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News from the Wayne State Mortuary Science Program • Spring/Summer 2020 Updates from the Program Director
There is a scene in the movie Apollo 13 where a NASA administrator comments that the Apollo 13 incident could be the worst disaster that NASA has ever experienced. The flight director counters by opining that bringing the crew home safely will be NASA's finest hour. COVID-19 has been a major challenge in funeral service and has pushed many funeral homes and funeral directors to their limits. It has also demonstrated how dedicated we are to our communities and our profession. I couldn't be prouder of my funeral service colleagues, alumni and students. In mid-March, our program was required to go all-online for courses. Many students were already taking online courses in our program, but for those who were not, it was a major adjustment. Our funeral home clinical sites remained open to students and because of their support and the work of our faculty, I am pleased to report that this year's class is on track to graduate on time. The online program that we started in 2018 will continue after things return to normal, as will our traditional courses. We remain committed to serving students who want to be in the classroom as well as those who prefer to learn online. As always, we are engaged in an assessment process that includes feedback from students, employers and practitioners in order to continually improve our program and adapt to the needs of the profession. As we move through our 81st year in a few short months, we have had nearly 90 students apply to our program this fall — the most we've ever had. I am humbled by the backing from our alumni, clinical preceptors and professional colleagues who do so much to support and enhance our program. Thank you for everything that you do. Please join me in congratulating the Class of 2020. These students have started their funeral service careers during interesting times, working alongside funeral directors and helping during unprecedented circumstances. They remain committed to funeral service and are eager to get started. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with questions, comments and suggestions. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you. Mark T. Evely Updated FacilitiesThe Mortuary Science classrooms and office spaces received some updates in 2019. If you came to the Open House last November, you saw many of the changes. These updates maximize the room usage within the building, and improve the environment for students and faculty. Here are the highlights.
Selection Room: PENDING! When pandemic restrictions are lifted, Matthews and Detroit Wilbert Vault will be installing new display features and products. This will update the arrangement space where we can also include video capture, and teach students how to offer merchandise on a screen as well as in fractional form. Other changes include converting the former computer lab on the fourth floor to a midsized classroom, and moving the computer lab to a smaller space with fewer computers.
Scholarship RecipientsWSU Donors and Scholars Recipients Recipients of the Service Corporation International Scholarship include Alexandra Snyder, Maddie Schmoker, Amanda Dwyer and Meghan Reithel. One of The Conference's NBE Scholarships was awarded to Michelle Leismer. Congratulations!New Endowed Scholarship: The Michigan Mortuary Science Foundation Endowed Scholarship was created with a very generous gift at the end of 2019. A partial scholarship was distributed this year, but beginning next year at least three awards in the amounts of $5,000, $2,000 and $1,000 should be available. Since the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year, students have reported approximately $25,000 in combined scholarship awards from a variety of sources. These scholarships encourage and assist students in achieving their goals. For more information about creating a scholarship fund, contact Jon Goldstein at jgoldstein@wayne.edu or 313-577-1095. Thank you for your many generous contributions that support student success! Student Spotlight
Alumni in the NewsThree Days in a Detroit Funeral Home Ravaged by the Coronavirus Thomas Lynch on CBC Radio on how mourning rituals help the living Faculty AccomplishmentsDominick Astorino returned from a successful trip to Kenya in February. Approximately 100 mortuary care workers from Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania and Zimbabwe gathered at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi for the first-ever embalming education event on the continent of Africa. Over the course of several days, students listened to lectures as well as watched and participated in practical embalming lab sessions. Professor Astorino organized the project and traveled to Africa to teach as well as to create a “modern” mortuary facility with proper equipment and training. He also donated his time, textbooks and all of the mortuary equipment and surgical instruments. Certificates of completion were awarded to each student at the close of the conference. One student is quoted as saying, “We thank Professor Dominick Astorino with all of our hearts for this gift. In a world that overlooks Africa with dismissal, he came here to tell us that we are important and can make a difference. He taught me that I can learn to have a real career.” The conference was attended not only by mortuary care workers but also by officials from the health board and the executive directors of the National Hospital. Many in attendance left with the goal of creating professional associations for mortuary care workers back home, including in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
View more photos from Professor Astorino's trip to Kenya in the online album. Sharon Gee-Mascarello was published in the June issue of American Funeral Director. "Your True Calling Will Simply Find You" is a Q&A where she shares her thoughts on the profession and speaks about her background in funeral service. Professor Gee-Mascarello also extends high praise to many WSU Mortuary Science alumni who continue to support the program and its students. Her second contribution in the June issue is "Suggested Guidelines During COVID-19 Pandemic," in which she goes over the essential guidelines for how embalmers can protect themselves to limit exposure risks to infectious diseases. Lauren Budrow was published in the May issue of The Director. Her articles, "Lost Connections" and "Partnership Passion," focused on mentoring students and reestablishing connections between funeral directors and the communities they serve. New Faculty
Recognition Ceremony for GraduatesThis is a particularly special graduation for the Mortuary Science program because it will be the first class to have graduates who have completed the entire program online. Unfortunately, due to the restrictions and limitations surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Class of 2020 won't be able to host its traditional recognition ceremony. That doesn't necessarily mean there won't be a ceremony, but details have not been finalized at this point. We are still hoping to celebrate with our graduates (those from afar and near) in person. Special AcknowledgmentsPrior to the pandemic and restrictions, there were several vendors who hosted tours for students and provided food, as well as guest lecturers who delivered education on various topics, services and products. Industry involvement is essential to student success. Special thanks to:
Two eagerly anticipated tours of Inch Memorials and Detroit Wilbert Burial Vault had to be canceled last semester, but we hope to still be able to do those before graduation. A big thanks to Graham McLeod at Detroit Wilbert and Chris Harris and everyone at Inch Memorials for their understanding during this time. Send Us NewsIf you have suggestions or contributions for future newsletters, please let us know by emailing lauren.budrow@wayne.edu.
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