Wayne State junior Mary Thao knows that getting a college education is important for her future, but that’s not her main motivation. She wants to earn a degree to honor her mother, May Sheng Lee, who died unexpectedly in 2018. “This one’s for her,” Thao said. “She grew up and had a lot of hardships. My mom came here when she was a little kid and didn’t have the opportunity to go college. She didn’t have it easy. I just think that given what she’s been through, this is the least I can do.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $4.3 million to the Wayne State University Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases. The funds will increase lab facilities to collect and analyze genomic data to address emerging infectious disease threats and enhance the state’s ability to respond to those threats. The funding, part of $18.5 million provided to WSU, Michigan Technological University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, will increase infectious disease sequencing capacity in the state, beginning with the COVID-19 virus.

Alexandria Ballard-Sims gets a big smile on her face when she says she will be the first doctor in her family. “It’s huge,” said Ballard-Sims, a student in Wayne State University’s doctor of nursing practice program. “I think about that, and this will be a huge accomplishment. It’s a legacy I can pass to my future children, and it means a lot to my family’s history.”

The Wayne State Dean of Students Office has revamped its conduct, support and intervention page in an effort to make it more resourceful for students, faculty, staff and students’ family members. The new page includes links to important forms, including Student CARE Reports, the student complaint form, student code of conduct filing forms, information on Title IX reporting and COVID non-compliance reporting.