Each year, University of Detroit Mercy honors seven alumni — one from each of the colleges and schools at the University — with a Spirit of Detroit Mercy award.
These honorees are alumni who have marked themselves with distinction in their career and in their personal life. They will be honored at a special ceremony on April 27 on the McNichols Campus. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
Today, we introduce our final honoree, from Detroit Mercy Law, the Hon. Gregory E. Mathis ’88. We’ve already written about the honorees from the College of Business Administration, the College of Engineering & Science, the College of Health Professions, the College of Liberal Arts & Education, the School of Architecture and Detroit Mercy Dental.
Judge Greg Mathis is a familiar face across this country thanks to his syndicated courtroom reality series “The Judge Mathis Show.” He is also devoted to social justice, having opened a community center in Detroit that, in partnership with his nonprofit agency Young Adults Asserting Themselves, has helped thousands of young people with career, business start-up and job opportunities.
He has long blended career with public service, having worked for the Detroit City Council and Rev. Jesse Jackson’s PUSH Excel, and for four years was a District Court Judge. He has served on the national board of the NAACP and the Morehouse School of Medicine. He has been a reality TV star for nearly 20 years, dispensing justice with his unique brand of humor.
“The education I received from University of Detroit Mercy’s School of Law provided me the preparation and work ethic which inspired me to make a difference in the lives of society’s most marginalized citizens,” he said.
