Keegan-Michael Key’s popularity has soared nationally, thanks to his starring role in Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele.” But if he hadn’t first played the role of Jesus in a production of “Godspell”, there’s no telling where he’d be now. “That’s what started it all,” said Key. Key, one of […]
Alum profiles
Karl Gschneider: Heavy metal
A distinguished Iowa professor, Karl A. Gschneider, will be speaking on the application of lanthanide metals in everyday life on April 24 at 5:15 p.m. in the chemistry lecture hall, room 114. He is not only a graduate of the university and the 2000 Alumni of the Year, […]
Chirstopher Darga: The faces of Darga
Few people can name one decision that kick-started their career. Even fewer can tell you that they are truly happy with their job. But Christopher Darga, a professional actor and graduate of University of Detroit, might be able to tell you both. "I’ve never had a bad experience […]
Jim Vellas: Ford Fund alum gives time, advice
What happens after a UDM student graduates? Do alumni leave Michigan for bigger and better places? Is everyone given a commemorative coffee mug and sent on their way? Are there passes given to take the secret elevator to the speak-easy at the top of the clock tower? Maybe, but for […]
Sam Logan: Scholarship to honor inspiring leader
A picture hangs in the Hall of Honor on the main floor of the Commerce and Finance Building. It's a picture of a man who came from humble beginnings to become a giant in the Detroit community. The man is of Samuel Logan Jr., and it serves as […]
Tom Ryan: Basketball announcer still loves his job
Tom Ryan loves basketball. He's been the men's basketball public address announcer for nearly 30 years and remembers when he first fell in love with the game. "In 1955, I moved across the street from the University of Detroit, right on Fairfield," Ryan said. "It was the summer before my […]
Greg Russell: Women’s basketball announcer says he’s ‘fortunate’ to have spent his career in Detroit
A few years ago, Greg Russell went to a high school reunion that was not his own. "I went to U of D High School in Detroit," Russell said. "However, I go to the Detroit Pershing high school reunions because if I had gone to a public school that is […]
George Noory: Out of this world
On any given night, university alum George Noory – host of the nation’s most popular overnight radio show – may touch on time travel, aliens, UFOs, vampires, 9-11 conspiracies and near-death experiences. "A belief in a higher power and whether you tap into it is present in everything […]
Emil Brolick: A cut above
When Emil Brolick enrolled at the University of Detroit in the late 1960s, he thought he wanted to go into law. A few early economics courses changed his mind, and by the time he graduated from Detroit with a master’s in economics in 1972, he knew he wanted to apply […]
Thaddeus McCotter drops bid to become nation’s president
Congressman Thaddeus McCotter – an alumnus of the university – abandoned his two-month-old campaign to become U.S. president Thursday. An eight-year congressman from Livonia, McCotter was among the candidates seeking the Republican nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012. McCotter, who earned bachelor and law degrees from the university, […]