News

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – John Fikany, the enterprise executive leader for Microsoft’s Heartland Area headquartered in Southfield, will be the second recipient of the Global Citizen Award to be presented by Lawrence Technological University (LTU) on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the start of the new academic year.

The award presentation will be made at LTU’s annual convocation ceremony for new students and their families at 5 p.m. in the Ridler Field House on LTU’s campus in Southfield. It will also mark the conclusion of the annual President’s Global Village Project for LTU students.

Lawrence Tech President Virinder Moudgil established the Global Citizen Award to recognize individuals who have shown great character and leadership in addressing global issues and promoting international and social understanding. This award is given annually to a person who demonstrates the passion and energy to make a positive impact on humanity through collaborative enterprise and spirit.

Fikany leads a diverse team of sales, technical, marketing and services professionals supporting all of Microsoft’s commercial sector enterprise industry accounts in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. In addition, he is the executive sponsor for multiple global customers and Microsoft national strategic initiatives.

With over 28 years of technology and industry leadership, Fikany has served in multiple assignments in his 11 years at Microsoft, including vice president of Microsoft’s Central Region Enterprise Business covering 18 states. Earlier he was responsible for the U.S. Commercial Industry practice and was the vice president responsible for building out Microsoft’s U.S. Manufacturing Industry Sector. He began his career at Microsoft developing the U.S. Automotive and Industrial Equipment business.

Prior to his career at Microsoft, Fikany spent 10 years in the Unisys marketplace and eight years at Oracle Corporation.

Fikany is a native Detroiter who is dedicated to his hometown and actively engaged in many community organizations, including the Detroit Economic Club, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Focus: HOPE, Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, and the Parade Company. He is a member of Governor Snyder’s Cabinet for the Education Achievement Authority in turning around the Detroit public school system.

He is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate in science and technology in 2014.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. The Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence Tech fifth nationwide for boosting graduates’ earning power, PayScale lists it among the nation’s top 100 universities for graduates’ salaries, and U.S. News and World Report places it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus in Southfield, Michigan, include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Eric Pope
Managing Editor, University News Bureau
Lawrence Technological University
(248) 204-2210
(313) 505-6508 (cell)
facebook.com/lawrencetechu
twitter.com/lawrencetechu

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Detroit Public Schools (DPS) and Lawrence Technological University (LTU) have established an innovative partnership to enhance education in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) for students at the Sampson-Webber Leadership Academy. The program is designed to continue through their high school and college careers.

Informational meetings will start in August and run through October. Sampson-Webber Leadership Academy currently has a limited number of openings in this program for students in grades 6-8. Families interested in enrolling should call (313) 240-4377.

Fifty middle school students will become the first Blue Devil Scholars at Sampson-Webber, and 50 additional students will join every year. These students will continue in the program through 12th grade. They will earn college credits and be eligible to attend LTU with scholarship support if they so choose.

Lawrence Tech is making a $3.5 million scholarship commitment to attract larger numbers of DPS students and prepare them for opportunities in STEAM fields.

More than a dozen LTU faculty members will be involved in this partnership with DPS, and the university together with DPS will provide additional resources and funding throughout the life of the project.

“This is an exciting new chapter in Lawrence Tech’s ongoing involvement in Detroit,” LTU President Virinder Moudgil said. “We want to encourage more students from Detroit to attend Lawrence Tech, and this program is designed to prepare them for success both at the college level and in their professional careers in STEAM-related fields.”

The Blue Devil Scholars program is designed to provide a systematic approach to enhance STEAM education for Sampson-Webber students starting in sixth grade and continuing through high school. In the future, the program will expand to grades 3-5, and eventually the process of preparing students for STEAM education will begin in kindergarten.

“Innovative partnerships such as the one created between DPS and LTU are key to the District creating an educational system that is academically competitive,” said Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. “As we move forward with the transformation of DPS, we will continue to seek out partnerships/programs that enhance our curriculum and provide our students with a clear pathway to success.”

The partnership will also have a professional development component for the teachers selected to participate in this program, including workshops on project-based learning (PBL) and active-collaborative learning (ACL).

Student preparedness will be assessed in middle school. Once the data is evaluated, modules with STEAM content will be created that can be embedded in existing middle school courses. Tutoring by Lawrence Tech students proficient in science and math will supplement the STEAM modules.

In addition to a strong academic component for each year along the way, the program will include extracurricular activities to support and enhance the educational process.

When the Blue Devil Scholars move to high school, they will choose one of five STEAM tracks – art, design, math/science, technology/management or engineering. The students will earn college credits in embedded and dual-enrollment courses taken at LTU and will graduate with a certificate for 12-15 credit hours that will be transferrable to Lawrence Tech.

The Blue Devil Scholars who choose to attend Lawrence Tech will receive scholarship support as long as academic performance standards are met.

The components of the program include:

• Sampson-Webber students selected as Blue Devil Scholars will continue through 12th grade at DPS’s Detroit Collegiate Prep at Northwestern High School with specific curricular and co-curricular activities that foster knowledge about STEAM subjects, STEAM careers and skill-based learning in STEAM areas;
• Parents will be engaged in the programming from the beginning to ensure their full support;
• Later in the program the Blue Devil Scholars will receive a personal computer and instruction on how to use it;
• During their high school years, the Blue Devil Scholars will also participate in co-curricular experiences at LTU that will lay the groundwork for completing college successfully and then moving into a good-paying, STEAM-related career.

Lawrence Tech already has several programs to encourage high school students to pursue STEAM-related subjects. However, this is the first LTU program that takes a comprehensive approach and starts earlier in the educational process.

“We are confident that students who successfully complete the Blue Devil Scholars program will be well prepared to do well in challenging college courses as soon as they arrive on campus as freshmen,” Moudgil said. “Lawrence Tech is the perfect university for Detroit students to attend for STEAM-related education because we have specialized in those areas for so long.”

For more information about the Blue Devil Scholars program, go to www.ltu.edu/ltu/blue-devil-scholars.asp

Detroit Public Schools offers Neighborhood-Centered, Quality Schools at 97 campuses with a mission to provide a comprehensive, well-rounded, engaging learning experience. Educational advantages include Individualized Learning Maps for all students, research-driven pre-kindergarten classes to prepare the District’s youngest learners, expanded fine and performing arts, music and sports programs at all grade levels, and 21 Community Schools offering extended services to support families. Ongoing advantages include Parent University at the district’s eight Parent Resource Centers, enhanced safety initiatives, and DPS-authorized charter schools led by educators with proven track records of raising achievement. In 2015, DPS graduates earned $164 million in grants and scholarships. To learn more, visit detroitk12.org or call 313-240-4DPS.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. The Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence Tech fifth nationwide for boosting graduates’ earning power, PayScale lists it among the nation’s top 100 universities for graduates’ salaries, and U.S. News and World Report places it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus in Southfield, Michigan, include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Eric Pope
Managing Editor, University News Bureau
Lawrence Technological University
(248) 204-2210
(313) 505-6508 (cell)
facebook.com/lawrencetechu
twitter.com/lawrencetechu

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Lawrence Technological University (LTU) has again been named one of the best colleges in the Midwest, according to the Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com). Only 159 colleges in 12 Midwestern states made the list for 2016.

The education services company lists LTU among the “2016 Best Colleges: Region by Region” at www.princetonreview.com/bestMWcolleges.

“We chose Lawrence Tech and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their excellent academics,” said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review’s publisher. “We also gave careful consideration to what students enrolled at the schools reported to us about their campus experiences on our student survey for this project.”

The 80-question student survey included questions that prospective applicants might ask on a campus visit. Colleges had to allow their students to be surveyed in order to be considered.

The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their colleges on several issues – from the accessibility of their professors to the quality of their science lab facilities – and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life.

Based on its surveys, the Princeton Review noted that Lawrence Tech students are usually “hard at work” preparing for upcoming projects and exams.

One student told the Princeton Review, “We get so involved in our majors and learning about new innovations that we tend to talk about it a lot.”

Many LTU students participate in sports, numerous entertainment events on campus, and community service, the survey showed.

On student said, “Greek life is the ‘heart beat’ on campus. Even if a student decides that a sorority or fraternity is not right for them, many still participate in the assorted events, parties and fundraisers Greek [organizations] put on.”

The Princeton Review’s “regional best” lists constitute about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges. The 159 colleges that the Princeton Review chose for the “Best in the Midwest” list are located in 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

The Princeton Review editors made their selections based on data the company collected from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, as well as its staff visits to schools over the years, and the perspectives of college counselors and advisors.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. The Brookings Institution ranks Lawrence Tech fifth nationwide for boosting graduates’ earning power, PayScale lists it among the nation’s top 100 universities for graduates’ salaries, and U.S. News and World Report places it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus in Southfield, Michigan, include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Eric Pope
Managing Editor, University News Bureau
Lawrence Technological University
(248) 204-2210
(313) 505-6508 (cell)
facebook.com/lawrencetechu
twitter.com/lawrencetechu

Etkin is committed to creating and maintaining a supportive team building culture, and is proud to be recognized this year as one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in Metro Detroit by the Michigan Business and Professional Association.

Etkin has been honored with this distinguished award for the past five years, and is excited to have been recognized for a sixth year. Often referred to as “the Academy Awards of Human Resources,” the Best and Brightest awards are revealed after a cumulative assessment of categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more. The assessments are comprised of employee and employer surveys.

“We are honored to receive this award, because Etkin team members are a top priority in our day-to-day operations,” said Etkin President Curtis Burstein. “Our employees create value as the foundation of the company, and we plan to continue holding ourselves to the high standards that have allowed us to achieve this recognition.”

“We’re proud that this award highlights Etkin’s truly people-centered culture,” said Rebecca Lorenzetti, Etkin’s Human Resource Manager. “We’re always finding better ways to improve internal communication, employee well-being and overall corporate culture, and it’s great that it shows.”

Etkin, among other winners, will be recognized at a symposium hosted by the Michigan Business and Professional Association on September 17, 2015 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The event will feature ROSSETTI Principal and Director of Creative Design, Kelly Deines, IIDA, LEED AP, as a keynote speaker.

ABOUT ETKIN

Etkin has played a prominent role in southeast Michigan real estate development and acquisition for 30 years. The privately owned company was formed in 1982 and is led by principal, Douglas Etkin, and president, Curtis Burstein. Etching has been involved in over 9.5 million square feet of office, industrial, retail, hotel and mixed-use developments. The company also offers fee-based management and development services to a select number of third-party clients, financial institutions, hospital organizations and physician groups. For additional information visit www.etkinllc.com.

5000 Town Center is a 33-story high-rise condominium community of 216 private residences located in the center of Southfield’s City Centre district overlooking City Hall and the Evergreen Hills golf course.

Now that much of the steel structure for the A. Alfred Taubman Engineering, Life Sciences, and Architecture Complex has been put in place in the past few weeks, it is easier to envision how LTU’s Quadrangle will look once the project is completed.

Joseph Veryser, Lawrence Tech’s campus architect, said that the project remains on schedule. The building should be ready for occupancy by the end of May 2016. It will take another two months to get the academic facilities ready in time for the fall semester that begins in August 2016.

Detroit-based Albert Kahn Family of Companies is the architect of record, and the DeMaria Building Company of Detroit and Novi is the general contractor. Pritzker Architecture Laureate Thom Mayne of Morphosis is the design architect.

The building is named after retail developer and philanthropist A. Alfred Taubman, who died in April after contributing the lead gift in support of the structure.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Lawrence Technological University will host a free Innovation, Design & Manufacturability Workshop on Tuesday, June 9, from 8 a.m. to noon with lunch to follow.

The workshop will be held in room M336 in LTU’s Buell Management Building on the LTU campus at 21000 West 10 Mile Road, Southfield.

The workshop facilitators are Jeff DeBoer, vice president, Genesis Innovation Strategy, Sundberg-Ferar; and Sue Okray, automotive business director, Munro & Associates.

The hands-on, interactive workshop is designed to save time and money for companies launching new products. The workshop will provide key elements of the design and manufacturability process prior to going to market.

The workshop is designed to help companies that are in the process of creating and producing a durable manufactured product. Space is limited, and preference will be given to early-stage, pre-revenue, Michigan-based companies.
The event is hosted by Tex Criqui, director of the LTU Collaboratory; and Mark Brucki, executive director of economic development and government relations at LTU. For more information, contact Criqui at fcriqui@ltu.edu or (517) 518-1446 (mobile).

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 100 universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

Eric Pope
Managing Editor, University News Bureau
Lawrence Technological University
(248) 204-2210
(313) 505-6508 (cell)

facebook.com/lawrencetechu
twitter.com/lawrencetechu

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Over 80 teams from 10 states and seven other countries will compete in the 16th annual Robofest World Championships on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Don Ridler Field House, Lawrence Technological University, 21000 West 10 Mile Road, Southfield. Admission and parking are free.

Robofest is a competition of autonomous robots – computer-programmed to act independently and not remote-controlled – that encourages hands-on learning of science, technology, engineering, and math, known as the STEM subjects, as well as computer science. Teams compete in the junior division (grades 5-9) or senior division (grades 9-12), using a variety of computer programming languages.

Robofest originated at LTU, and this year’s competition includes more than 2,000 students from Michigan and nine other states (Ohio, Texas, Minnesota, Florida, Hawaii, California, Missouri, Indiana, and Washington) and seven other countries (Canada, Korea, China, India, South Africa and Egypt, and Ghana).

The challenge of this year’s RoboBowl game is to build an autonomous robot to detect and knock down four pins (water bottles) by bowling tennis balls. In addition, the robot has to measure the height of the black rectangle shape on the table.

The Robofest World Championships include the Exhibition category, a science fair-style competition, in which students demonstrate their imagination and creativity through robotics.

For more information on Robofest, visit www.robofest.net.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 100 universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.

The University of Detroit Jesuit High School team RoboCubs, which took first place in the Senior Exhibition category at the Robofest Michigan Championships, is one of 25 Michigan teams that have advanced to the World Championships on May 16. Left to right are ninth-graders Luke Adams, Christian Commen, Grayson Huldin, Ian Wilson, Ben Godfrey, and Jonathon Hopkins. LTU President Virdiner Moudgil is in the back and coach/teacher Jennifer Wint is at right.

—

Eric Pope
Managing Editor, University News Bureau
Lawrence Technological University
(248) 204-2210
(313) 505-6508 (cell)
facebook.com/lawrencetechu
twitter.com/lawrencetechu