OU's Steve Waterfield named 2025-26 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
Oakland University Director of Athletics Steve Waterfield has been named a recipient of the 2025-26 Division I-AAA Athletic Director of the Year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the organization announced Monday. The NACDA Athletic Director of the Year Award highlights outstanding athletics directors who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, program development and commitment to student-athlete success. “I am honored to be selected as one of the 2025-26
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April Programs & Events at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm
Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm Presents: Event: Museum Public Open Hours & Tours Time: 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. Date: Fridays and Saturdays Location: The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm Cost: Public $5/Adults; $3/Seniors & Students; Free for Museum Members Register: Drop-In Only The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is open for Public Drop-In Hours on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 - 3pm, with a Guided Tour of the Van Hoosen Farmhouse at 1:00pm. Included with your
Oakland University Recognized for Promoting Nonpartisan Civic Engagement
Oakland University is among 129 college campuses to receive the 2026 Highly Established Action Plan Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The seal recognizes higher education institutions with strong action plans to increase nonpartisan civic engagement by promoting civic learning, political engagement and college student voter participation. As part of the ALL IN program, campuses create and implement a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan every two years. OU’s current action plan
OU’s Yejie Lee Named Among Detroit’s Top Career Coaches by Influence Digest
Yejie Lee, a member of the dedicated team at Oakland University’s Career and Life Design Center, was recently named one of the top 15 career coaches in Detroit. The recognition came from Influence Digest, an online publication that conducts an extensive search to identify coaches with strong professional coaching backgrounds. Their evaluation was based on factors such as LinkedIn profiles, professional websites, certifications, testimonials and overall reach, including audience demographics and
Pontiac mayor, OU alumnus Mike McGuinness to keynote 7th annual Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture
Mike McGuinness, mayor of the City of Pontiac and a former Oakland University student body president, will be the featured speaker at Oakland University’s 7th annual Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in 159 North Foundation Hall. McGuinness made history when he was elected Pontiac’s first openly gay mayor in November 2025. Prior to becoming mayor, he served as president of the Pontiac City Council from 2022-2026, president of the Pontiac Board of Education from
Rochester Christian University Launches “The Click” Digital Marketing Lab to Graduate Career-Ready Students
Rochester Christian University, a private Christian university in Michigan, is expanding its School of Business and Technology with a new hands-on digital marketing lab designed to prepare students for careers in today’s fast-moving marketing industry. The space, officially named The Click Presented by Chief Financial Credit Union, reflects the university’s commitment to blending practical experience, mentorship, and purpose-driven education. The new digital marketing lab brings that philosophy to life.
Bernard Wealth Management Firm Proud to Partner with Rochester Community Schools PTA
Bernard Wealth Management is dedicated to helping clients achieve financial goals through tailored investment strategies while also promoting community growth, with a focus on education and youth development. We’ve recently formed a partnership with the Rochester Community School PTA Council to fund educational programs, resources, and events that enrich the learning environment. Additionally, Deanna Harless and Amy Colwell of Bernard Wealth Management, volunteer their time with the Rochester Community
Governor Whitmer appoints two new members to Oakland University’s Board of Trustees
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has made two new appointments to the Oakland University Board of Trustees. These appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. The first appointee is Nate Engle of Lansing, who will serve a term from March 5, 2026 through August 11, 2028. He succeeds Joe Jones, who resigned from the board last month. Nate Engle Engle currently serves as director of community engagement for the Michigan Department of Agriculture. His professional background includes
OU’s Dunya Mikhail selected to serve as Holmes Visiting Professor of Poetry at Princeton this fall
Dunya Mikhail, special lecturer of Arabic in Oakland University’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and of creative writing in the Department of English, Creative Writing, and Film, will spend the Fall 2026 semester teaching at Princeton University as the Holmes Visiting Professor of Poetry. The professorship is an honorary position that invites a distinguished contemporary poet to come to Princeton for one semester to teach a class, give a talk and/or poetry reading and mentor students on
Oakland University Professor Ali Woerner co-authors article in ‘Neurology’ journal
Oakland University faculty member Ali Woerner, associate professor of dance in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, is a co-author — alongside 21 additional contributors — of a peer-reviewed article published Feb. 19, 2026, in Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology and one of the highest-ranked clinical neurology journals in the world. Titled Behind the Curtain: Consensus Recommendations to Support University-Level Performing Arts Students’ Return to the Stage After
How Small Businesses Can Thrive Amid Shifting Marketing Currents
In the age of digital saturation, the deck often feels stacked against small businesses. National chains have ad budgets that could bankroll a midsize town, while algorithms seem to tilt toward those who pay to play. But the landscape isn’t just shifting—it’s fracturing. That rupture offers something that hasn’t been this accessible in years: the chance for smaller players to take ground by responding quickly, thinking creatively, and speaking in voices people actually want to hear. The edge comes not
