Social Justice at Wayne State University
Social Justice Grant
In 2022, Wayne State University received a $6 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to promote social justice establishing a center for Black Studies in Detroit. Wayne State University plans to recruit 30 new faculty members in the humanities to build a comfortable and inclusive space for research on the Black experience. The Detroit Center for Black Studies aims to go beyond the walls of Wayne State University and reach scholars and faculty within Black Studies and the humanities across the entire state of Michigan.
The Mellon Foundation was founded in 1969 and aims to inspire artistic expression, critical thinking, and imagination to elevate the human experience of freedom and equality. These ideals align directly with the plans Wayne State University plans to create with the grant money received.
In recent years, the promotion of justice and inclusivity has grown into a nationwide issue which has led to the formation of many groups and programs to fight the injustice present in our world today. Wayne State University currently has over 100 student organizations as well as the Social Justice Action Committee established in 2020. The goal of SJAC is to promote diversity within students and faculty, provide the campus community with intercultural education and training, and provide access to students to help them succeed. Social justice is and will continue to be an effort pushed by Wayne State University and the community surrounding it.
Tuition Inclusivity
Wayne State University continues to make great strides in the heat of social justice by launching a new Wayne State Guarantee that will include free tuition for students in Michigan with family incomes of $70,000 or less starting in the fall of 2023. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment rates have been on the decline due to the skyrocketing inflation rates and lack of job opportunities, making tuition payments difficult.
The Wayne State Guarantee is partnered with the Michigan Achievement Scholarship; a scholarship that gives students up to $5,500 per year for up to five years for students attending Michigan public universities; an initiative sculpted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to increase the number of young adults to hold a college degree or skills certificate by 10% by the year 2030.
Success in a Small Business
Wayne State University is partnered with TechComm@TechTown which offers real-world learning experiences and opportunities for students in a variety of fields to work with startups and small businesses. Some of the projects at TechTown include designing accessible showers from the ground up, improvement of market and public health research, and website development. A small business partnered with TechTown known as Wilson Adaptive Technologies [W.A.T.]. was pioneered by Ron Wilson. After an on-the-job accident left Ron permanently wheelchair-bound, he searched for ways to make daily life more accessible and hygienic. Ron, his sister Wendy, Dr. Grogan, volunteers, and student interns have been working tirelessly to create affordable and accessible showers with impressive and innovative features that top its competitors.