southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The seventh annual Chaldean Festival attracted thousands of people to the Southfield City Centre district from June 8 to 10. The festival — sponsored by the City of Southfield, Chaldean Chamber of Commerce and the Chaldean Community Foundation — took place on the lawn in front of City Hall and on a portion of Evergreen Road from Civic Center Drive north to the Southfield Library. Families enjoyed carnival rides and games, live entertainment, children’s activities, a cultural tent, food, and 32 merchant booths. Each year, the popular event draws a diverse crowd and provides an opportunity for the Chaldean community to celebrate their culture and share traditions with residents in metropolitan Detroit. An estimated 120,000 Chaldeans live in the Detroit area.

Lawrence Technological University’s (LTU) robot, vuLTUre2, finished fifth in the Auto-Nav Challenge, the main event at the 20th annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) held at Oakland University June 8-11. Forty-seven teams from around the country and as far away as India and Japan entered the prestigious competition, although only 20 qualified for the Auto-Nav Challenge. The fifth-place finish earned LTU a $2,000 prize, and the team also picked up a $1,000 prize for finishing fourth in the Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS) competition. IGVC promotes the development of automated and intelligent vehicles that can have both civilian and military applications. Sponsors include the Joint Project Office for Robotic Systems of the U.S. Army, the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise of the Department of Defense, TARDEC, the Michigan  chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (both the foundation and the Great Lakes chapter), and Women in Defense. Corporate sponsors include Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Continental and Takata. A video of vuLTUre2’s best run can be found on YouTube.

Southfield-based Plante Moran made the 2011 list of America’s Top 10 Workplaces. The accounting and business advisory firm placed seventh on the list, which ranks employee satisfaction at large companies around the United States. Over 800 companies with more than 1,000 employees were included in the rankings compiled by WorkplaceDynamics, which designs and conducts annual employee satisfaction surveys for the Detroit Free Press and 29 other major U.S. newspapers. “We care about our people,” Gordon Krater, managing partner of Plante Moran told the Detroit Free Press. “All we are is people.” Detroit-based online mortgage lender Quicken Loans placed number eight in the survey.

Dr. Virinder K. Moudgil has been appointed as the next president of Lawrence Technological University (LTU) and will take office on July 1, 2012.  “Dr. Moudgill has a strong record of leading exemplary academic progress and program development,” said Lloyd E. Reuss, chairman of the LTU Board of Trustees, in an e-mail to LTU students, staff, faculty and alumni. “He has led academic affairs as provost at Oakland University (OU) since 2001 and since 2008 has also been senior vice president for academic affairs. From 1994-2001, he chaired OU’s Department of Biological Sciences. He is an excellent communicator, and we anticipate that he will accelerate Lawrence Tech’s advancement and services to students and the professions across Michigan and the nation.” Dr. Moudgill was selected by Lawrence Tech’s Board of Trustees following a ten-month national search that attracted a large number of outstanding candidates. Current LTU President, Dr. Lewis Walker, led the university for the past six years and served as provost for twelve years prior to the presidency. Dr. Walker will continue for the next year as the university’s chancellor.

Southfield’s Skyline Club has been selected as a recipient of ClubCorp’s 2011 Silver Circle of Excellence Award.  The honor is awarded annually and recognizes the Skyline Club as one of ClubCorp’s top Business Clubs worldwide. Located on the 28^th floor of 2000 Town Center, Skyline has earned a reputation as the place where business leaders meet to entertain clients, host meetings and events, or enjoy a relaxing evening with family and friends. Several members of the Skyline Club’s staff were also recognized as national leaders within the ClubCorp Network: Superstar awards were given to Membership Director Richelle Tragge and General Manager John Rodriguez. Private Events Director Kate Montgomery received ClubCorp’s Rising Star award.

Community and business leaders will gather to celebrate the rich heritage and vibrant future of Southfield and Lathrup Village at the Commitment to Community Awards on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at the Skyline Club located at 2000 Town Center, Suite 2800 Southfield, MI. Hosted by the Southfield Community Foundation, the event features Master of Ceremony Fox2 News Reporter Roop Raj. read more

Southfield residents, workers, and visitors will again enjoy the opportunity to “Eat to the Beat” this summer in the Southfield City Centre Plaza. The annual series of free lunchtime concerts kicks off on Thursday, June 14 with Grammy-nominated local jazz favorites, Straight Ahead. The plaza, located on Central Park Boulevard between Civic Center Drive and the I-696 service drive, will be the site of the monthly outdoor concerts sponsored by the Southfield City Centre Advisory Board (CCAB) and the City of Southfield Parks & Recreation Department. read more

From the Southfield Sun
By Jennie Miller

Architecture students at Lawrence Technological University have teamed up with developer Hassan Jawad and the city of Southfield to potentially create a destination spot for their peers.

Through the Third Place Design Competition, the first of its kind at the university, students receive $2,000 in prize money and might have the chance to see their concepts used in the design and construction of a new business. read more

From the South Oakland Eccentric

Southfield city officials have long hoped to create what they call a City Centre, located in the general area of Evergreen and Civic Center Drive. Bad spelling aside, the idea is a good one that holds promise.

The Evergreen/Civic Center Drive area is pretty much the heart of the city. It certainly corrals the tall buildings for which its skyline is known. But the area also is known for being home to far more than the office culture.

Casual observers may not know it, but Southfield has become a college town. Don’t laugh. There are two major campuses in the city, namely Lawrence Technological University, located between 10 Mile Road and Northwestern, and Oakland Community College, located just off of Nine Mile Road between Greenfield and Southfield.

But that’s not all. The city has become the nucleus for many universities and colleges, ranging from the University of Phoenix to Davenport, Central Michigan and Siena, among others. read more