University of Michigan solar car races across Australian outback and more

To keep tabs on the team's progress, read its blog here.

Coleman addresses U-M Senate Assembly

At U-M, President Mary Sue Coleman addressed the Senate Assembly Monday at its first meeting of the year, the Michigan Daily reported.

In a speech similar to her State of the University address, Coleman reported U-M is in good financial shape, despite Michigan's economy. She reiterated U-M has saved $135 million through cost-cutting measures over the last several years, and will need to come up with $100 million more in savings over the next three years. 

Coleman urged faculty to get behind changes that will help U-M reach the goal, such as cuts to faculty travel policies, increasing space and staff sharing, and an increased course load in the spring and summer terms.

Also at that meeting, U-M Senate Assembly members were introduced to proposed changes to the make-up of the grievance review board, which hears complaints and mitigates faculty disputes. The assembly includes 73 elected faculty members from the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses.

An assembly member suggested having five members on the board, with three faculty members from outside the department in which the complaint originated and two from within. Current plans call for the review board including two faculty members from within the department in which the complaint was lodged and one from outside the department.

Also discussed was a report by a task force commissioned by Provost Teresa Sullivan last January. The report recommended an appeals process for complaints determined "non-grievable" by the review board. The person who filed the grievance would then be able to take the appeal to the Senate Advisory Committee on Academic Affairs, the executive wing of the Senate Assembly. Now, there is no appeals process for complaints tossed out by the review board.

When consensus is reached on these changes, SACUA will make its recommendation on changes to the provost.

Concordia plans Vet's Day ceremony, offers scholarships to all veterans

Concordia University Ann Arbor, a private, Christian liberal arts institution, will award all veterans and service members who RSVP by Nov. 9 a $5,000 scholarship in a special Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11, the school reports. Veterans, active service members and their families are invited to a lunch after the ceremony. To RSVP: (734) 995-4892 or macles@cuaa.edu.

Learn about EMU

High school and transfer students looking to learn more about Eastern Michigan University can do so this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the EMU Student Center, 900 Oakwood Street. 

The Explore Eastern program will provide meet-and-greet opportunities with representatives from academic programming, financial aid and other services at the school, as well as campus tours. For more information click here.

WCC seeks accreditation

Washtenaw Community College expects to earn an 10-year accreditation renewal from a higher learning commission that visited campus recently. Eight evaluators from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, which has accredited WCC since 1973, will recommend the maximum accreditation renewal. 

The final approval is expected in February 2010. The college prepared a 312-page report to demonstrate the criteria evaluated by the commission: mission and integrity; preparing for the future; student learning and effective teaching; acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge, engagement and service.

"This has been a massive undertaking involving many faculty and staff members who worked hard to make it a success," Bill Abernethy, dean of Humanities and Social Sciences who led preparation for the visit, said in a press release. "The HLC team was particularly impressed by our commitment to our mission to serve the student body and the community, by our excellent facilities, and by the high morale and positive feelings toward the college shown by those who work here."