sea, and I have to say, it was magnificent. As the day was winding to a close and the sun was setting on the horizon, it was a moment I will never forget.

Students took photos as they approached Mont St. Michel.

Day Six: Mont Saint-Michel
Day six was probably one of our busiest days. We headed to the tidal island of Mont St. Michel, located off the coast of Normandy, to visit the monastery, which is hundreds of years old. The monastery was massive and currently houses 10 monks and 10 nuns. The building has had many uses since it was first built, including its original purpose as a monastery and as a prison cell in the 17th century. This gothic site of memory left many students astonished. Also, in order to visit the monastery, you must walk up the steps to the top and, once you leave, you have to pay to return. Although this site involved a lot of cardio, it was still a cool experience. To end the evening, we had dinner in an old farmhouse that’s now a restaurant, La Ferme Saint-Michel, and finished off our feast with a game of Uno.

Day Seven: Bayeux
For day seven, we made our way to the Utah Beaches located in Normandy, where WWII took place. Here we had a tour guide who took us through the Utah Beach Landing Museum and gave us a historic lesson on what happened during WWII, and the Utah Beaches, specifically. Our tour guide even gave us time to look inside the building, which had various WWII machinery and artifacts. We also had a chance to visit the beaches themselves, which were gorgeous. After our trip there, we took our bus to Bayeux. Since we only had the chance to spend half a day and the night in Bayeux, we stayed in this beautiful hotel called Lion d’Or (which several celebrities stayed at). After we received our rooms, we headed out for lunch and went to visit this very ancient cathedral, the Notre Dame de Bayeux (during Lent). The cathedral there was one of my favorites because it was so dark and medieval, yet it still had so much history behind it. To end the night, we separated into three main groups. Those who were tired could rest at the hotel, those who wanted to visit more historical sites, and those who wanted to go shopping. I was in the shopping group and got a purse, shirt and a dress.

Day Eight: Au revoir à France
Our final day in Paris was divided up between travel and exploring. We took a bus from Normandy, France, down to Paris. We arrived around noon and strolled the streets of Paris and ate lunch near the Eiffel Tower. After our lunch, we headed to the Catacombs of Paris. Although the experience as a whole was quite intriguing, it was probably my least favorite. We walked 100 steps underground to reach the catacombs. It's so far down that it is underneath the metro. You also can't return the way you came in, you must continue straight out of the underground. Since the last day was unlike the rest, we did have more time to go shopping in Paris, where we went to the Opera shopping district, which was exhilarating. Finally, to end the night, we had an “Au revoir” dinner at this amazing Italian restaurant, Les Rupins, and we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle one last time.

Story by Bryanna Worthy and Sarah Tuxbury. Photos courtesy of Bryanna Worthy.

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Fri, 07/25/2025 - 21:36

Communications senior Bryanna Worthy, who traveled to France for a 2025 Study Abroad program, shares what it was like to explore a country that she's always wanted to see.

In spring 2025, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students — including Bryanna Worthy, third from right — experienced France through a Study Abroad excursion.

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Can we make accessibility ‘universal’?

lblouin — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 13:46:55 +0000

Can we make accessibility ‘universal’? lblouin Mon, 07/21/2025 - 09:46

The world of accessibility and disability accommodations seems to evolve continuously, as new technologies emerge, social attitudes toward disabilities shift and laws are updated. When we last wrote about disability accommodations in 2022, one of the major issues was how the university was meeting rising demand for accommodations, as the social isolation students experienced during the pandemic and the transition back to in-person life fueled an increase in accommodations requests for anxiety and depression. At that time, the approach to accommodations most often focused on the individual: A student with anxiety, for example, could meet with someone from Disability and Accessibility Services, who might recommend an accommodation like additional time to take tests. DAS would then send an email to that student’s instructors detailing the nature of the accommodations, and their professors would make the appropriate arrangements. DAS would also serve as a resource for faculty if they needed help, say, figuring out how to adjust the timed test option for an individual student in Canvas.

This is still how the process works today, and individual accommodations are still very much a thing (more on this below). But talk with those who work within this space and you’ll likely also hear about a push for “universal” accessibility, which may have the effect of reducing the need for one-off, individual accommodations. The thinking is that many of the most common accommodations for those with the disabilities — flexible deadlines, video captioning, making readings screen reader-friendly, providing options on assignments or assessments, or posting lecture slides ahead of time — actually benefit all students. Multiple studies have demonstrated, for example, that captions on video content increase understanding and retention for viewers. Digitize a reading in a screen reader-friendly format and anyone can listen to a reading while they’re commuting or cooking dinner. Providing slides before class gives students an opportunity to pre-digest material and engage at a deeper level. Getting to choose between a test and a project to demonstrate what they’ve learned grants students more autonomy and lets multiple learning styles shine. In other words, if we design the learning experience with accommodations in mind, we end up benefiting everyone — and ultimately reduce the time faculty invest in implementing accommodations for individual students.

Many instructors at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn have made these kinds of adjustments to their courses in the past few years, often with support from the Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources, which provides course design services, big and small. If faculty haven’t started moving in this direction already, though, it’s likely they’ll be thinking more about it very soon, at least when it comes to anything online, says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Director of Digital Education Chris Casey. That’s because in 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires public institutions, including colleges and universities, to ensure that all web content, mobile applications and other digital technologies are usable by people with disabilities. That means by April of next year — the compliance deadline for an institution of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s size — all websites, documents (such as PDFs), university communications (including emails) and digital tools have to meet the new federal guidelines for accessibility.

To meet this compliance deadline, U-M has created digital accessibility training for all faculty and staff, which provides practical guidance for creating and maintaining accessible digital content. For the past year, Casey’s team and other campus units, especially the Hub and the Provost’s office, have been busy helping faculty make the transition. Casey says it’s good that they’ve gotten a running start because they’ve unsurprisingly encountered some challenges. PDFs, for example, “are just a nightmare, in general,” Casey says. For years, PDFs were a popular choice for digitizing everything from journal articles to math worksheets. The problem is that screen readers, the technology blind and visually impaired people commonly use to listen to text, often lose a lot in translation. It’s not just the low-quality, 30-year-old scan of a journal article or a handwritten math worksheet that causes problems either. Take, for instance, a standard journal article that has images, charts, tables, subheadings and is formatted into two columns. Our eyes can generally make quick organizational sense of how the information is supposed to flow. But Casey says, left to its own devices, a screen reader often garbles that “reading order” that our eyes and brains find so intuitive.

Casey says his team does have some tools to help faculty with specific accessibility challenges. Some applications, like Yuja Panorama, a Canvas plugin that can peruse documents and identify accessibility issues and recommend fixes, work pretty well. But with those nightmarish PDFs, the solutions might not always be straightforward. If it’s a journal article, Casey recommends faculty check with a subject-matter librarian or the publisher to see if the source already exists in an accessible format or if the publisher has plans to have an accessible version available before the compliance deadline. If those options don’t work out, he says they do have some automated PDF remediation tools, but gives them a “50/50” effectiveness grade. If automatic remediation fails, Casey says faculty may have to try manually adding accessibility features to the PDF, though he warns that’s an adventure that can “get super in the weeds super fast.” He concedes that, when possible, sometimes the best option might be for faculty to retype a document (assuming that doesn’t violate copyright laws) or consider an alternative source that doesn’t have accessibility challenges. Other tools, like the custom generative AI alt-text generator created by 51��Ƶ-Flint Distance Learning Director Nick Gaspar, are working much better. Alt text is a way of describing visual elements, like images and charts, to make them accessible to people using screen readers. Casey said their team test drove the generator with everything from artwork used in an art history class to scatter plot graphs from the math department and got very good results. “With this alt-text generator, I finally feel like we have something that we can say to faculty, ‘This works,’” he says.

Not all accessibility hurdles will be cleared with a quick technological fix, however, which is why Casey’s team is trying to get in front of faculty as much as possible so he can give them a more detailed picture of what it might take to bring their online course materials into compliance. “Faculty are very busy, and some, understandably, want sort of the five-minute version of this,” he says. “But every course has its own needs. So it’s not like there’s a one-size-fits-all solution for every course,” he says. As a starting point, he recommends faculty take a two-hour Canvas course that his team has created, which provides a detailed overview of the major compliance issues and recommended fixes. His team is even offering a $200 incentive for the first 250 instructors who complete the course. In addition, every Tuesday throughout the summer, his office is hosting Zoom sessions focused on specific digital accessibility issues, like how to deal with tables, using Yuja Panorama or how color choices impact readability. Over the past four months, Casey’s team has also held in-person sessions with every department, and they plan to keep that going through the fall and winter semesters.

Of course, much of the labor of updating course materials ultimately falls to faculty, who already have a lot of demands on their time. Understandably, many faculty are feeling a little stressed about the work that’s required to bring their online course materials into compliance, says Maggie Rathouz, an associate professor of mathematics education who also volunteers as an accessibility liaison for her department through DAS. “To be honest, the mood isn’t great,” she says. “It’s not at all that we don’t want to help our students. I think basically everyone gets why this is important. It’s more that we aren’t experts in this stuff, and yet it’s going to fall to faculty to become experts and make these changes, which takes time. I mean, it would be great if this was something AI could help with even more, because then faculty could spend their time on the implementation of these changes and how to teach with these changes.”

Casey says he totally gets that, which is why his office is trying to lighten that burden by providing efficient training sessions, compensating faculty for at least some of their time, and regularly evaluating new technologies that can help with the transition. His office is also providing 250 small grants for instructors to hire a student in their discipline to assist with accessibility work. Rathouz says things like that are helpful — to a point. Personally, the $200 incentive nudged her to sign up for the Canvas course, though she says she actually hasn’t taken it yet and has been “dragging her feet” when it comes to making some accessibility updates to her courses. Similarly, she says it would be helpful to have a student do some of the work but notes that student workers will still require a fair bit of guidance from a faculty member.

Overall, Casey says he feels good about where 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is at as it approaches the April 2026 compliance deadline. Paradigm shifts, even little ones, take time, and a little foot dragging is only human nature, especially when faculty have a lot of other obligations. But he’s hopeful that this new culture around digital accessibility will end up being one of those things that feels like a bit of a lift up front, but then becomes second nature as faculty move forward with creating new courses and materials. It should also be noted that even as this culture of universal accessibility grows some roots in the digital space, individual accommodations will absolutely still be available to students. Knowing faculty are already feeling a little stretched by accessibility-related issues, DAS Coordinator of Case Management and Support Hillary Degner-Miller says their team recently created a new faculty guide that provides the most essential information about the individual accommodations process, including examples of situations faculty are most likely to encounter. Since 2023, DAS has also been utilizing department-level volunteer faculty liaisons, who both serve as a resource for their colleagues about accommodations and help DAS staff better understand where faculty are coming from. Moreover, Degner-Miller says that her slice of the accessibility domain, which tends to focus more on accommodations for individuals, is also experimenting with a more universal approach. The next addition to the faculty accommodations guide will be a section on universal design principles, which can help faculty create course materials that are usable by everyone, regardless of disability. In the end, everyone’s hoping what feels like a time burden at the moment will feel like a big time saver in just a few years.

###

Want to learn more about digital accessibility at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn? Check out the university’s new Digital Accessibility website. Staff should also read the July 23 email from Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta and Vice Chancellor for Information Management Carrie Shumaker regarding accessibility training for staff. Story by Lou Blouin

Accessibility or Affordability

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Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources

Mon, 07/28/2025 - 13:45

A spring 2026 federal digital accessibility deadline is ushering in a new paradigm for disability accommodations.

A two-hour Canvas course is helping faculty study up on new federal accessibility guidelines for online content. There's currently a $200 incentive to take the course.

News

51��Ƶ-Dearborn named an Opportunity University

stuxbury — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 11:18:27 +0000

51��Ƶ-Dearborn named an Opportunity University stuxbury Mon, 07/21/2025 - 07:18

At 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, 50% of students are Pell-eligible. The university has the second lowest tuition among the state's 15 public universities and ranks No. 4 for student earnings after graduation.

As a result of numbers like these, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education recently named 51��Ƶ-Dearborn a top-tier “Opportunity University” through their new Student Access and Earnings Classification. 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is one of four public Michigan universities on this list, along with Central Michigan University, Ferris State University and 51��Ƶ-Flint.

The Student Access and Earnings Classification is based on data from universities across the U.S. indicating the degree of access for students from lower socioeconomic and historically underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds, as well as the wages of Pell-eligible students eight years after enrolling. Here's the methodology.

Annesha Hardy

Annesha Hardy, a Fall 2024 alum who majored in marketing, said she’s not surprised to hear this news — it reflects her story. Hardy, a Pell-eligible student who grew up in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood, landed a technical business developer role at Amazon Web Services in Seattle immediately after graduation. “Growing up, you hear the phrase ‘dream big’ — but that’s hard to do when you live in an environment that’s disadvantaged and you don’t know what’s possible for you,” Hardy said. “The people at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn are focused on helping you learn how to do that — and then work to reach what that means to you.”

Hardy — who noted that Amazon was impressed by the AI knowledge she gained through her College of Business curriculum — said that, from the beginning of her educational journey until her graduation, people were there to help. She had mentors from student organizations, like Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Hardy received career coaching and sought internships through Career Services. And, right before graduation when Hardy struggled with financial hardship, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn staff members connected her to a scholarship opportunity. “I was working almost full time and going to school full time, but it wasn’t enough. I was running out of resources. When I shared with Dean of Students Amy Finley that I was worried, she told me about the Edward J. Bagale Difference Makers Scholarship — it couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Hardy, who was a 2024 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Difference Maker.

When it comes to the accessibility part of the Opportunity University designation, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Melissa Stone said 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s accessibility and affordability mission is affirmed through the data that the Carnegie Foundation reviewed.

To increase access, the university reworked its financial aid program in 2021 to open doors for more students. The 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Go Blue Guarantee Program, which offers free or reduced tuition to high achieving students from low-income situations, started in 2021. And, in 2025, GBG expanded the scholarship to students whose families make up to $125,000 a year.

“There is immense value in education. There’s the critical thinking skills you gain that will be beneficial to you throughout your life. Education opens doors for career and increased earning opportunities,” Stone said. Among people ages 22 to 27, the average median income in the U.S. is $60,000 for someone with a bachelor’s degree, compared to $36,000 for someone with a high school diploma.

“Looking at lifetime earning numbers, data shows the impact of a college degree can change the trajectory of someone’s life and the lives of people around them. And this extends to their community, region and our state,” Stone adds. And a vast majority of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students stay in Michigan: 95% of students who accepted employment in 2023-24 remained in the state.

Fatmah Saleh

Alum Fatmah Saleh, a Pell-eligible student who graduated in spring 2025, grew up, went to school and continues to live in Dearborn. Prior to commencement, she accepted a full-time international accounting analyst position at Stellantis. “My degree has helped me build a life where I have a job at a company I care about while living in a community I love. And I’m able to work hybrid, so I have the opportunity to be home with my mom, too,” she said. Saleh, an accounting major, has worked full time since her high school graduation to help support her mom, who has a long-term illness. Saleh is her mom’s caregiver. Her father passed away when she was six.

While the cost of attending 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is among the lowest within Michigan’s public universities, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn grads’ annual earnings are very competitive. According to Student Access and Earnings Classification data, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Pell grant recipients go on to earn a median income of $57,847, while median earnings in the region are $37,232.

When including both Pell-eligible and non-Pell-eligible students at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, the average salary earned is just above $62,000, said Career Services Director Laurel Draudt. The Career Services team surveys graduating undergraduate students six months postgraduation for the annual National Association of Colleges and Employers First Destination self-reporting survey.

Both Saleh and Hardy are pleased with the jobs they landed after earning their degrees and the earnings that come with those. They credit 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s career support offerings — as well as their own tenacity and drive — as instrumental in their achievements. Both had internships that they found after attending career fairs: Hardy at ADP and Amazon, Saleh at Yakuzi and Stellantis.

Draudt says internships are key because employers use them to find top talent, as was the case for Hardy and Saleh. She says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn makes an effort to get the message out to all students to get involved in internship fairs, mentoring programs and resume workshops starting the first year. “The sooner you get involved, the more competitive you will be,” she said. Draudt said Career Services has had 931 interactions with Pell-eligible students since they began recording student interactions in Fall 2022.

The success of the Pell-eligible students they have worked with is reflected in student testimony and the data gathered in the Opportunity University designation. But Draudt wants to do more: “We need to continue getting the word out to our students, many of whom are first in their families to go to college. It’s especially important to reach them because they may not have someone at home to let them know that these opportunities are right here,” she said. Career Services holds internship and job fairs twice a year, and offers job outlook resources that include average salary numbers, networking events, virtual interview coaching and more.

Hardy said 51��Ƶ-Dearborn offers a supportive community that helped build her skill set, resume and confidence. She’s now eyeing graduate school to understand the more technical side of her field.“I’m dreaming big. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn,” she said. “Getting into 51��Ƶ-Dearborn got me into the rooms — classrooms, interview rooms, board rooms — that changed my life.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury

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Mon, 07/21/2025 - 11:17

New Carnegie designation recognizes schools with high access and post-grad earnings.

Alum Annesha Hardy, pictured above, said she’s not surprised to hear that 51��Ƶ-Dearborn was named an Opportunity University for its work with Pell-eligible students — it reflects her story. Photo by Derek Juntunen

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Summer program connects girls to STEM education

stuxbury — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:49:59 +0000

Summer program connects girls to STEM education stuxbury Mon, 07/14/2025 - 09:49

51��Ƶ-Dearborn senior Ayah Bazzi walked around a College of Arts, Sciences and Letters classroom showing high school students how to use math to change the color in digital images, crack codes and create algorithms during a recent June afternoon. It’s apparent that the Mathematics major is dedicated to the subject with every ‘a-ha’ moment the students had. But it wasn’t always that way, Bazzi said. And that’s why she wanted to help mentor students at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s GirlsGetMath summer camp, a free weeklong mathematics program that took place in June. In its fifth year, the camp’s goal is to help increase the number of women in STEM fields.

“There is a thought that women may not have many opportunities in the STEM field, when in reality there are a plethora. It’s a subliminal message we get while growing up because we don’t often see as many women in STEM roles. Based on my past experiences in math courses, I also used to believe that mathematics was difficult to master due to my struggles to grasp concepts quickly and perform well on exams,” said Bazzi, who plans to become a math teacher. “When I took a calculus class at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, I had a teacher who helped change my mindset. The professor gave us an article to read as an assignment. It said anyone could do math, as long as a student is taught the right technique, the right strategy and is shown the tools. I’ve found that to be true and want to spread that message.”

GirlsGetMath — organized by Mathematics and Statistics associate professors Yulia Hristova, Hyejin Kim and Aditya Viswanathan — offers interactive guest lectures, activities and computer lab sessions surrounding mathematics for high school students. In addition to Bazzi, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students Melia Conners and Tanya Danial assisted with running the program this year.

According to the National Science Foundation the number and percentage of women in STEM occupations has shown modest improvement — between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of women working in STEM increased from 15% to 18%.

51��Ƶ-Dearborn senior Ayah Bazzi, standing, mentors high school students — from right, Emil Abner III, Evangeline York and Ryan Sullivan— during the GirlsGetMath summer camp.

Hristova said when she first started at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn more than a decade ago, she noticed the more advanced the math classes were, the less women took them. “In any field, if half the population doesn’t participate, you lose a lot. I wanted to find ways to reach girls at a young age, help them feel empowered and see that math leads to interesting career paths,” said Hristova, noting that there are only five female students in her 31-member Discrete Mathematics course this summer. The course is often taken by computer engineering and electrical engineering majors. ” The number of women in my advanced math courses is better than it used to be, but it’s still a concern.”

The 21 GirlsGetMath participants discussed how algorithms — for example, what Amazon suggests to you — work, saw the role mathematics plays in image processing, completed a treasure hunt to learn how to decode messages and more. They also learned the programming language MATLAB, which is used by engineers and scientists to analyze data and develop algorithms.

The program, which was open to all high school students across southeast Michigan, was free to attend, thanks to a grant from the Mathematical Association of America’s Tensor Foundation. It included instruction, guest speakers, lunch and all materials for participants.

Detroit resident Sena Segbefia, who will be a high school junior in the fall, wants to be an engineer because it combines her interests of creating and problem-solving. She found the camp after seeking out STEM opportunities at U-M.

“The Michigan name let me know that it would be a good learning experience, but GirlsGetMath has exceeded any expectations that I had,” Segbefia said. “A lot of engineers use programs like Python and MATLAB and this gave me my introduction to these. I don’t have the money to pay for a class to learn how to use these programming languages — but now I have some experience programming and coding. I liked it and am now confident using it in the future. I feel like I have a head start.”

Dearborn resident Raheel Khaled, who will be a high school senior in the fall, wants to be a gynecologist and obstetrician. She knows that STEM education is crucial for her future pre-med path and wanted to find ways to expand her knowledge during the summer.

“Math sometimes feels like a chore. I’m going to need to continue learning math in my studies, so I thought I should do this program to help me take a look at math through a different lens,” Khaled said. “This camp has been so much fun. It’s collaborative, not competitive. The professors are interactive. They put math in real world situations so we can apply it, see it and understand it better. If math was taught this way in a supportive environment regularly, I think there would be more girls interested in STEM fields.”

GirlsGetMath 51��Ƶ-Dearborn student mentors, from left, Tanya Danial, Ayah Bazzi and Melia Conners.

Conners said she wishes there had been a program like GirlsGetMath when she was in high school. The Applied Statistics major said a few great mentors — including her 51��Ƶ-Dearborn professors — helped her realize her love of the subject and her ability to achieve within it.

“At some point, someone tells us along the way that we're not good at math or that we may not succeed in math. I had that in middle school,” she said. “Having professors and teachers along the way who encourage you and show you that math is more than memorization changes everything. My professors have shown me that math is a deep understanding of the world around us. So just because you weren’t great at fractions in third grade, does not mean that you cannot be an engineer one day. Math is much bigger than that — and I hope that’s a lesson these students take with them.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury

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GirlsGetMath introduces teen girls to programming, coding, algorithms and more. It’s in its fifth year.

High School students Camille Gray, left, and Sena Segbefia work on image processing during a GirlsGetMath lesson. Photos by Annie Barker

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Athletics are a big driver of Canadian undergraduate enrollment

lblouin — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:06:31 +0000

Athletics are a big driver of Canadian undergraduate enrollment lblouin Mon, 07/14/2025 - 09:06

Senior Cadence Pero, an Ontario native who’s one of the captains of the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Women’s Ice Hockey team, never thought she’d be playing collegiate hockey. In Canada, the competition is stiff for rosters on professional teams or at Canadian universities, and Pero assumed she simply wasn’t good enough or wouldn’t get noticed. But when she was 16 years old and playing in a league in London, she ended up chatting with one of her teammates, who had just signed to play at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn. Following her teammate’s lead, she set up a profile on a recruiting site, where she discovered that she might have a lot more opportunities to play in college than she thought — if she was willing to go to the United States. There were dozens of schools, both in the NCAA’s Division III and in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the league in which 51��Ƶ-Dearborn plays, that were looking for players.

To her surprise, Pero started getting recruited by several American colleges and reached out to several more, including 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, which showed interest in her. She eventually narrowed it down to 51��Ƶ-Dearborn and Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where her uncle played NCAA Division I golf and her cousin is currently playing golf as well. Pero says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn won out for a few reasons. For one, it’s only two and a half hours from her home, so her family could “be part of this experience with me.” (Pero says her grandparents come to almost every game.) She was also impressed by the athletic and residential facilities. The women’s team had its own locker room and 51��Ƶ-Dearborn had its own rink, so she could practice anytime. And the Union, where many student-athletes from outside the metro area choose to live, had full apartments rather than the one-room dorms and communal bathrooms she was expecting. Pero also says the University of Michigan name carries more weight back in Ontario. “The Michigan degree, that was a big thing for my parents,” she says. “I thought about schools like Indiana Tech. But if you’re going back home with a degree from Michigan or Michigan State, you’re going to have more opportunities.”

One other big factor was affordability. Pero had excellent grades in high school and thus qualified for 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s merit-based international undergraduate scholarship, which “basically knocks off the out-of-state fees.” Women’s Ice Hockey Head Coach Carrie Sirola says that’s something she hears a lot from her Canadian players. “We’re not able to offer them athletic scholarships, but the international scholarship that 51��Ƶ-Dearborn offers, which is based on high school GPA, can make a huge difference,” Sirola says. “So if a kid has a 4.0, I know they're going to get $12,500 a year. I can tell them, if you want to play, you’re going to get a fair bit of financial aid here.” Sirola says that scholarship — along with the high level of hockey that the women’s team is earning a reputation for — has been a big reason she can now court more Canadian players. Back when the team was founded in 2019 and Sirola was an assistant coach, she says the team was filling the roster mostly with student-athletes from the metro Detroit area. But she could foresee that building the team would likely require recruiting in Canada. “I would be doing recon on our opponents and every single team in the U.S. now has Canadian kids,” she says. This past year, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s team featured 14 Canadians and 10 Americans — the first year the team has had a Canadian majority. Because of the scholarship, Sirola says she’s started to become more “particular” about who she recruits. “I’ve started to mostly recruit kids who have a 3.0 or higher, because I know we’re going to be able to offer them financial aid,” she says.

Sirola says her recruitment doesn’t always resemble how it’s often portrayed in movies or TV, where eager coaches come watch from the sidelines and make a pitch to kids and parents. For starters, Sirola says most of her recruitment activity is online now. Athletes use recruiting websites or YouTube to upload their highlight reels, and if there’s a mutual interest, a lot of the subsequent communication happens via email before the students come for a tour. Interestingly, Sirola says a lot of the Canadian players who end up on the roster actually find her rather than the other way around. She says this is largely due to a substantial supply and demand problem: Because hockey is so popular in Canada, there are simply more players in Canada, especially at the mid-level talent band, than there are spots on Canadian college rosters. So college-bound students who want to keep playing find they have many more opportunities if they reach out to teams in the U.S., where hockey isn’t as popular but college teams are more plentiful. “Occasionally, I’ll find a kid and reach out to them. But it’s going to be harder to get them to come because they’re going to have offers from other coaches,” Sirola says. “I find it’s easier for me to sign kids that really want to come here.”

That an American university close to the Canadian border would be drawing hockey players from Canada, where hockey is a national obsession, isn’t all that surprising. But Craig Cotter, head coach of the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Baseball team, says a lot of Sirola’s experience rings true for him, too. Cotter and his assistant coaches started to notice more Canadians on their opponents’ rosters, and so they started scouting Canadian kids on recruiting sites. A couple guys from the coaching staff even attended some combines in Canada to scout potential recruits in person. This year, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn had three Canadians on the roster — including a first-year student who Cotter says was the standout player for the team. Cotter says the selling points that seem to be drawing hockey players are pretty similar for his players: Ontario kids like that 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is just across the border (although one of his players came all the way from Alberta); students love the accommodations at the Union; and the international undergraduate scholarship makes the out-of-state tuition much more affordable for students who did well in high school. Interestingly, the supply and demand dynamic that brings hockey players to the U.S. works a little differently for baseball, though it still seems to benefit American colleges. “Baseball in Canada is just not that big a deal compared to a sport like hockey,” Cotter says. “So kids at that sort of mid-talent level, if they want to keep playing through their college years, are going to find way more opportunities in the U.S.”

51��Ƶ-Dearborn doesn’t keep stats on countries of origin for its student-athletes. But using some back-of-the-envelope math, athletics seems to be driving undergraduate enrollment from Canada, which is now the university’s second-largest source for undergrads, and very close to overtaking the top spot, now held by India. Francisco Lopez, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s director of international affairs, says there were 26 Canadian undergraduate students enrolled in 2024-25. So adding Sirola’s 14, Cotter’s three, and the five Canadian student-athletes on the men’s ice hockey team, it’s safe to say that athletes account for the large majority of Canadian undergraduates. Which begs the question: Will the university continue to experience growth in this area? Cotter and Sirola aren’t bullish about that forecast, at least for their teams. One thing that’s on both their minds: the current exchange rate. The Canadian dollar has fallen to its lowest level in a decade relative to the U.S. dollar (right now, it’s 72 cents), which puts Canadian families at a disadvantage when paying for college. Because of this, Sirola says she’s thinking of shifting her recruiting focus away from Canada and to communities in Michigan outside of the metro area. (Interestingly, she says she has trouble recruiting kids in the territory where most of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s undergrads hail from.) Meanwhile, Cotter is looking to recruit more out-of-state students, especially in southern states, where baseball can be a year round sport and there is a lot of mid-level talent. As with his Canadian athletes, he says his best recruiting tool is often an academic scholarship the university offers to high-achieving high school graduates from out of state. “The Michigan degree is desirable throughout the country,” Cotter says. “So I’m hopeful we’re going to get kids that, yes, want to keep playing, but come for that degree.”

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Story by Lou Blouin

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Canada is now the university’s second-largest source for international undergraduate students. Sports are often the draw. But coaches say academic scholarships are greasing the wheels.

With stiff competition in Canada, Ontario native Cadence Pero never thought she'd be playing collegiate hockey. She found many more opportunities on the American side of the border. Photo by Annie Barker

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New partnership leads to credits — and confidence

stuxbury — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 15:06:16 +0000

New partnership leads to credits — and confidence stuxbury Mon, 04/14/2025 - 11:06

Students Eileen Bustillo-Cruz and Camila Casa-Reyes do almost everything together. They walk to school, share their favorite snacks and discuss the latest music.

They also started college together — as 16-year-old high school juniors.

Thanks to a dual-enrollment partnership between Detroit Public Schools Community District and 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, the Cass Tech High School students began as Dearborn Wolverines last fall, working on college credits and toward a certificate.

“Since I was little, I’ve wanted to go to college. It’s just something I’ve wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure what it would take or what it would look like,” Bustillo-Cruz says. “Now that I have a better idea, I am excited. I like the discussion, the critical thinking, the ideas we share. And I like seeing how I’m growing academically and getting prepared for what’s next in my life.”

In this program, students move through as a cohort, earning 16 college credits and graduating with the same certificate in community-based leadership and development that traditional 51��Ƶ-Dearborn students can earn. The DPSCD dual enrollment program admits students from Cass Tech, East English Village Preparatory Academy, Southeastern, Western International and The School at Marygrove who meet collegiate-level academic requirements.

“DPSCD administration shared that many of the students are highly involved in their communities, so we chose a program that focused on community engagement and the leadership needed within it,” says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Undergraduate Enrollment Management Director Urana Pridemore.

The program, now in its third year, began online in Fall 2022. This academic year, it is hybrid, with in-person classes at the 51��Ƶ-Detroit Center. Although some students walk to the center, transportation is provided for those who need it. A new cohort starts each fall, which means about 60 students are enrolled at any given time. Pridemore is working with DPSCD to hold the classes on campus in the near future. There is no cost to the students — 51��Ƶ-Dearborn offers every student a 50% tuition scholarship and DPSCD is paying the remaining half. Students can use 51��Ƶ-Dearborn services like the Mardigian Library, academic advising and tutoring at the Writing Center.

Professor of Sociology Paul Draus

In Professor of Sociology Paul Draus’ introductory-level sociology course last semester, Bustillo-Cruz sat next to her friend Casa-Reyes — they often walked to the Detroit Center from Cass Tech together — and they reviewed their notes from the prior week while snacking on oranges. Both say the class gave them a glimpse into a future they want for themselves.

Bustillo-Cruz, who will be the first in her immediate family to attend college and plans to study engineering, says she took the class to test her abilities and learn more about what it takes to get a Michigan degree. What has she found? Each class is confirming that the college pathway is right for her.

To give students this experience, Pridemore worked closely with DPSCD and many others on campus over three years to develop the partnership, which is 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s only dual enrollment program serving students from multiple schools and using a cohort model.

“Detroit Public Schools is focused on their students getting an education that will give them a head start into the next step in their lives. Working together, we came up with a pathway right for the students that will give them a college-going experience so they can see what it is like and if it’s a good fit for them. It’s also to help build confidence so they see they can succeed in college and give them confidence to know that a Michigan degree is within reach,” Pridemore says.

The partnership is part of a concerted effort to encourage more DPSCD graduates to attend 51��Ƶ-Dearborn. “We're so close to the city of Detroit, and we want to give students in the city of Detroit options. We want the University of Michigan-Dearborn to be a school that they're considering, and one of the ways that you consider a school is by experiencing their academics, their campus, their community, their faculty, their staff,” Pridemore explains. “It's also another way for us to engage a lot more closely with their staff or their instructors in their high schools that may not have had a strong relationship with 51��Ƶ-Dearborn. Dual enrollment is part of our commitment to increasing relationships in the public schools. But it is really a way for students to be able to engage with us in a meaningful way.”

51��Ƶ-Dearborn also runs a dual enrollment program on-site at Grosse Ile High School and is developing a similar one with Ferndale Public Schools. In addition, about 80 high school students each year attend classes on campus.

Casa-Reyes says she is proud to be one of the dual-enrolled students. She looks forward to attending class.

“I really enjoy speaking up in class. Professor Draus listens to what we have to say and tailors his responses to our ideas and questions instead of continuing to only focus on the lesson,” Casa-Reyes says, speaking of her sociology course last semester. “I’m also learning a lot about where I live. Because of how Professor Draus teaches the class, many of us share what’s going on in our lives. I’ve learned that we might all be the same age and from Detroit, but our backgrounds and experiences are very different. But even with differences, we all share a similar goal to live good lives and succeed.”

Lecturer of Language, Culture and the Arts Mark Douglass

Lecturer of Language, Culture and the Arts Mark Douglass — who is also a composer and conductor — taught a class he developed called “Exploring the Soundtrack of your Identity” for the second-year Detroit students last semester. The online class explored music composition while focusing on African culture and the importance of music within it. Students examined the role of music in resistance movements. created their own musical pieces by pulling in parts of their everyday life — a sibling’s yell, beatboxing, traffic noises or the church choir — and used those samples in a piece they developed using music editing software. Working in groups, students wrote lyrics in addition to making the musical composition.

“My philosophy is that if you are going to take someone somewhere, you first need to meet them where they are. I want them to know that you don’t have to be Mozart to be a composer,” Douglass says of his students. “I want them to know that there are Black conductors and composers. It wasn’t something I saw much growing up and I would have liked to have seen someone else who looks like me. Once you see someone who looks like you doing something you are interested in, it mentally opens a realm of possibilities.”

He says he’s learned from his students, just as much as they’ve learned from him.

“Education is not listening to a sage on a stage. It’s an exchange of ideas and the growth that happens from that exchange,” Douglass says. “It’s a privilege to teach these talented students and get insight into what’s happening in their lives, along with their goals and dreams.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury and Kristin Palm

51��Ƶ-Dearborn faculty who helped develop the DPSCD dual enrollment program include Douglass, Draus, Associate Professor of Sociology Kevin Early, Associate Professor of Communication Troy Murphy, Associate Professor of Political Science Lara Rusch and Associate Professor of Public Health Natalie Sampson.

Community partners for this program include Detroit Public Schools, Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, Eastside Community Network, Congress of Communities and Community Development Advocates of Detroit, and the Wilson Foundation.

If your school district is interested in a dual enrollment partnership with 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, please reach out to Urana Pridemore.

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51��Ƶ-Dearborn and the Detroit Public Schools Community District are working together to help high school students learn about college and their community.

Cass Tech juniors Camila Casa-Reyes, left, and Eileen Bustillo-Cruz listen to Sociology Professor Paul Draus' SOC 200 lecture in their 51��Ƶ-Dearborn dual-enrollment course. Photo by Sarah Tuxbury

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Everything you need to know about 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign

lblouin — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 13:24:31 +0000

Everything you need to know about 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s comprehensive campaign lblouin Wed, 12/11/2024 - 08:24

You’re probably starting to hear more about the University of Michigan’s Look to Michigan fundraising campaign, which is a coordinated effort across all three campuses and kicked off its public phase in late October. But this latest comprehensive campaign has actually been going on for about three years, says 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich. That’s typical of big fundraising pushes, which try to raise about a third to a half of their total fundraising goal from big donors in a “quiet” or “private” phase before courting a larger base of small-dollar donors in a “public” phase. Ulbrich says campaigns are organized this way for a couple of reasons. First, a private phase is a great test of whether your message is going to resonate with people. “The majority of your giving is coming from a small percentage of people. And you’re not going to be successful unless they’re on board with your vision,” she says. Second, demonstrating that your cause already has momentum can help make public-phase donors feel more confident about supporting your cause.

This campaign differs from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s last big push — fundraising for the Engineering Lab Building — in that it’s what development staff call a comprehensive rather than a capital campaign. Ulbrich says university capital campaigns typically raise money for something very specific, often a building. Comprehensive campaigns target donors who feel passionately about a wide range of causes, and priorities typically include specific programs and scholarships, though it might also include buildings. In some ways, this makes it much easier to fundraise. “With a comprehensive campaign, we have priorities that give us guideposts, but if a donor comes to us with something they’re passionate about that falls out of the official case for support, we can likely find something within the university that they can support. So we’re not pigeonholed for what we’re raising money for," Ulbrich says.

For the Look to Michigan campaign, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s general guideposts are fourfold: student experience and success, faculty and staff excellence, holistic excellence and economic sustainability. And within that structure, Ulbrich says a few priorities seem to be especially resonating with donors. First, people are really getting behind the university’s prioritizing of need-based financial aid. The free-tuition Go Blue Guarantee is the flagship program in that area, but under the university’s new financial aid scheme, families who don’t meet the GBG’s income requirements are still often eligible for some need-based aid. Second, Ulbrich says donors are excited about the university’s practice-based learning initiative. “As soon as you talk to them about the theoretical versus the hands-on, that makes total sense to them,” she says. “And here at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, that includes things like internships, study abroad, experiential learning — so there are a wide array of things donors can support.” Ulbrich says they even played up the practice-based learning theme with a soft launch gift that was mailed to recent donors and prospects. The custom Block M Lego set with a Dearborn base came unassembled so supporters could get a little taste of the hands-on ethos at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn.

Compared to past fundraising efforts, Ulbrich says the current campaign is leaning more heavily on the support of standout alumni like Anthony Williams (left), pictured here at the Look to Michigan campaign launch event in October with College of Business Dean Frédéric Brunel. The '03 COB alum and CEO of Corktown Health is making a difference in Detroit and beyond as he works to provide comprehensive and affirming health care to the LGTBQ+ community. Williams was also recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the state's first LGBTQ+ Commission. Photo by Carolyn Noble

So who exactly is our donor base this time around? Ulbrich says this campaign is a little different in that we’re relying most heavily on alumni support. “This has changed a lot at Dearborn over the years,” she says. “Our fundraising used to be more heavily skewed toward corporations and foundations. But a lot of corporations have cut back on giving, and foundation money has become much more competitive. Now, the majority of our fundraising comes from individuals, the vast majority of whom are alumni of the institution. Larger gifts also tend to be alums.” She says most large donations come in the form of planned gifts, where donors pledge to give a certain amount of their wealth after their deaths. “This is an attractive option for a lot of people because it allows them to support something they believe in and be recognized for it without having to reorient their finances while they're alive,” she says. Ublrich also expects this fundraising campaign could have a different shape than the typical donor pyramid: The rule of thumb is that 80% of your fundraising comes from 20% of donors. But with a little more grassroots support from smaller donors, Ulbrich says the donor pyramid “might start to look a little more like a rectangle.” So far, Ulbrich says we’ve raised about $26 million, which puts us “ahead of where we’ve been in past campaigns.”

With the public phase in full swing, the development team will continue to seek out big-dollar donations, but a lot of energy will now turn to social media, newsletters and direct mail efforts that court small-dollar donors in the wider 51��Ƶ-Dearborn-connected community, especially alumni. Another big thing to look forward to: On May 1, the university is hosting a gala at the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. “We decided on a soft launch for the public phase for a couple reasons. We didn’t want to compete with the 50 events happening in Ann Arbor. But we also wanted to have an event at a location that was significant historically for us, and with our connection to Ford, we had our heart set on Central Station. With the renovation, they simply weren’t ready for us,” Ulbrich says. Details for that event are still forthcoming, but Ulbrich says they’re planning to have a discounted faculty-staff ticket price.

In fact, though alums make up the lion’s share of the donor base, Ulbrich doesn’t want faculty and staff to overlook their role in supporting the campaign. One of her talking points with bigger donors is that a large number of people who work at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn also choose to give. “Faculty and staff giving is hugely symbolic, because it’s a show of faith in the institution,” she says. “I give to the Go Blue Guarantee. And so I can say that to a donor and explain why it's important to me to give. To show a donor that the people who know the institution best are willing to support it with their own dollars — that can be very persuasive.”

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Ready to make a gift? Find a cause you're passionate about and donate now. Story by Lou Blouin

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It’s beginning to look a lot like . . . fundraising season. We answer your top questions about the university’s Look to Michigan campaign, which recently entered its public phase.

So far, 51��Ƶ-Dearborn has raised about $26 million during its Look to Michigan fundraising campaign.

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‘Education is the equalizer’

jpow — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 19:38:01 +0000

‘Education is the equalizer’ jpow Fri, 07/26/2024 - 15:38

Aaron Kinzel discovered a dusty, old box while searching the property of his grandfather‘s farm in 2021. After opening it, Kinzel sifted through pictures of his immigrant German family, newspaper clippings and legal papers. One document, a divorce decree from the early 1920s, caught his attention: it said his great-great grandfather had been sent to the Ohio State Penitentiary for life and his spouse filed for a separation due to his incarceration.

Kinzel was stunned — not only because it was a family secret, but because it gave him a new perspective on his own life.

“My childhood was like living in a horror movie. We were very poor and there was a lot of violence and abuse. My stepfather almost murdered me when I was 9,” says Kinzel, a lecturer in criminology and criminal justice. “I knew that violence was a part of my growing up, but looking at those papers, I could trace violence and incarceration in my family more than a century back. Incarceration has had a recurring role over multiple generations for my bloodline — including me.”

Lecturer Aaron Kinzel says his family immigrated from Germany more than a century ago — and the American dream wasn't in their grasp. The poverty they found themselves in led to a family history of incarceration. Photo courtesy Aaron Kinzel

If Kinzel wasn’t so open about his background, you wouldn’t suspect that the award-winning educator — he’s the 2024 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Faculty Awards recipient for Lecturer Excellence in Inclusive Teaching and a King-Chávez-Parks Initiative's Future Faculty Fellow— served time in prison for a violent confrontation with law enforcement as a teenager.

He says incarceration was the culmination of run-ins with the law that began when he was young. “I was in a dark place surrounded by drug dealing and crime. Looking back, that was my rock bottom. I shot at the police. No one was physically hurt, but it still weighs heavily on me,” says Kinzel, who was paroled in 2007 after serving 10 years. “Going to prison and having time to reflect and mature is what helped me turn my life around. Now I want to work collaboratively with criminal justice professionals to make the system and society a safer place.”

Kinzel, who had dropped out of high school, says education was a catalyst in his transformation. He earned his GED while awaiting trial in a local county jail in 1997. Then, prior to his release from prison, he enrolled in several non-credit courses and eventually saved up enough money to be admitted to the University of Maine at Augusta — Kinzel served his prison sentence in Maine — for a psychology course that addressed drug use and how it influences choices, alcoholism and genetics, and brain development.

“The area of the brain that controls reasoning and helps us think before we act develops into adulthood. It was this a-ha moment for me. It will never excuse my actions and I take full responsibility, but my childhood certainly helps explain my criminal conduct. The class helped me better understand my actions and that I had the ability to grow and change,” he says.

As a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn educator, Kinzel, pictured center, has taken students on field trips including prison tours, museums, police stations and boxing clubs (shown here). Photo courtesy Aaron Kinzel

After he was released, Kinzel earned his associate’s degree at Monroe Community College and an undergraduate degree at Siena Heights University. He then went on to earn his master’s degree from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn. He is currently working on his doctoral dissertation and plans to graduate with his Ed.D. from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2025.

But, as important as education was to unlocking opportunities, Kinzel says getting into college came with significant hurdles.

“As a society, we don’t want to educate felons or hire them. I tried to get a job right out of prison, but couldn’t get hired. For college, I applied at multiple institutions. Some outright rejected me, but others noticed my growth. I ended up being the first person 51��Ƶ-Dearborn accepted while still on parole — and that was on a probationary status,” he says. “If the purpose of prison time is to reform offenders, we need to come up with a better path for reentry.” Kinzel hopes academic institutions will begin to expand their DEI efforts to be more inclusive for justice-impacted people.

There are, and will continue to be, many returning citizens in positions similar to Kinzel’s, he points out. “According to numbers, 95% of the men and women in prisons will be coming home. That’s a fact. So now the question is: Who do we want as our neighbor?,” Kinzel observes. “People with skills to help them make a living and be productive members of society? Or people who are sitting around and finding themselves in desperate situations?”

Kinzel says his pivot toward education helped him build skills over time.

While at community college, he became a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and an academic tutor on campus. As an undergrad, he gained campus employment as a newspaper staff writer and was named a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, a U.S. Department of Education program that teaches highly qualified students from underserved populations about how to apply and succeed in graduate school. He graduated from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Masters in Public Administration program in the top 15% of his class. He also was named a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Difference Maker.

Throughout his education journey, Kinzel says he gained confidence, built networks and honed skills, while also proving himself to professors and administrators. This led to instructional assistant opportunities, which began while he was an undergraduate. Then in 2015, while a graduate student, Kinzel says support came from a seemingly unlikely place: Donald Shelton, then-director of 51��Ƶ-Dearborn's Criminology and Criminal Justice program and a retired long-time circuit court judge.

“I helped him promote a criminal justice symposium that he was working on and I believe that I exceeded his expectations. He saw my work ethic. Getting to know each other more, I let him know my background and discussed how I was teaching a couple classes part time at Western Michigan University. He thought that with my education, professional accomplishments and personal experience that I’d be a good addition to the criminal justice faculty and encouraged me to apply,” Kinzel says. “This respected judge gave me, a convicted felon, the experience I needed to move up in my career. He’s been a mentor and a friend.” Shelton retired from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in spring 2024.

Kinzel says he shares these stories with returning citizens — individuals recently released from prison — so they know there are people in the criminal justice system who want previous offenders to have opportunities.

Officer Kaitlyn Wrobel, Class of 2017, speaks to one of Kinzel's classes. Photo courtesy Aaron Kinzel

Wayne County Airport Authority Officer Kaitlyn Wrobel, who graduated from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2017, says Kinzel’s ability to see the criminal justice system through a unique lens has made him one of the best professors and mentors she’s had. He’s written letters of recommendation, provided encouragement during tough times and is now inspiring her to attend graduate school.

She first had Kinzel as a professor in 2015 and recalls when Kinzel shared his background with the class. “You’d have never known if he didn’t tell you — you should have seen the reaction of the class. We were shocked in a good way. I didn’t know it was possible to climb back from a low like he had and be so successful. It’s not something I’d seen or heard about before,” says Wrobel, who has been a guest speaker in Kinzel’s classes since her graduation. “I am a driven person, but Aaron’s story inspired me to push myself further and to overcome any challenges that came my way.”

Kinzel draws on his experiences to advocate for criminal justice reform. He lobbied for the government to reinstate federal Pell grants for prisoners; in 2023, Congress passed a new law that made this a reality. He’s founded and collaborated with numerous organizations to assist returning citizens with their transition from prison to society. Kinzel also works with the U.S. Department of Justice to help train executive-level corrections professionals — Kinzel says former Director of the Michigan Department of Corrections Pat Caruso, one of Kinzel’s mentors, helped connect him to this opportunity.

Kinzel is currently taking his LSATs, with the hopes of earning a Juris Doctorate. He publicly shares his story as an example of what’s possible when someone is given the opportunity to show how they have changed after serving time in prison. He also develops collaborations — like workshops or panels — with justice-impacted people and the criminal justice system to create effective policy change.

Wrobel says Kinzel’s experience not only showed her what’s possible for returning citizens, it also shaped how she views her profession. “It’s important to hold people accountable, but also remember that we are all human and make mistakes. A bad decision doesn’t make someone a bad person. Aaron’s living proof of that. I now train new officers and instill what I’ve learned from Aaron in every person I train,” she says. “Officers run into people on their worst days — and we need to solve problems. It's important to remember that how you handle a situation can have a life-long impact on someone, so we need to use our authority responsibly.”

Kinzel isn’t just making an impact in the classroom and in the criminal justice field. He’s also fostering changes on the homefront. Now a father of a school-focused and community-active teen, Kinzel has noticed a change in his century-long family cycle. “I’m a fan of history, but it doesn’t need to repeat itself,” he says. “The key to change is education. Education is the equalizer.”

Kinzel and daughter Lily. Photo courtesy Aaron Kinzel

Story by Sarah Tuxbury.

Accessibility or Affordability

Faculty and Staff

Inclusion or Diversity

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Social Sciences

Fri, 07/19/2024 - 19:38

Criminology and Criminal Justice Lecturer Aaron Kinzel shares how higher education helped break a cycle of incarceration that spanned nearly a century in his family.

Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies Lecturer Aaron Kinzel. Graphic by Violet Dashi

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The power of support

stuxbury — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:34:12 +0000

The power of support stuxbury Wed, 10/25/2023 - 15:34

Narmin Jarrous is a Crain’s Detroit Business “40 under 40” winner, a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn graduate and a business leader.

But before Jarrous could become these, she had to embrace another part of her identity: a person with a disability. She credits 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Disability and Accessibility Services office for helping her do that.

“My time at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn changed my life,” she says. “They set me up for success. College is the first time someone with the power to help listened to me, explained that disabilities aren’t always visible, and said that it’s OK to ask for and receive help.”

Prior to this, Jarrous, who was diagnosed with endometriosis in her early teens and experiences excessive pain due to the disease, says a high school staff member told her she’d never attend college due to her absences, which were medically approved. She had a teacher refuse to let her take an exam she missed due to surgery. She even had friends question if her pain was really bad enough to skip social events.

“I was so drained physically from the pain. And I felt like I always had to defend myself or fight to convince people that my pain is real, which drained me mentally too,” Jarrous says.

A 51��Ƶ-Dearborn department chair — who heard about Jarrous’ health-related absences from professors — reached out to Jarrous and referred her to the university’s Disability and Accessibility Services office. At the DAS office, DAS Coordinator Judy Walker spoke with Jarrous about her successes and challenges, collected documentation, advised her on available accommodations, and reached out to Jarrous’ professors. Jarrous’ accommodations included excusing her absences and allowing her to make up missed classwork, which is what she needed to be successful.

“I learned that disability is not a bad word and to accept myself as I am. I learned about equity and how empowering it is. Judy helped renew my excitement for my education,” she says. “My health is always a worry, but I no longer had to worry about how it would impact my education.”

Jarrous graduated with honors and is now the chief development officer at Exclusive Brands, a cannabis company with locations across Michigan, where she focuses on social equity efforts.

DAS Director Sara Byczek

DAS Director Sara Byczek, who works with Walker, says Jarrous’ story shows the power of support. But, to give the best support, education is crucial. Byczek says most people are well-intentioned, but often don’t realize the challenges people with disabilities face unless they know someone or are someone.

“You don’t know what you don’t know. Advocacy and education helps us all develop lenses on how to see things from different points of view,” says Byczek, who also serves as 51��Ƶ-Dearborn’s Counseling and Psychological Services director. The DAS office offers educational events and training multiple times a year, she says.

Here are a few DAS offerings and tips the campus community may find helpful.

Simple steps can make classes more inclusive.

Upload materials to Canvas before class so students can preview the content, consider larger fonts and contrasting colors for PowerPoint slides, and turn on the caption tools available in Zoom or Canvas for recordings and remote sessions. Check out DAS faculty resources.

DAS has a space for DAS-registered students who need additional time for testing.

If a testing accommodation can’t be made in the classroom, the DAS office offers test proctoring and alternative formatting options.

In addition to academic accommodations, DAS offers support coaching.

If you notice a DAS-registered student who’s struggling with class-related tasks, let them know DAS offers support coaching. The 30-minute sessions are tailored to a student’s needs and may include mindfulness techniques for testing anxiety, note-taking strategies, time management tools, email assistance and more.

Byczek says events and awareness months — October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month — promote education, but she hopes that society gets to a point where disability awareness and inclusion happens every day.

DAS Coordinator Judy Walker

“It’s something we should talk about year round because a disability could affect any of us at any time and there are easy-to-adjust things we can do to make life better for everyone,” she says.

To help people discover what they can do, DAS is co-hosting a "Re-imagining Access as a Relational Process" remote workshop from 1 to 2 p.m. Nov. 1. Ohio State University Associate Professor and the Director of Disability Studies Margaret Price will lead interactive activities aimed at discussing — and ultimately finding concrete takeaways for — access questions in work environments. In addition, Price will lead a faculty-focused “Cultivating Communities of Access in Teaching Spaces” in-person workshop from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Nov. 9 in Fairlane Center North Quad E. Lunch is provided. Register here. This is a partnership effort with the Hub for Teaching and Learning.

Jarrous, who recently spoke at a 51��Ƶ-Dearborn event, says her time on campus with Walker and the DAS staff helped her see the importance of supportive communities. Jarrous now serves as an advocate for others. Her advocacy work, business success and leadership roles have been featured in Forbes, Detroit Metro Times, Medium and more. “I had someone speak up for me when I felt I didn’t have a voice,” she says. “Now I can speak up and give a voice to those who need it.”

Jarrous wants Dearborn Wolverines with disabilities to know there’s a caring place to go if they need a voice, advice or accommodations.

“The Disability and Accessibility Services office will support you. Judy advocated for me and took a weight off my shoulders. She gave me a sense of dignity that I didn’t have before,” Jarrous says. “That experience shaped who I am today, what I do today and where I am today.”

Article by Sarah Tuxbury.

Accessibility or Affordability

Disability Services

Off

Wed, 10/25/2023 - 19:32

Narmin Jarrous, Class of 2018, says the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn Disability and Accessibility Services office changed her life by giving her the tools she needed to embrace her disability and become a successful business leader and social justice advocate.

Narmin Jarrous is a 2018 51��Ƶ-Dearborn graduate, business leader and equity advocate.

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'I want to be the adult I needed growing up'

stuxbury — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 13:27:59 +0000

'I want to be the adult I needed growing up' stuxbury Wed, 10/25/2023 - 09:27

In the basement of a church-turned-community center in Detroit's Springwells neighborhood, Ana Alvarez offers a tour of a new Youth Mental Health Hub. With a beaming smile, she points out features of the space: a fresh coat of yellow and green paint, new couches and comfortable seating, a mural painted by young people from the neighborhood. She then draws attention to a corner of the room that will soon become a private space for professional counseling.

Alvarez, the youth leadership and outreach director at Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, first connected with UNI in 2012 through the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent youth employment program. Building out the organization's new youth-driven Mental Health Hub is part of her current role. It's one she feels well prepared for in part because of her educational background: Alvarez graduated from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2019 with a degree in business administration and marketing.

Alvarez is in good company. She is one of four 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alumni currently working for UNI. Several other alums have transitioned to different organizations after their time there. There are many reasons UNI has drawn so many 51��Ƶ-Dearborn grads: Some grew up in the neighborhood and have had ties to the organization since childhood. Some came through internships. Others came after a career change. The constant, Executive Director Christine Bell says, is that “they all have a confidence that I believe 51��Ƶ-Dearborn fosters in its students. That is so critical.”

Originally called Neighborhood Centers Incorporated, UNI was founded in 1997 to address community issues in Springwells, a part of southwest Detroit. With a current focus on youth development, education and land use/economic development, the organization engages residents of all ages in efforts to create positive change in their neighborhood.

Listening to the needs of youth

To Alvarez, a first-generation college student whose family came to Detroit from Mexico, diversity and inclusion were driving factors in both her decision to attend 51��Ƶ-Dearborn and to work at UNI. “I chose to attend 51��Ƶ-Dearborn because I value diversity. I was able to share experiences with many of the students and professors, and I was able to make friends from all over the world and from different backgrounds,” she says.

From coordinating grant requirements to developing budgets, Alvarez has poured months into working with youth to create UNI’s Mental Health Hub. She’s especially proud that she has been able to support youth leadership through the process: “We listened to the needs of both youth and the larger community and created a space that they envisioned,” she explains.

This work is deeply personal to Alvarez, who grew up in southwest Detroit. “I want to be the adult that I needed growing up,” she says.

Education as a ticket to a better life

As an adolescent, Alejandra Gomez spent many weekday afternoons in UNI's after-school program. When she was 14, she started working at UNI through its youth employment program. Then, throughout college, she worked at the front desk. When she graduated from 51��Ƶ-Dearborn in 2016 with a degree in international studies, she originally planned to work abroad. But all of her years at UNI compelled her to think more seriously about working in education. “Luckily, my degree program had a broad focus, so I was able to think about applying what I was learning to different sectors, like nonprofits,” Gomez says. “Working in education is so important to me because, as a first generation Latina, education was always a ticket to a better life. Working at UNI, I love that I get to offer opportunities that support our youth, support that many of us were not able to receive,” Gomez says.

Now, she not only works in the neighborhood where she was raised, but at the very organization that helped raise her. After graduation, she began as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at UNI, then she transitioned to coordinator of educational initiatives, and now serves as the educational initiatives director, where she oversees and supports after-school and summer youth programming, the Detroit AmeriCorps Youth Success program and SEEDing for College, a collaboration among several local nonprofits to promote children’s savings accounts for college.

“My role of leading out-of-school time opportunities for youth is so important to me because it creates space for youth to explore different enrichment opportunities and dream of the life they want to create for themselves using post-secondary as a stepping stone,” Gomez reflects. “As someone who grew up three blocks away from UNI, I know how important it is to see other people that look like me walk a similar path and be able to support each other as we create a different path together.”

‘51��Ƶ-Dearborn gave me a chance’

While at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn, where she graduated in 2021 with a degree in communications, Daisy Recinos worked with the SOAR Program on social media and marketing and with the media team in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters on promotional videos. She learned about a job opening at UNI from a fellow student in one of her communications classes. “After hearing about their work and how UNI has helped out the neighborhood I grew up in, I wanted to be a part of the organization,” Recinos says.

Now UNI’s marketing and media specialist, Recinos has the opportunity to apply the skills and experiences she gained in her coursework and employment at the university. “51��Ƶ-Dearborn gave me a chance, and I took it and flew. The university is definitely why I am confident in my abilities and work ethic,” Recios reflects. “Now that I think about it, all of the work I did at 51��Ƶ-Dearborn is basically what I do now at UNI.”

Recinos sees her role as an opportunity to equip young people with new skills. Recently, while working on a video to highlight UNI’s work for a grant application, she made the conscious decision to bring youth into the process. “I like to include youth in our marketing work to teach them what I have learned over the years and help guide them on their journey of creativity,” she explains.

Helping youth get to college ‘against all odds’

Following her graduation from the College of Education, Health, and Human Services 20 years ago, Tanya Aho enjoyed a decade-long career as a teacher in Detroit. She then transitioned to nonprofit community work, which she believes enables her to better serve young people. “Youth programs in community organizations are able to build relationships that are less restrictive than schools. I also have a very strong belief in youth voice and agency. In general, schools struggle with that, while community organizations, especially over the last decade, have found a way to really encourage and create spaces for that kind of involvement,” Aho says.

After working for eight years in youth development on Detroit’s east side, Aho recently joined UNI as the post-secondary initiatives program director. In this capacity, Aho works with programs that support youth through the college process, from application to graduation. “I always tell people, ‘I help put kids into college that no one thought would go, and help them graduate,’” Aho says. She recalls recently attending the college graduation of a student who “against all odds was not even supposed to graduate high school.” She reports excitedly, “He is in grad school now!”

Executive Director Bell sees something special in the 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alums on her staff. “They come prepared for a career. They’re willing to engage in creative problem-solving and critical thinking. They come with a professional competence that we often call ‘soft skills’ but that are so critical to getting anything done,” she says. “Showing up, being present, and doing the work. As an executive director, those things are so important.”

Article by Matt Homrich-Knieling
Homrich-Knieling is a freelance writer and current board member of UNI

Accessibility or Affordability

Off

Wed, 10/25/2023 - 13:26

A southwest Detroit neighborhood organization has a long history of welcoming 51��Ƶ-Dearborn alums to its staff. Here’s how four Dearborn Wolverine grads are making a difference.

Four 51��Ƶ-Dearborn grads work at Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, where they address community issues in Springwells, a part of southwest Detroit. Photos/Julianne Lindsey

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