University of Detroit Mercy

University of Detroit Mercy
Motto Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and Maria, Sedes Sapientiae ("Mary, Seat of Wisdom")
Established 1877
Type Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic (Jesuit / Sisters of Mercy)
Endowment $22.11 million
President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.
Students 5,450
Location Detroit, Michigan, USA
Campus Urban
Colors Red, white, and blue
              
Nickname Titans
Affiliations AJCU, Conference for Mercy Higher Education, Horizon League
Website www.udmercy.edu

University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational university in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. Antoine M. Garibaldi is the president. With origins dating from 1877, it is the largest Roman Catholic university in Michigan. UDM is one of the twenty-eight member Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States. Located across three campuses in Detroit, the school offers more than a hundred academic degrees and programs of study, including liberal arts, clinical psychology, business, dentistry, law, engineering, architecture, nursing and allied health professions. Listed below are some of the University's many distinguished alumni.

UDM was ranked in the top tier of Midwestern master's universities in U.S. News & World Report "America's Best Colleges" 2011 edition and has been for over a decade. In athletics, the University sponsors 19 NCAA Division I level varsity sports for men and women, and is a member of the Horizon League. UDM was the host institution for the 2009 NCAA men's basketball Final Four and championship.

Contents

History

The University of Detroit Mercy's origin dates back to 1877 with the founding of Detroit College by the Society of Jesus. The college expanded into the University of Detroit, and in 1927 established a second campus. In 1941, the Sisters of Mercy opened the Mercy College of Detroit. In 1990, University of Detroit and Mercy College of Detroit consolidated to become "University of Detroit Mercy".

Mission and vision

University of Detroit Mercy's mission and vision statements reflect the traditions of its religious sponsors. founded on their collective religious traditions.

The mission statement states:

The University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide excellent student-centered undergraduate and graduate education in an urban context. A UDM education seeks to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of our students.

The vision statement proposes:

The University of Detroit Mercy will be recognized as a premier private university in the Great Lakes (North America) region, distinguished by graduates who lead and serve in their communities.

Like all universities, UDM strives to offer quality higher education, but it also is committed to service of faith and promotion of justice and compassionate service to persons in need, as articulated in the Jesuit worldview. Accordingly, the university, its students, staff and alumni aim to take an active role in strengthening Detroit, through community outreach and partnership with like-minded organizations.

Colleges and campuses

UDM comprises seven colleges and schools: the School of Architecture, College of Business Administration, School of Dentistry, College of Engineering and Science, College of Health Professions/McAuley School of Nursing, School of Law, and College of Liberal Arts and Education.

The University has three campuses. The McNichols Campus is located on the southeast corner of McNichols Road and Livernois Avenue in northwest Detroit (near the Pilgrim Village and University District neighborhoods). The majority of the University's undergraduate and graduate programs are offered on this campus, as well as the University's main administration and athletic facilities like Calihan Hall. It is also the location of all six student residence halls.

The Riverfront Campus is home to UDM's School of Law in downtown Detroit at 651 East Jefferson across from the Renaissance Center.

The Corktown Campus, at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, houses UDM's School of Dentistry and Dental Clinic. The former Outer Drive Campus has been sold to the Wayne County Community College District.

Greek life

Fraternities - Kappa Delta Rho, Lambda Theta Pi, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Kappa Theta, Sigma Pi

Sororities - Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Beta Gamma, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta

Athletics

Main article: Detroit Titans
See also: Calihan Hall

The Titans compete in NCAA Division I's Horizon League. The men's basketball team has consistently contended for the Horizon League title. On April 12, 2008, UDM announced the hiring of Ray McCallum as Men's Basketball Coach.[1] McCallum is a veteran of more than 20 years in college basketball, most recently as assistant head coach at Indiana University.

McCallum's predecessor Perry Watson led a successful program at Detroit's Southwestern High School before coming to UDM after some years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan and maintained strong recruiting ties within the city's public league. Watson guided Detroit Mercy to 10 winning seasons, three league titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT Final Four during his 15 years with UDM. The Titans' two NCAA appearances also included victories over St. John's and UCLA. Between 1997-98 and 2000–01, the Titans had four straight 20-victory seasons.[2]

Dick Vitale, ESPN's most well-known college basketball commentator, was the University of Detroit men's basketball Head Coach for four seasons (1973–1977) before becoming the school's Athletics Director for 1977-78. The following year he left to coach the Detroit Pistons. In his final year as a college head coach in 1977, "Dickie V." led the Detroit Titans to a school record 25 victories and the Round of 16 in the 1977 NCAA Tournament before losing to Michigan, 86-81. Vitale rolled up a 78-30 career record as head coach of the Titans. Vitale went on to coach the Detroit Pistons before beginning his broadcasting career with ESPN in 1979 and was the color commentator for the first college basketball game carried by the new network. As its lead college basketball analyst, he helped make the network an integral part of the game's popularity. An author of six books chronicling his love affair with basketball, Vitale received the Basketball Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award (1998), won the NABC Cliff Wells Appreciation Award in 2000 and was admitted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.[3]

Since 1996-97, Detroit Titans athletic teams have won 14 league championships and 15 teams have competed in NCAA championships. The men's golf team won the 2007 Horizon League championship. In 2009-2010 season the mens and womens golf teams won the Horizon League championship. The University was the host institution for the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional and 2009 NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament at Ford Field in Detroit.

All home basketball games feature the Titan Pep Band which serenades audiences throughout the game.

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

Academics

Acting

Business

Engineering

Journalism

Government & Politics

Military & Space

Religion

Sports

Photo galleries

McNichols Campus

Riverfront Campus (School of Law)

See also

Metro Detroit portal
University portal

Notes

  1. ^ http://thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080411/NEWS06/80411022
  2. ^ http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070124/SPORTS02/701240344/1019
  3. ^ http://www.detroittitans.com/news.jsp?id=1207665209001
  4. ^ http://dondavidson.blogspot.com/
  5. ^ http://silverdome-architect.blogspot.com/2009/03/conception-of-pontiac-silverdome.html
  6. ^ http://silverdome-architect.blogspot.com/2009/03/pontiac-times-newspaper-april-4-1974.html
  7. ^ http://history.osu.edu/people/person.cfm?ID=665
  8. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/stay-connected/news-events/newsletters/cba/2009/01/plachta/index.htm
  9. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/about/profiles/alumni/matt-cullen.htm
  10. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/03-22-cba.htm
  11. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/03-22-cba.htm
  12. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/03-22-cba.htm
  13. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/03-22-cba.htm
  14. ^ http://business.udmercy.edu/alum-week/index.htm
  15. ^ http://www.udmercy.edu/news_events/news/by-year/2011/03-22-cba.htm
  16. ^ Treppa, Alan R.. "Rev. John A. Lemke: America's First Native Born Roman Catholic Priest". stalbertus.org. http://www.stalbertus.org/revLemke.pdf. Retrieved July 25, 2008. 
  17. ^ (see ISBN 1-56743-042-2)
  18. ^ http://www.sspeterandpauljesuit.org/weddings.html

References and further reading

External links

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Private institutions
Community colleges
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Conference for Mercy Higher Education