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.