Robert Reich takes on
the new normal
Keith Center
opens at WSU
On Oct. 19, 2011, Wayne
State University will hold a
grand opening ceremony for
the Damon J. Keith Center for
Civil Rights. Keith, judge of
the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, holds a Master of Law
degree from Wayne State and is
widely known for his landmark
decisions in cases involving
human rights.
The Center will promote
scholarship and research related
to civil rights and racial justice
issues, including segregated
housing and education, as
well as disparities in economic
opportunity, with a particular
focus on Southeast Michigan.
It will also help develop the
next generation of civil rights
advocates by providing
opportunities to work with
appropriate organizations and
by providing scholarships to
Wayne Law students interested
in civil rights law.
The Keith
Center
received a
major boost
toward
realization in
2006 with
a $3 million
gift to Wayne
State from
Taubman
Judge Keith's
longtime friend, businessman
and philanthropist A. Alfred
Taubman. Taubman's gift is still
the largest single amount ever
given to the WSU Law School.
The building will feature an
exhibit area; office, meeting
and conference spaces; and
a 60-seat lecture hall.
8
On September 15-16, 2011,
the Eugene Applebaum Chair in
Community Engagement and
the Forum on Contemporary
Issues in Society (FOCIS)
at Wayne State University
will present a symposium,
"Retirement in Transition:
Work, Relax or Reboot?" The
program, which takes place on
WSU's Detroit campus, seeks
to explore the changing work
cycle of Americans and how the
emerging "new normal" affects
the way people think about
retirement.
Former Secretary of Labor,
best-selling author and
CNBC contributor Robert
Reich will deliver the keynote
address. Reich will discuss
the difficult choices faced
by workers approaching
retirement, extended work
cycles, and the encore careers
that many workers pursue
once their traditional careers
have ended. Other featured
presenters include author
and social entrepreneur
Marc Freedman, who is an
authority on the changing
definition of retirement, and
Roger Ferguson, president
and CEO of TIAA-CREF. Wayne
State University President
Allan Gilmour also will share
observations of his transition
from company executive to
university president.
The remainder of the
conference includes a
panel exploring the way in
which Southeast Michigan
organizations are working to
help baby-boomers and aging
workers prepare for the many
transitions they face in the
new economy. Discussions will
address the impact that an
array of new realities has on
perceptions and expectations
about retirement and their
implications for individuals,
colleges and universities, non-
profits and businesses.
Established in 2007 through a
generous gift from Wayne State
alumnus Eugene Applebaum,
FOCIS brings the university's
problem-solving resources to
bear on topics important to the
greater Detroit community and
Robert Reich headlines this
month's FOCIS event.
beyond. Under the direction of
WSU President Emeritus Irvin
D. Reid, FOCIS events advance
the frontiers of knowledge,
promote informed debate
and encourage responsible
citizenship in an increasingly
fast-paced, interconnected and
complex world.
The event is free and open to
the public, but seating is limited
and reservations are required.
Please visit focis.wayne.edu for
more information and to RSVP.
WSU alum Philip Levine
adds a laureate to his laurels
Wayne State University alumnus
Philip Levine, B.A.'50, recently
was named the 18th Poet
Laureate of the United States by
the Library of Congress.
Levine, 83, is the author of 20
collections of poems. He has
received most of the nation's
major writing awards including
the Pulitzer Prize (1995) for The
Simple Truth and two National
Book Awards, for Ashes: Poems
New and Old (1979) and What
Work Is (1991).
Philip Levine grew up in
Detroit, the son of Russian-
Jewish emigres, and was
educated in Detroit public
schools. As a young man he
worked in automobile plants,
and all his life has celebrated
the working class and blue-
collar lives and aspirations
in his poems. He began to
write poetry as a young man,
and sharpened his craft while
attending Wayne State at night.
His first collection of poems,
On the Edge, was published in
1963.
Levine taught for many years
at California State University,
Fresno, where he remains
a professor emeritus in the
English department. He now
divides his time between Fresno
and Brooklyn, N.Y. His most
Philip Levine
recent book is News of the
World (Knopf, 2010).
In 1993, Levine received an
honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree from Wayne
State. In May 2011, the WSU
Alumni Association presented
him its Distinguished Alumni
Award.