Wayne State University

Wayne State University (WSU) is an American public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District and Wayne State University Buildings Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 380 programs to nearly 28,000 graduate and undergraduate students. It is currently Michigan's third-largest university and one of the 100 largest universities in the United States.

The WSU main campus encompasses 203 acres (822,000 m²) linking more than 100 education and research buildings in the heart of Detroit. It also has six extension centers in the metro Detroit area providing access to a limited selection of courses. The institution is a notable engine in metro Detroit's educational, cultural and economic landscape, as manifested through efforts such as its thriving research and technology park and hosting of the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival.


> Historical background

The first component of the modern Wayne State University was established in 1868 as the Detroit Medical College, now the School of Medicine. In 1881, the Detroit Normal Training School was established, now the College of Education. Old Main Hall was built in 1896 as Central High School, which later began adding college classes in 1913. Those classes evolved into the Detroit Junior College in 1917, the College of the City of Detroit in 1923 and now WSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In 1919, David L. Mackenzie — who served a dual role as Principal of Detroit Central High School and Detroit Junior College — was officially appointed first dean of the college that he had originated in 1917. With Mackenzie at the helm, Detroit Junior College grew to become the third-largest institution of higher learning in Michigan. The college was granted four-year degree status in 1923, becoming the College of the City of Detroit. Mackenzie continued as dean until his death in 1926.

In 1920, the Merrill-Palmer Institute for Child Development was founded. It is now known as the Merrill-Palmer Skillman Institute.

In 1927, the Detroit Board of Education dedicated its newest high school to the memory of Mackenzie. The three-story structure stood on the city's west side at 9275 Wyoming Avenue; Mackenzie High School closed its doors in June 2007 and was demolished in 2012. A new pre-kingergarten-to-eighth-grade Mackenzie School opened near the high school site in 2012.

In 1933, the Detroit Board of Education organized the six colleges it ran — liberal arts, medical, education, pharmacy, engineering and a graduate school — into one university. In January 1934, that institution was officially named Wayne University, taking its name from the county in which it is located.

Wayne University continued to grow, adding the Law School in 1927, the School of Social Work in 1935, and the School of Business Administration in 1946. Wayne University was renamed Wayne State University in 1956 and the institution became a constitutionally established university by a popularly adopted amendment to the Michigan Constitution in 1959.

The Wayne State University Board of Governors created the Institute of Gerontology in 1965 in response to a State of Michigan mandate. The primary mission in that era was to engage in research, education and service in the field of aging.

Wayne State University continued growing with the additions of the College of Lifelong Learning in 1973, and the School of Fine and Performing Arts and the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs in 1985.


The university libraries have grown to include eight libraries, the School of Library and Information Science, and the Office for University General Education.

Over the last few years, WSU has been aggressive in constructing new buildings, including the Integrative Biosciences Center(IBio), a 207,000-square-foot facility that will encourage interdisciplinary work across a range of scientific areas with the goal of translating new discoveries to improve human health and society. More than 500 researchers, staff and principal investigators will work out of the building, which is scheduled to be fully operational in 2016.

On June 5, 2013, the Board of Governors unanimously elected M. Roy Wilson as Wayne State's 12th president. He was sworn in on August 1, 2013.

In 2015, WSU bestowed its first posthumous honorary doctorate degree on Viola Liuzzo.

> Campus

Wayne State's campus is located in the heart of Detroit's Cultural Center Historic District, home of renowned museums, galleries and theatres. The main campus encompasses 203 acres (0.82 km2) of landscaped walkways and gathering spots linking over 100 education and research buildings. The campus is urban and features many architecturally interesting buildings. Notable examples include the Helen L. DeRoy Auditorium, the Education Building, the Maccabees Building, Old Main, McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Chatsworth Tower Apartments, and the Hilberry Theatre. Many of these buildings were designed by notable architects such as Albert Kahn and Minoru Yamasaki.

The Cass Corridor is one of the university's most notable surroundings, with a venerable history and culture that has left an imprint on many WSU alumni. Many notable events have taken place on or near the campus as a result of its unique location. Artists that got their start here include Chuck & Joni Mitchell, Alice Cooper, The White Stripes, The Detroit Cobras, MC5, The Stooges, Savage Grace, Ted Nugent and Grand Funk Railroad. The Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded their Freaky Styley album in this area, which was also home to Creem magazine — the first rock journal, and the first to use the terms "punk rock" and "heavy metal" and give recognition to the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, The Smiths and others. The now-razed Tartar Field was home to WABX's free Sunday concerts in the late 1960s and early 1970s featuring many of these musicians.

Important events have also taken place on campus, such as Edmund Gettier's refutation of the "justified true belief" theory, which shook 2,500 years of epistemology.

>> Libraries

With more than four million volumes,the Wayne State University Library System houses the 75th largest collection in the United States, according to the American Library Association.Wayne State's libraries all offer full wireless connection, reference and research support, interlibrary loan, circulation and course reserve services, document delivery, and library and information literacy programs. The libraries provide a range of study environments, from silent to interactive. The system ranks among the nation's top libraries according to the Association for Research Libraries.

Shiffman Medical Library houses the university's medical collections and is the School of Medicine's sole library.
Arthur Neef Law Library, located on the north section of the main campus, houses the university's law collections and is the Law School's sole library.

Purdy/Kresge Library is located near the center of main campus and serves as the primary research library for the social sciences, humanities, arts, education and business disciplines. It contains print and electronic resources to meet the research and instructional needs of faculty, graduate students and upper-level undergraduates. It also houses the university's main government documents collection and the offices of the university's Media Services Department.

David Adamany Undergraduate Library (UGL), located on the center of Gullen Mall, has over 700 computer workstations providing students with access to electronic resources. Its book and magazine collection is intended to support the learning needs of 1,000 and 2,000 level undergraduate courses. The UGL houses the university libraries' collection of approximately 8,000 videos, DVDs, laser discs and audiotapes. The UGL provides students with information on careers, computers and student survival skills. The Undergraduate Library is open 24 hours for students and faculty.


The Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs is located on the easternmost portion of Wayne's main campus, at 5401 Cass Avenue. The Reuther is the largest labor archives in the United States, and serves as the official archival repository for twelve major unions. In addition to labor records, the archives contain primary source material related to civil and political rights, especially those related to Detroit. The Reuther also houses the Wayne State University Archives dating from the institution's founding as the Detroit Medical College in 1868.
Wayne State University also has library service desks at its Macomb and Oakland extensions centers in Clinton Township and Farmington Hills.

>> Housing

The university provides housing in the form of apartments and residence halls. All buildings are equipped with connection to the university computer system, wireless Internet, laundry rooms, activity rooms, and a 24-hour help desk.

Current university-owned apartment buildings include University Tower, Chatsworth Tower and Helen L. DeRoy Apartments. The Sherbrooke Apartments were closed in September 2008. The Forest Apartments were closed after the 2004-05 school year and have since been demolished. The Chatsworth Annex apartments were demolished and replaced with greenspace and volleyball courts after the 2004-2005 school year.

In the hopes of bringing more residents to campus, Wayne State opened two dormitory-style residence halls in 2002: Yousif B. Ghafari Hall (formerly North Hall) and 2003 Leon H. Atchison Hall (formerly South Hall). This was the first time since the closing of the Newberry Joy Dorms in 1987 that the university offered dorm living. In 2005, the university opened The Towers Residential Suites, a residence hall open to undergraduate and graduate students. The Towers Café is the largest on-campus dining facility and is supplemented by Warrior Dining, located in Ghafari hall.