Wayne County Community College's 10-year millage, passed three years ago, has shown impressive early returns according to a Detroit Free Press editorial. WCCCD has the highest enrollment of its 35-year history with 44,000 students, including a 65 percent enrollment increase at the school's Belleville campus. The increase is attributed, in part, to a marketing campaign designed to make WCCCD more of a choice for students beyond the city of Detroit. Another piece of the school's marketing plan is to make WCCCD's financial operations more accessible to the general public. Chancellor Curtis Ivery recently announced that 98 percent of all financial and day-to-day operations data will be made accessible to the general public beginning Sept. 22. Everything from state audit results to the school's five-year financial plan will be at www.wcccd.edu and a new call-in number is already in place for students, prospective students and critics to offer complaints or suggestions.

Mott Community College (MCC) and the University of Michigan-Flint either have started or may begin sending grades and tuition bills online. MCC has begun a pilot project in which students get an e-mail account to allow them access to their grades. The savings to the college could total about $15,000 a year, and students should find the online grading much more convenient, said Delores Deen, MCC\'s dean of student services.

El Central publisher Dolores Sanchez charges in an editorial that Wayne State University has "betrayed its urban mission" and moved from a "worker's" university to a "rich people's university." The allegations, according to the editorial, are based on a "series of attacks on the Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies" and data included in a sidebar piece titled "Severe Hispanic Under-representation at Wayne State," listing Hispanic employee statistics at the university. Another companion story discusses a rule change that limits the time and number of persons making presentations, on any one issue, during Board of Governors general meetings.

College of Nursing Dean Barbara Redman was interviewed live by Jay Butler regarding the nursing shortage, its impact on Michigan and the rising number of applications to the college's undergraduate programs. Redman noted partnerships with two area hospitals (DMC & Henry Ford Health System) have allowed the College to increase the number of students admitted to the second career program. However, additional financial support is needed to fully meet the college's capacity for nursing education.

The influence of women in the labor movement, and their roles regarding social justice issues, Detroit politics and community service is captured in the "Hear Me Roar: Women and Social Justice" exhibit opening at the Walter P. Reuther Library on Sept. 27. Sponsored by Wayne State's Reuther Library, College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA) and the President's Commission on the Status of Women, the exhibit uses documents, photographs and other objects from over 100 of the library's collections.

Wayne State University will host the third annual Detroit Docs International Film Festival in November. The festival will showcase 100 documentary films from countries around the globe as well as lectures and workshops for filmmakers, students, scholars and the public.

The "Music at Wayne" concert fall 2004 series is opening Friday, Sept. 17, at 11:45 a.m. in the Schaver Music Recital Hall, with a special performance by the Peter Soave Sextet. A lineup of the fall schedule of concerts and lecture series is detailed in the story.

The Wayne State Maggie Allesee Department of Dance will host its annual Faculty and Friends Concerts on Sept. 18-19 at the dance studio on the third floor of the Old Main Building on the main campus. Works and performances by faculty, guests and professional dance artist will be featured Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

This weekend is the Tartar/Warriors Reunion Weekend at Wayne State University as the Warriors host Northern Michigan University Saturday, Sept. 18, at Adams Field.

Leading education policy experts called for major reforms in higher education Wednesday in response to a report by an independent research group showing that the nation has made little progress over the past decade in getting more of its citizens through college. The findings were released by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Separate reports were issued for each state. Two dozen of the nation's most prominent higher education leaders and experts gathered for a symposium Wednesday to discuss the findings. They expressed dismay at the findings of the 10-year analysis. Michigan was not mentioned specifically in the article.

An article about Sen. John Kerry's speech to the Detroit Economic Club yesterday mentions that Wayne State President Irvin D. Reid was among those in attendance. Also in attendance were Ford Motor Co. Vice Chairman Allan Gilmour and Teamsters President James P. Hoffa.

Two Wayne State students are quoted in this AP story that first ran in the Detroit Free Press several days ago. The article provides tips for first first-year college students. Kavita Kapadia, 20, advises not to study with friends: "You'll just end up talking." Venus Crosby, 19, says she tries to get all her classes and studying in before 6 p.m. "You have to know what time of day you function well," she says.

The McGregor Memorial Conference Center here will be the site of a big conference Monday on the importance of public transportation in boosting the region's economy. Presenters will include representatives from the city of Detroit, urban planners, environmentalists and others. The event is being organized by Transportation Riders United.

The University of Michigan School of Public Health has won a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help build a laboratory and renovate space for clinical research.

The fall series opened Sept. 17 with a special performance by the Peter Soave Sextet. A complete list of events is available at www.music.wayne.edu. or by calling (313) 577-1795. The article goes on to list most of the events.

The influence of women in the labor movement, and their roles regarding social justice issues, Detroit politics and community service is captured in the exhibit that opened Sept. 27.

The Sept. 23 personal appearance of renowned attorney and author Scot Turow at the WSU Law School is noted, along with information on how to make reservations. Turow is the author of "Ultimate Punishment: A Lawyer's Reflections on Dealing With the Death Penalty."

The Hilberry Theatre at Wayne will open the season with Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit," Friday, October 8th.

Wayne's Music Department presented 2004 Arts Achievement Award recipient Charles Postlewate in concert Oct. 1st.

A list of presidential campaign stops in Michigan by Sen. John Kerry in 2003-04 notes that he addressed a group at Wayne State University in March of this year.