Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs Laurie Lauzon Clabo touted a 2024 Price-to-Earnings Premium (PEP) score of 3.3, meaning the additional income earned by WSU graduates vs. workers with a high school diploma could pay off the total cost of their degree in 3.3 years.
Happy Friday, Detroit! I am covering today’s Wayne State University Board of Governors meeting for @detdocumenters.bsky.social @ 3:00 PM. Follow here for LIVE updates!
12:23 PM Apr 25, 2025 CDT
‼️IMPORTANT: If you believe anything in the coverage tonight is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@outliermedia.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
For more information about the WSU Board of Governers or to view today’s agenda, click here👇
boghttps://bog.wayne.edu/meetings/2025/04-25
Noteable agenda items include:
- Approval of FY 25-26 room & board rates
- Approval of FY 25-26 School of Medicine tuition rates
- Request to authorize a contract with Math Corps
- Request to establish endowment funds totaling $725,000
Checking back in with #DETdocumenters - reporting live from Hilberry Gateway Theater at Wayne State! Meeting should get started soon.
7 people have signed up in advance to participate in public comment.
The dean of the college welcomes everyone to the venue. Pride themselves on being deeply embedded into the city and its culture. 80% of ticket sales go to non-Wayne State students - highly unlikely for a college campus. Last year hosted 40,000 guests total.
Proudly call it a “laboratory for the arts” - often giving students a better facility than they had in high school. Say they love to give students a place to “play and grow as artists.”
All governors are in attendance - quorum is present.
Jack Blaszkiewicz, assistant professor of music, is recognized for his contributions to WSU and the department of music.
Anne Duggan, Professor of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures is recognized for her publication The Lost Princess which explores classic princesses and fairytales, and contributions to WSU.
Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences is recognized for his work titled “Afraid” which explores fear, harnessing anxiety, and stress and trauma in modern life.
Boris Mordukhovich, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics, is recognized for his recent publication on variational analysis and optimization, a rapidly developing area of mathematics. Book will be used in grad level course curriculum.
Chun Shen, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy, is recognized for his recent work in theoretic high-energy nuclear energy.
Next on the agenda is the Academic and Student Affairs Committee report from Gov. Stancato. They learned about student success efforts from undergraduate research, and about the student athlete experience and the opportunities. Felt inspired after hearing from students and their stories.
Next is the report from the Budget and Finance Committee from Gov. Barnhill. They discussed major capital project updates and purchasing exceptions. Approved request fe contingency fund and 6 capital projects (approved with the consent agenda at the beginning of the meeting).
Barnhill says the actions requested were thoughtfully considered. The first action item for campus housing room and board rates is as follows:
meal plans increase by 3.5%, rest of rates remain flat.
Passed unanimously.
The section action item for the tuition rates for School of Medicine is only for students in the School of Medicine and do not affect other students. Motion passes.
The next committee report is from the Health Affairs, Research and Economic Development Committee, presented by Gov. Busuito. They will be putting forth two items for vote today.
The Institute of Gerontology charter renewal has passed.
The Math Corp motion passed unanimously, as well.
Both of the endowment fund recommendations passed.
Next is a report out on the strategic plan - outreach and engagement. Goals:
1. Lead and participate in economic growth and prosperity of Detroit/MI
2. Deepening engagement with Detroit/MI business partners
3. Strengthening efforts as engines of social mobility
The strategic plan is led by the following individuals:
The work that is being done is being recognized at the national level.
Economic Mobility Index - ability of individuals/families to move between wealth brackets over time. WSU students experience high economic mobility, and this metric is used to measure WSU effectiveness. The basis of this calculation has changed over the years.
PEP - It would take an average of 3.3 years for WSU graduates to recoup the cost of their education (if they contributed all of their post grad income).
WSU is near the top of the economic mobility list among national peers.
Community partnerships that contribute to WSU research funding are businesses, nonprofit organizations and state/local government. Nonprofit partnerships are up, but state/local gov is significantly down. Overall reductions in funding largely related to dip in gov reductions.
Virginia Commonwealth University leads in this area. Goal to reverse downward trend includes the following measures:
To achieve the goal of moving into top 75 by 2030 (formally reported in 2032), WSU must increase annual expenditures by approx $15-20M.
WSU OPEN is a new office that provides an avenue for mutually beneficial partnerships between industry partners and the university that is generating potential for funding, research, career paths for students. So far, has been very successful.
Invention disclosures have remained largely unchanged over the past few reporting periods. Trying to streamline and strategize processes to improve.
WSU is one of few institutions in the country that serves all three designations:
Q: Is PEP measured at a degree level?
A: No, it’s a national metric measured by campus, not by degree or major. There are other metrics that measure that.
Recent study shows that people with a college degree, on average, live 11 years longer than those who don’t have a degree.
Espy presents recognition during the Presidents Highlights section of the agenda. Quickly moved through the following slides:
Public comment has started. The first speaker is Samir Sathe. Says 60% of students are experiencing anxiety, 50% of students are experiencing depression, suicide ideation rate is 25%. Offers a program for students to help - asks board for time to present to their program and share their findings.
Cont. Says he was personally impacted by this program.
Next, Aimee Shulman. Current situation for international students is “uncertain and chaotic.” Some WSU students have been affected by recent political changes. Asks for the boards support for GEOC and a public position from the university on how they will protect international students.
Next, Krish Mathrani. Youth Chair of Republican Party - says he is witnessing a dangerous trend at WSU, radical ideology taking precedent over academic excellence. Says DEI sounds noble in theory, but is not equitable in execution.
Next, Tyler Campbell, a psychology student. Says we are all created equal, recognized by our founding fathers. Says there are limited resources in this world, and we are entitled equal treatment for college admissions.
Next, Jennifer Moss. Says WSU is an important driver of diversity in Detroit. Presents a petition for university to take a public stance against federal action in regards to DEI and calls for an end to using policing on students who are exercising their constitutional rights.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:38 PM. For more, follow @detdocumenters.bsky.social or visit https://detroit.documenters.org.
