Give the gift of membership this holiday season.

An alumni association membership offers a variety of benefits that will appeal to everyone on your list:

• Book worm? Get 30 percent off all Wayne State University Press books and a subscription to Wayne State magazine.
• Sports fan? Save on tickets to Warrior sports.
• Savvy shopper? Receive 10 percent off at the campus Barnes & Noble.
• World traveler? Take advantage of group rates on travel with the alumni association.
• Foodie? Get up to 50 percent off at restaurants in Midtown and downtown Detroit.
• Financial whiz? Save with group rates on life, auto, dental insurance and more! 

To purchase a membership, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

The Wayne State University Alumni Association commemorated the 15th anniversary of its award-winning Arthur L. Johnson Urban Perspectives Lecture Series with an anniversary event featuring nine past speakers.

Click here to view the entire presentation online.

The speakers included Graham Beal, director and CEO of the Detroit Institute of Arts; Connie Calloway, superintendent for the Detroit Public Schools; David DiChiera, director general for the Michigan Opera Theatre; Saul Green, Detroit deputy mayor; Paul Hillegonds, senior vice president for corporate affairs at DTE Energy; Denise Ilitch, president of Olympia Development Inc.; the Honorable Damon J. Keith of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; Samuel Logan, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle; and Cynthia Pasky, president of Strategic Staffing Solutions.

The panel was moderated by Craig Fahle of WDET-FM.

The 15th anniversary event celebrated the theme "Detroit: City Upon a Hill," a reference to Puritan John Winthrop, who in 1630 predicted his Massachusetts Bay Colony would become a city upon a hill and admired by all. From a variety of perspectives, the speakers discussed the issues and opportunities facing Detroit and how it, too, can ascend to become that type of city.

The Arthur L. Johnson Urban Perspectives Lecture Series was named in honor of Dr. Johnson, lifelong educator and civil rights leader, upon his retirement from the university. The series features distinguished corporate and civic leaders who speak on a range of topical issues, including politics, business, law and the arts.

Help the Irvin D. Reid Honors College recruit its next freshman class by taking part in Wayne Scholars Day. Alumni volunteers are needed to interview potential scholarship applicants on the following days:
 
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15
 
During Scholars Day, the university invites promising first-year applicants and their parents to campus for a day of interviews, presentations, tours, and lunch. Every student who attends receives a scholarship of $1,500 a year for four years. Based on the results of an interview, review of a writing sample, and consideration of grade-point average and test scores, some students will receive increased scholarship offers, up to and including four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships.
 
If you'd like to help interview scholarship candidates, get more details and register online at http://honors.wayne.edu/scholars_interview.php.

The interviews include four to six students and two interviewers. Interviews are held on campus, and take approximately 45 minutes each. Volunteers receive a small gift of appreciation and are encouraged to join the students for lunch.
 
For more information, contact Adam Herman at (313) 577-4621.

Come on down to WTVS-TV (channel 56) for a live taping of the Emmy Award-winning Leaders on Leadership television series.

The show, co-produced by the Wayne State School of Business Administration and Detroit Public Television, features key executives from the corporate world. Be a part of the studio audience, submit a question that you can ask on air, and take part in an off-the-air dialogue with the guest speaker.

Upcoming speakers include:

• Leonard Slatkin, music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Steve Miller, executive chairman of Delphi Corporation
• David McKinnon, CEO of Service Brands International (Molly Maid)
• Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop
• Kenneth W. Freeman, managing director of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company, chairman of Masonite International and executive chairman of Accellent Inc.

It is free to attend, but reservations are required. Click here for a complete list of dates and times or to make a reservation.

Throw on your jersey – it’s an eating-and-meeting extravaganza with the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, March 10.

Have dinner at the Joe Louis banquet room before watching the Red Wings face off against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Dinner includes lemon-breaded chicken, pasta, salad and desserts (we’re saving the octopus for the ice). Then meet former Red Wings star Shawn Burr, who will make a special appearance. Seats are in sections 201 and 228, rows 11-14.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are required by Feb. 6. Cost is $35 for members and currently enrolled students and $45 for non-members.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

Attend CareerBoost: Case Studies from the television series Leaders on Leadership - it’s a tough world out there! on Wednesday, April 1.

This interactive event, presented by Larry Fobes, host of the Emmy Award-winning television show Leaders on Leadership, calls on the expertise of former guests. Watch clips of past guests, such as Paul O’Neill, former secretary of treasury; Dieter Zetsche, former president and CEO of Chrysler; and Alfred Taubman, founder of the Taubman Co. and former chair of Sotheby’s, then explore a variety of related leadership issues in the context of your own career.

The event, sponsored by the alumni association, School of Business Administration, WTVS-TV (channel 56) and Greenleaf Trust, begins at 5:30 p.m. at Alumni House.

Cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Free for currently enrolled WSU students.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

Did you hear? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead! Find out what this means during a special reception and performance of Tom Stoppard’s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, on Thursday, Feb. 26.

The play, by Wayne State's Hilberry Repertory Company, features the minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet tragedy.

Before the curtain rises, stop by the “spirited” coffee bar (emphasis on bar) for drinks and desserts. Blair Anderson, Ph.D., department chair and director of this season’s Hamlet, will stop by and offer remarks.

As a special bonus, we’ve arranged for a discount on dinner that night at three area restaurants: Union Street (20 percent discount), Atlas Global Bistro (15 percent discount) and Traffic Jam (10 percent discount). 

The reception begins at 7 p.m. at the Hilberry Theatre, followed by the performance at 8 p.m. Cost is $25 for members and currently enrolled students and $35 for non-members.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300. Reserve by Feb. 6.

Our favorite chef, Giulio Fattore, is back for another round of the wildly popular Giulio Live! cooking series on Wednesday, March 18.

Watch and learn (and eat!) as Giulio, campus executive chef for AVI Fresh, prepares a four-course Italian meal featuring roasted melon and proscuitto salad with arugala, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette; chicken tosco with lemon caper sauce; homemade pastas; and tiramisu. Bring a bottle of your favorite wine.

You’ll be seated up close and personal with Giulio, and you’ll have the chance to make your own pasta. You’ll get a copy of Giulio’s secret recipe and a gift.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at The Towers Café kitchen. Cost is $58 per person. Members and their guests only.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

It’s time for some Wayne State basketball - times two - as the Warriors take on Saginaw Valley State on Feb. 5!

Gorge yourself on basketball, or gorge yourself on pizza, subs and sandwiches – all included during this special family-friendly event for Wayne State alumni, faculty and staff. Warrior spirit gear and children’s activities, too! Alumni association members can win Pistons tickets and Wayne State gear.

The women's game begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m. at the Matthaei Athletic Complex.

Cost is $3 per person. Parking and kids 4 and under are free.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

Be among the first to attend the alumni association’s new Health & Wealth seminars on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

The evening, which takes place at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center, begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception, followed by a 6 p.m. seminar that focuses on cancer prevention.

Maryjean Schenk, M.D. ’83 and chair of the Wayne State University Physician Group, will discuss genetic and health behaviors related to cancer, as well as prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Then at 7 p.m., attend a seminar about the stock market’s recent struggles. James C. Mack, ’74, a registered investment advisor with Raymond James & Associates, will talk about what types of returns we should expect from our stocks – and what we should be doing right now.

Co-sponsored by the School of Business Administration Alumni Association and the School of Medicine Alumni Association.

Cost is $10 members, $15 non-members. Free for currently enrolled WSU students.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the student in your life? Or if you're a student, do you want to cash in on some cool stuff?

The Wayne State University Alumni Association wants to ease the stress of finals and offer a special $5 student membership to all currently enrolled Wayne State students. Get an exam kit to help your student (or you) prepare and stay energized with all the supplies needed for finals: bluebooks, pencils, popcorn, energy bars and a few other surprises and treats. 

Click here to join and receive your exam kit today.

Kits will be available for pick-up at Alumni House, 441 Ferry Mall, from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec.12 through Dec. 19. Students must show a valid OneCard when they pick up the exam kit. 

Wayne State's Elaine L. Jacob Gallery will present Designing an Icon: Creativity and the American Automobile through Jan. 16.

The exhibition, organized by the Louisville Visual Art Association, features nearly 100 sketches and renderings generated in the 1960s and '70s by designers from GM, Ford and Chrysler.

The exhibition has a special focus on the art of design, and the creative process particular to the design of the complex, technological and dynamic automobile. The drawings illustrate the creative thought and work process from the designers' earliest concept sketches to design development drawings on vellum, and the highly polished engineering drawings and finished product renderings.

Exhibit hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday - Thursday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday

For more information, click here or call (313) 577-0770.

Wayne State's Office of Government and Community Affairs will host a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute luncheon on Friday, Jan. 16.

Susan L. Taylor, editor emerita of Essence magazine and founder of the National Cares Mentoring Movement, will deliver the keynote address. Her book, All About Love, will be available for purchase at the event.

Taylor is synonymous with Essence magazine, the brand she built — as its fashion and beauty editor, as editor-in-chief and editorial director. For 27 years she authored of one of the magazine’s most popular columns, “In the Spirit.” For nearly three decades, as the driving force behind one of the most celebrated black-owned businesses of our time, Taylor has become a legend in the magazine publishing world.

Doors open at 10 a.m. at the Max M. Fisher Music Hall, located at 3711 Woodward Ave. at Parsons Street in Detroit. The program begins at 11 a.m. followed by a strolling lunch at noon. Space is limited and reservations are required.

Click here or call (313) 577-0701 for ticket information and reservations.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the “Adopt a Classroom” program.

Make your pics for who will win the NCAA Division I men’s college basketball competition during the alumni association's March Madness Online Tournament.

Click here to sign up by 5 p.m. March 6. You'll get an e-mail March 16 with additional details.

Prizes a-plenty: two tickets to a Detroit Pistons game plus a duffle bag with Pistons gear, or free admission for two to a Wayne State alumni event plus a $150 Barnes & Noble gift card – plus lots of other prizes. Click here for details.

Tournament brackets will be sent with instructions via e-mail address. Here are the rules: You must be a Wayne State alum, student, faculty or staff member with a valid e-mail to participate. One entry per person. There’s no fee, and this is sponsored by the Detroit Pistons.

For more information, click here or call (313) 577-2300.

Learn how to make your way through this economic slump with CareerBoost: Stay Optimistic and Energized in a Constricting Economy on Thursday, Feb. 19.

Have you lost motivation - the motivation to turn on the evening news because there might be another recession story? The motivation to open your quarterly financial reports – the ones that are bleeding zeros? The motivation to update your resume because, you think, nobody’s hiring these days, anyway?

If that’s you, then relax (for once!) and enjoy some appetizers and this timely CareerBoost program, which offers some practical tips to refresh your motivation while getting through this economic slump. Marvin J. Jacobs of Wayne State’s Career Services department will help you find inspiration and get ready to walk through the door of opportunity when it opens.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Wayne State Oakland Center in Farmington Hills. Cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Free for currently enrolled WSU students.

To make a reservation, click here or call (313) 577-2300.