Engineering and pageantry may seem like opposite worlds, but for 19-year-old Grace Hanke, the lessons learned from both were important in shaping her into the woman who was just crowned Miss Michigan 2026. “Engineering is about collaborating with people, solving problems and making the world better,” Hanke said. “That’s exactly what the Miss America opportunity is …
With only five dollars in his pocket, 12-year-old Don Yick Chin ’52 left his grandmother in rural China and traveled alone to America during World War II. He boarded the Empress of Japan in Hong Kong and endured a long and often frightening voyage across the Pacific. After continuing by …
When most people think of a college-level psychology class, they picture long lectures, a heavy reading load and dense theories. But students at University of Detroit Mercy are learning those same psychological principles by training goats — yes, the actual animal. This immersive approach to learning is the reality for …
A nearly seven-figure gift from the late mother of an alumna will have a dramatic effect on the University’s Theatre Department. “This gift means a great deal to the program,” said Andrew Papa, chair of the Theatre Department and an associate professor of Theatre. “While we hope this will lead to …
In his knit Detroit Pistons cap and well-loved jeans, a ready smile suggesting an openness to conversation, John Freeman ’02 doesn’t seem to fit the traditional image of a poet. Yet Freeman, who publishes under the name Cal Freeman, is just that: an award-winning, widely published poet whose third book of verse, The Weather of Our Names, …
Mike DiGiovanni ’70, ’72 has had many roles at University of Detroit Mercy. He was a student, a graduate student, adjunct then full-time faculty. His latest role is as a volunteer to raise funds for a cause dear to his heart: The GM Student Corps. The GM Student Corps was …
As travel soccer parents, Jeff and Heather Lanier have spent years on the sidelines of lots of soccer pitches cheering on their daughter, Leila. When he started coming to games, this Michigan State alum found the experience a little, well, spartan. In trying to address this, he opened a door …
The University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class, presented by the Titan Club, as 12 Titans earned the most recognized honor in school history. Detroit Mercy established its Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 to honor those student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have …
A statue depicting Mary holding Jesus’ body after his crucifixion is getting a new life after being tucked away for decades in University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Law. The Pieta, which depicts Jesus and Mary at Mount Golgotha during the “Sixth Sorrow” of the Virgin Mary, will become the focal point of a new reflection room on the Riverfront Campus. The Phoenix Project, as it is called, …
The Chemical Engineering Class of 1968 was a tight knit group. Small in number, many of the 21 graduates have remained friends for the nearly six decades since they graduated from University of Detroit. Their careers have taken them around the world and into positions that didn’t even exist when …
