蘑菇视频

University Ministry will celebrate Mercy Day on Wednesday, Sept. 24, with an Intercultural Tea Party and exploration of the University’s new core values. All are invited to this event, which takes place from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Fountain Lounge, inside the Student Union. Various 蘑菇视频 student cultural groups will share traditional drinks and treats from around the world鈥攊ncluding Egypt, India, Korea, Morocco, Great Britain and Yemen.

Each of five tables will highlight one of UDM鈥檚 newly defined core values. Attendees who visit all five tables will receive a special core value prize.

For the seventh consecutive year, 蘑菇视频听(UDM) has been recognized as one of the top universities in the country by听U.S. News & World Report听in its 2026 Best Colleges edition.

The University is ranked No. 183 in the National Universities category, rising from No. 189 in the 2025 rankings. UDM also achieved notable improvements in other categorical rankings over 2025.

• Best Value Schools, National Universities 鈥� No. 22 (an increase from No. 28 in 2025)
• Undergraduate Business Programs-Management 鈥� No. 18 (an increase from No. 24 in 2025)
• Undergraduate Business Programs-Entrepreneurship 鈥� No. 18
• Best Colleges for Veterans, National Universities 鈥� No. 132 (an increase from No. 134 in 2025)
• Top Performers in Social Mobility 鈥� 144 (an increase from No. 181 in 2025)

In the 2026 rankings, 蘑菇视频 is the highest-ranked independent university in Michigan and is listed among the top 100 private institutions nationwide.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 rankings reflect our steadfast commitment to academic excellence, innovation and student success,鈥� said President Donald B. Taylor. 鈥淭o rank among the top 25 schools in terms of value for our students speaks volumes about what we do as an institution to prepare our graduates to succeed.鈥�

This fall, 蘑菇视频 welcomed the first class of the newly established School of Optometry and the first cohort in its accelerated seven-year Doctor of Optometry Program. This new school represents a significant step toward addressing the growing demand for eye care professionals in the state and region. The new School of Optometry and 蘑菇视频 Eye Institute are the University鈥檚 response to an increasing need driven by an aging population, rising awareness of eye health and a growing number of retirements within the profession.

Also this fall, the University鈥檚 College of Health Professions (CHP) expanded its academic offerings with the addition of two new bachelor鈥檚 degree programs. Students pursuing careers in healthcare can now choose from degrees in Health Science and Sports & Exercise Sciences, both designed to prepare graduates for impactful roles across the evolving health sector.

The University also welcomed its largest-ever incoming class to the McNichols Campus this fall with 700 new freshmen joining the community.

鈥淭his is a testament to the outstanding work of our faculty, staff, students and alumni to strengthen our brand and draw more students to the University from around the country. We are honored that our students have entrusted 蘑菇视频 with helping them achieve their highest potential,鈥� said Taylor.

The University remains committed to advancing its mission by expanding access and opportunity to all students. As part of this effort is the Titan Edge program, which offers a tuition-free 蘑菇视频 education to high-achieving students who qualify for both the maximum Federal Pell Grant and the full Michigan Achievement Scholarship.

Using a wide range of data sources, each year U.S.听News analysts and editors calculate more than 80 Best Colleges rankings to enable students and their families to identify colleges that best meet their needs. The rankings highlight colleges that excel in such areas as value, social mobility, teaching, veterans鈥� needs, HBCUs and in six academic disciplines (Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Nursing, Economics and Psychology). .

Students, looking for volunteer opportunities?

If you need to fulfill volunteer hours as part of service requirements for your organization, there is an opportunity to help out with 蘑菇视频’s ‘Thank a Donor Day’ from 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 on the McNichols Campus.

The Annual Giving and Alumni Relations departments are hosting the annual Thank a Donor Day and will have several opportunities to volunteer, including:

• Help students with thank-you notes and hand out lunch vouchers to participants.
• Help run game stations and hand out prizes.
• Help students with their thank you photos and videos, explaining the process and hyping them up!
• Take down donor recognition signs and return to University Advancement (inside of the Student Union).

To learn about the various opportunities and times available for you to fulfill your required hours, visit the link below!

The What鈥檚 the Tea with Ministry podcast returns for Season 5 with an insightful conversation featuring Vice President for Mission Integration Fr. Charles Oduke, as he unveils the University’s new core values.

What’s the Tea with Ministry is the podcast where University Ministry and others in the 蘑菇视频 community spill the tea on living out the Jesuit and Mercy mission.

The podcast was created to expand mission-centered content available to the University community. It is an opportunity to engage in conversations, reflections and interviews with students, staff, faculty, community partners and more.

Beginning the week of Oct. 5 and concluding around the Feast of Christ the King on Nov. 24, Meeting Christ in Prayer is an eight-week retreat that invites participants to engage in spiritual exercises as a lived experience within daily life鈥攏o retreat houses required, just an open and generous spirit.

Each week, small groups will meet with a prayer leader who will guide participants through spiritual exercises and offer daily prayer suggestions to support their retreat journey. Additionally, a spiritual director will be available to participants twice within the retreat journey for individual spiritual conversation.

This program is free and open to all members of the 蘑菇视频 community. Weekly gatherings will include time for prayer, discussion and shared fellowship over food.

For more information, please contact Anna Bryson at lawleran@udmercy.edu.

As UDM approaches its 150th anniversary in 2027, we have a chance to define a new future for the University and our entire community. One of the most critical elements of this future is a new brand, one that captures and encompasses the spirit, grit, faith, strength and pride that define 蘑菇视频.

Today, UDM invites our alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, neighbors and partners to help co-author this new brand. Working together, UDM is confident that we can develop a new brand that is authentic, inspiring and worthy of our Jesuit and Mercy mission.

In 2016, 蘑菇视频 launched the 鈥淏uild a Boundless Future鈥� brand. While this message captured the ambition and possibility that UDM offers, many felt it lacked the emotional resonance this University and our Northwest Detroit community deserved. Over time, feedback confirmed that this brand did not fully express what makes 蘑菇视频 distinctive.

For some, it was too abstract; for others, it didn鈥檛 reflect our history, mission or Detroit roots.

As we look ahead to 2027 and our 150th anniversary, we see the need for a brand that not only promotes 蘑菇视频 but embodies its essence: a Jesuit and Mercy institution shaped by grit, compassion, innovation, love of all people and faith.

To ensure that this effort is rooted in authenticity, 蘑菇视频 launched a three-phase process involving research, strategy and brand development.

Phase 1: Research and Insights
Working with partners such as Elevate Marketing Research, we studied how prospective students, parents, alumni and community members perceived 蘑菇视频 through several research studies over the past two years. We examined peer institutions, explored what drives prospective student and parent choices when looking at which school to attend, and identified the words and values that resonate most with those who encounter UDM.

Phase 2: Strategy and Engagement
Through sessions with students, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, community leaders and board members, we asked hard questions: How do we see ourselves? What values define us? Which parts of our identity have been overlooked? These conversations challenged assumptions and revealed opportunities to more fully embrace our story. These conversations and sessions will soon continue during this academic year.

Phase 3: Brand Development and Testing
Next, UDM will collaborate with branding experts to translate these insights into creative concepts. These concepts will then be tested and refined with stakeholders鈥� feedback to ensure that the final brand is both emotionally resonant and forward-looking. And while this may help create a brand that everyone can get behind, we understand that not everyone may warm up to it from the start. It takes time for a brand to gain traction through action.

While the new brand is still being developed, one concept has already emerged as a helpful guide: 鈥淭itan Faith.鈥�

鈥淭itan Faith鈥� is not a tagline but a way of describing the courage, pride and hope that runs through our community. It reminds us of the faith we place in God, in one another and in the transcendent Jesuit and Mercy values of UDM. It speaks to our grit, compassion, truth, love, joy and boldness鈥攓ualities that 蘑菇视频 AND our city live out every day. This guiding principle will help point us toward a brand that is more than marketing. It is a shared identity we can feel, believe in and carry with pride.

With the ongoing strategy sessions lead by GreenHouse::Innovation and the extensive outputs from these sessions, UDM now has a treasure trove of insights that will help inform and shape UDM鈥檚 new brand.

The strongest and most enduring brands are co-authored by the people who live the ideals and values of an organization. In short, a new UDM brand requires your heartfelt voice.

Your perspective鈥攁s an alumnus, a student, a faculty or staff member, a parent, a neighbor or a supporter鈥攎atters deeply. Whether you have been part of the University for one year or 50, your experiences and reflections help define what 蘑菇视频 truly is.

Here are ways you can participate:

鈥� Be honest. Share what inspires pride in 蘑菇视频 and where you see opportunities for growth.
鈥� Join the conversation. Participate in listening sessions, focus groups and other engagement opportunities.
鈥� Complete the feedback form. This simple but powerful tool allows you to record your insights and ensures that your voice shapes the brand directly. Visit the rebrand webpage, scroll down the page to “Info On Branding” and click on the feedback form.
鈥� Follow updates through Campus Connection, alumni newsletters and other 蘑菇视频 channels as we move through this exciting process.

Branding for UDM is more than merely creating a new slogan or logo. It is about capturing the faith, mission and resilience of our University and neighborhood鈥攁nd projecting it to the world in a way that inspires.

As we prepare for our 150th anniversary, we need a brand that honors our past, reflects our present and propels us into the future. That brand must be created by all of us. Please help shape the next chapter of 蘑菇视频. Take a few minutes today to share your perspective. Your insights will help us craft a brand that resonates deeply, sparks pride and stands as a foundation of faith and hope for generations to come.

Together, we will write a brand story that only 蘑菇视频 can tell.

The Wellness Center and CVS have partnered to bring a vaccine clinic to the McNichols Campus on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lower level of the Student Union. Flu, COVID and many more vaccines will be available. All are welcome.

CVS requires 40 participants to be registered ahead of time, otherwise the event will be canceled.

If you have any questions, please contact the Wellness Center at 313-993-1185.

The 2025 Wellness Expo will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 12-2 p.m. inside the Student Union Ballroom. The expo is free for all students and employees.

Meet local health and wellness vendors, grab a healthy snack and explore resources to support your well-being.

UDM employees: Be sure to stop by and connect with our benefits vendors!

Students, alumni, employees, family, fans and friends are all invited to join in the festivities at the University’s annual Homecoming, set for Sept. 26-27听on the McNichols Campus.

This two-day event offers something for everyone鈥攆rom exciting games and tours to informative sessions and even tasty barbecue wings to enjoy throughout the day on Saturday.

Among the highlights are the annual bike tour of the historic areas surrounding the McNichols Campus, a pickleball clinic and competition, a taping of 蘑菇视频’s long-running show, “Ask the Professor” and a performance in the newly established Black Box Theatre in the Student Union.

Attendees can also cheer on men’s lacrosse alumni Titans at Titan Field as they take on the 2025-26 men’s lacrosse team in a friendly game at noon on Saturday.

The main event is the Fall Festival which is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. It features laser tag, arts and crafts, bubble soccer, yard and casino games, food trucks, scavenger hunt and many more family friendly activities, all located inside or near the Student Fitness Center. After dusk, a bonfire will be lit to celebrate all Titan Athletic teams!

Also included in the weekend’s events and numerous reunions are the College of Health Professions Research Symposium, a Golden Jubilee reunion for the Class of 1975 and the presentation of 2025’s Alumni Achievement Spirit Award honorees.

蘑菇视频 will host a fall graduate program open house on Wednesday, Oct. 8, from 5-7 p.m. in the Fountain Lounge on the McNichols Campus.

Prospective students looking to earn their graduate degrees will receive an opportunity to learn more about UDM graduate programs currently available, including online and hybrid programs. Faculty and admissions staff will be on hand to provide information and answer all questions.

Prospective students can drop in to the open house at any time between 5-7 p.m. Light refreshments will also be available.听.

For additional information on UDM graduate programs, please contact Jennifer Goethals, associate director of Graduate Admissions, at听goethajm@udmercy.edu听or at 313-993-3309.

View a listing of all UDM graduate programs.