Wayne State University has long been dedicated to the prosperity of our home city and the well-being of its citizens. We understand that the university depends upon Detroit, and that Detroit draws strength from us.

The university helps shape the future of Detroit in countless ways. We have undertaken a major renewal of our neighborhood in Midtown Detroit, and brought the city its first research and technology park. We are working to strengthen the city’s economy through workforce and labor relations initiatives. Every day, new partnerships with businesses, industry, government and other institutions strengthen our ability to attract intellectual and economic resources to Detroit and to share our talents with others.

We are not simply located in the city; we are inextricably bound to Detroit and share in its destiny. Many of our students live or work here. Other students from across the state and around the world are drawn to Wayne State University not only for reasons of scholarship or research, but also because they wish to experience the vibrance and diversity of a big city.

We also are helping our students understand the challenges and rewards of life in a large urban area. Our graduates will face an increasingly dynamic workplace where major economic forces are changing drastically, increasing the need for a different type of labor force and production system.
Our students know Wayne State offers an education that will prepare them to contribute and to excel in a rapidly changing, increasingly urban world. They know that here they will have opportunities to contribute to society.

As a great research university committed to our urban environment, we strive to enhance the skills of Detroit’s workforce; encourage the city’s social, cultural and intellectual vigor; and contribute economically not only through expenditures but also via technology transfer and the promotion of new businesses and technologies.

In these and many other ways, we are helping the city of Detroit realize its potential. The future of our nation depends on the future of our cities; their prosperity and the spirit of their citizens will determine the character of the America in which our children and their children live. Our cities, Detroit among them, must be continuously renewed and transformed. Few universities are as able as Wayne State
to advance this process, and — as you will see from this report — even fewer are as fully invested.