Alumni News
Monday, May 08, 2023
The whale residing in Oakland University’s Kresge Library is the brain child of students in English Professor Jeffrey Insko’s Literature and the Environment class.
Friday, April 14, 2023
Oakland University Professor Anna Spagnuolo has been recognized as one of the state's three recipients of the 2023 Michigan Distinguished Professor of the Year award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions and dedication exhibited by the faculty from Michigan’s 15 public universities to the education of undergraduate students. The awards are presented annually by the Michigan Association of State Universities.
Thursday, March 23, 2023
The Region III Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), which took place Jan. 11-15 at the University of Michigan-Flint, featured the work of 48 students from the Department of Theatre in the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. You can read more about their accomplishments here.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Oakland University will offer an insightful discussion about documenting war and its impact on individuals and communities during a virtual event on Wednesday, March 22 from noon-1 p.m. The Zoom link to attend the event is here.
Wednesday, February 01, 2023
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced the appointments of Colleen Ochoa Peters, of Bloomfield Hills, and Stefen J. Welch, of Detroit, to the Oakland University Board of Trustees. Both were appointed to eight-year terms that will run through August 2030. They replace Melissa Stolicker and W. David Tull whose terms have expired.
Friday, January 27, 2023
Oakland University Professor of Music Mark Stone recently traveled to South Africa for the South Africa/America Music Exchange (SAME) Festival, which featured 190 local and international musicians on a single stage.
Wednesday, November 09, 2022
Twenty-six Oakland University students and alumni recently immersed themselves in the world of global cinema at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the largest festival of its kind in North America.
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Elizabeth Parkinson, a doctoral student in Oakland University’s Department of Biological Sciences, has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The fellowship supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees with a focus on NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.
Monday, August 15, 2022
Michaela Messing, a student in Oakland University’s Master of Accounting program, was recently selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), a nonprofit corporation created by Congress to oversee audits of public companies.
Friday, August 12, 2022
The 2021-22 performance season concluded in the spring with a jazz and world music residency at the Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts in Pontiac March 30 - April 2, including four concerts and a community workshop with faculty, students and artist-in-residence Regina Carter; the Department of Theatre’s production of Pippin, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, from March 30 - April 3 in Varner Studio Theatre; a series of Young Choreographers Forum and Senior Dance Concert performances at Detroit Country Day School in April; an Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Oakland University Symphony Chorus performance on April 14 at Orchestra Hall in Detroit; and the Department of Music’s reimagined version of Handel’s opera, Acis and Galatea, from May 5 - 8 and May 12 – 15 in the Varner Studio Theatre.
Friday, August 12, 2022
Since earning his degree in musical theatre, Oakland University alum Mitchell Aiello (BFA ’16) has been busy performing as a professional singer and actor in regional theatres and on national tours across the U.S.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Oakland University alumni Ellen Hargis and David Douglass, the husband-and-wife team who stepped down recently after many years of serving as the co-artistic directors of The Newberry Consort in Chicago, have been selected to receive the 2022 Howard Mayer Brown Award for lifetime achievement from Early Music America, the leading organization in their field, for their pioneering work in uncovering and performing rarely heard music.
Monday, July 11, 2022
After a highly competitive application process, Oakland University’s Project Upward Bound (PUB) College Prep Academy has secured a five-year, $3.5 million federal grant that will enable the program to continue its mission of helping participants graduate high school and successfully pursue postsecondary education.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Oakland University has named Chiaoning Su as director of its Barry M. Klein Center for Culture and Globalization.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Oakland University Student Life Lecture Board will present “An Evening with Laurie Hernandez” on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m., in the Oakland Center Founders Ballrooms. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 05, 2022
Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors have announced the 2022 Nightingale Award winners and runners-up. This year’s top nurses in Michigan come from a variety of clinical positions and settings and are recognized as exceptional in their areas of nursing.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
SMTD Professors Mark Stone and Jeremy Barnett led a global arts study abroad trip to Ghana, West Africa during the recent winter break.
Friday, February 18, 2022
Researchers in Oakland University’s Department of Biological Sciences have published a study that employs statistical models to analyze host-parasite relationships – in this case between tadpoles (hosts) and flatworms (parasites). The study, published in The American Naturalist, one of the world’s leading peer-reviewed publications in ecology, evolution and behavior research, uses the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) to describe the role temperature plays in that relationship.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
A research study conducted by Oakland University and Beaumont Research Institute is providing new insights that could lead to more effective treatment in lung cancer patients.
Wednesday, February 02, 2022
Oakland University’s Creative Writing Program will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a fiction reading by author Matt Bell, whose most recent book, “Appleseed” was recognized by The New York Times. The OU alumnus will share his work during a campus event at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 in Oakland Center Banquet Room A. In-person attendees will be required to complete OU’s Daily Health Screening Form. The reading will also be streamed via Zoom.
Thursday, January 06, 2022
Oakland University has introduced a new web tool that provides information on the career and educational pursuits of OU students following graduation.
Monday, December 20, 2021
In recognition of his exceptional leadership, service, and accomplishments, Oakland University alum Michael Kenny (CAS ’78) has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts degree. The degree was presented on Friday, Dec. 17 during the university’s fall commencement ceremony.
Thursday, December 02, 2021
Whether it’s on stage or in front of the camera, Oakland University alumni Andrew Barikmo (BFA ’18) and Jackie Gubow (BM & BFA ’14) have a talent for helping others find the roles that are right for them.
Thursday, December 02, 2021
Theatre alumnus Esau Pritchett has joined the cast of Keenan Scott II's Thoughts of a Colored Man on Broadway. The production began performances at Broadway's Golden Theatre on October 1, ahead of an official opening on October 31. Natasha Ashey with Broadway World has called Thoughts of a Colored Man “a jaw-dropping, thought-provoking, incredibly real production that is not to be missed,” and Pritchett’s performance has been praised by The New York Times.
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Recent Oakland University graduate Alyssa Lalko is working on research to develop a laser-based sensor that can detect toxins in the atmosphere.
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Through its graduate programs, Oakland University’s School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) empowers teachers and administrators to enhance their communities, shape the future of their professions and touch the lives of thousands of learners.
Monday, September 20, 2021
Matt Bell, a 2006 graduate of Oakland University’s English program, recently released his novel “Appleseed” to critical acclaim. The book traces three storylines across a thousand years, including a mythological retelling of the Johnny Appleseed folktale, a harrowing struggle against climate change-driven corporate control and the travails of a bioengineered creature searching for the last vestiges of civilization.
Thursday, September 09, 2021
Oakland University doctoral student Sarah Denha traveled to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts this summer to take part in a neurobiology course that introduced her to cutting-edge research techniques taught by leading experts in the field.
Monday, July 19, 2021
Originally from a small village in Germany, the opportunity to study business through a three-year apprenticeship at Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG whet Rebecca Ramirez’s, MBA ’14, appetite for the prospects a career in the automotive industry could offer.
Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors have announced the 2021 Nightingale Award winners and runners-up. This year’s top nurses in Michigan come from a variety of clinical roles and settings and are recognized as exceptional in their various nursing roles.
Thursday, July 01, 2021
ReciproCity Apps, a Pontiac-based company co-founded by Oakland University alumni Cam Underdown, Chris Powers and Josh Linneburg, has been using technology to build public goods and help better connect communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
As colleges and universities look to address the growing mental health crisis on campuses across the nation, a new book is touting the benefits of the human-animal bond. Published by Purdue University Press, “The Canine-Campus Connection: Roles for Dogs in the Lives of College Students” provides evidence-based guidance on bringing college students and canines together in mutually beneficial ways.
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
As part of an effort to help students achieve greater physical, mental and emotional well-being, OU’s Department of Recreation and Well-Being is offering continuing students free summer access to the Recreation Center on campus.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
From Shakespeare on Zoom to the history of jazz, Oakland University Community Music’s virtual and in-person Summer Camps will offer something for everyone.
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Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Noah Canales, junior musical theatre major, has been named the “First Place Male Singer” in the fourth annual “NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow” competition, which featured vocal performers from colleges and universities from across the United States.
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Oakland University alumna Sarah Bussineau (BM ’20) has won the Michigan Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) Secondary Grades Student Teacher of the Year Award for 2020.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
If you want to change your life and the way you see the world – study abroad.
Friday, January 08, 2021
Recent Oakland University graduate Shreyas Gavit was part of an innovative team that won the Salesforce Career Journey with Deloitte, a case study competition in which college students were tasked with helping a fictional online retailer meet recruiting and hiring challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Tuesday, December 01, 2020
In a video on Oakland University’s YouTube channel, former Wall Street Journal business columnist John Stoll shared how a degree in history from Oakland University helped him stand out among his peers.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Oakland University percussion students, faculty, and alumni participated in the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), which took place Nov. 13-14.
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
FALL EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:Our fall performance season kicked off with Mark Stone’s annual Peace Day concert on Sept. 20. The event happened live in the Varner Hall Courtyard and was livestreamed on the SMTD Facebook page. Professor Stone was interviewed by Civic Center TV, during which he discussed the return to campus and the Peace Day concert.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Adam Avery, an assistant professor of biochemistry, has been awarded a three-year, $400,000 grant to research gene mutations associated with Spinocerebellar Ataxia, a degenerative brain disorder that affects motor skills, including balance, coordination and speech.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Annie Fuelle, an alumna of Oakland University’s Honors College, has been selected as the recipient of the inaugural Honors College Humanitarian Award, which was established to recognize students who have demonstrated “sustained humanitarian involvement” during their time at OU.
Wednesday, September 02, 2020
Oakland University alum Matthew Carlsen recently won the 2020 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) National Award for Costume Design for his presentation/costume design work on OU’s fall 2019 production of Urinetown.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Oakland University's Department of Theatre hosted “A Candlelight Vigil to Honor the Lives of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Countless Others” on June 7 at The Elliott Tower at Oakland University. About 100 people attended the vigil, which was featured in an article in The Detroit News. “The diversity of our department is our greatest strength,” said professor Anthony Guest, chair of the Department of Theatre. “Something like this (event) is important. We are storytellers, and if we are not telling stories that represent all of humanity, then we are not doing our job.”
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
When the lights went dark in theatres across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland University Assistant Professor and Tony Award nominee Josh Young reached out to some of Broadway’s top talent and helped them connect virtually with OU’s musical theatre students as part of an innovative Summer Masterclass Series.
Friday, August 21, 2020
Jodie Madeja, a recent OU graduate and current student in the university’s Master of Accounting program, has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
Wednesday, August 05, 2020
Oakland University’s Environmental Health and Safety program helped Chase and Jessica Salazar transform their shared passion for helping others into successful careers as EHS professionals.
