ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Americans are more receptive to Al Jazeera English’s reporting when they think it is actually CNN International’s broadcast, a new University of Michigan study finds.

Researchers conducted an online experiment to gauge how Americans view and assess Al Jazeera English, a global news network, in the weeks after it received praise for its coverage of the Arab uprisings.

The study’s participants watched a news clip produced by AJE with the network’s logo, and the same clip edited to carry CNN International’s (CNNI) logo. The average respondent, the study indicated, gave more credit to CNN International for the AJE-produced news clip edited to look like a CNNI report.

William Youmans and Katie Brown, both doctoral candidates in the Department of Communication Studies, said the findings suggest that there remains substantial prejudice against Al Jazeera among some Americans.

In recent years, AJE has filled a gap in the global market for televised international news. However, it has not received a welcome reception in the United States, in part, the researchers wrote, because many people associate AJE with Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and other American adversaries. Many Americans presume the network is biased and driven by an anti-American agenda.

Research also indicates another factor: Many Americans are not interested in global news.

The study involved 177 Americans, whose age ranged from 17 to 67. About 66 percent were female, and most (59 percent) lived in a suburb. The majority of participants (80 percent) were white, and nearly all who completed the survey did not watch AJE or CNNI regularly.

Participants were divided into three groups: those who watched the original clip with the Al Jazeera logo; those who watched the same clip, but edited with the CNNI logo; and those who did not view a clip.

The news clip, which originally aired on AJE, featured a story about the Taliban and its position towards peace talks with the government in Kabul. The story was selected because it exemplified good journalism and did not directly criticize the United States nor any American forces or figures.

CNNI was rated as significantly less biased to participants who viewed a clip from AJE attributed to CNNI compared to those who saw no clip. In other words, the clip boosted perceptions of CNNI, the researchers said. Those watching the AJE clip, however, did not rate AJE’s bias any differently than did the control group.

Participants were also asked would they have a preference or influence their local cable company’s decision about carrying Al Jazeera or CNNI. Most were indifferent to the Al Jazeera network, while some would not watch it. Small numbers indicated they would pressure their cable companies for or against carrying Al Jazeera.

"This suggests that even after Egypt’s protests, AJE’s brand faces opposition in the United States," Youmans said.

But researchers did find optimism regarding a market for AJE. Those with pre-existing anti-Arab sentiments and self-identified conservative ideology were more likely to negatively assess AJE. However, people who expressed liberal political views and those who did not harbor suspicions of Arabs may be more open towards changing their views of AJE with exposure to the channel’s reporting.

"The reception of AJE may say more about contentious state of politics towards relations with the Arab world within the U.S. than it does about the network itself," Brown said.

The best move for AJE in a politically polarized America where international news followers are relatively small is focusing its broadcast online, the researchers noted.

The findings appear in the latest issue of Arab Media & Society.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The University of Michigan’s Sharon Glotzer and Scott Page have been named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a prestigious society that recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions in scholarly and professional fields.

They are among 212 new fellows and 16 foreign honorary members, including scholars, scientists, writers, artists and civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders.

• Glotzer, the Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering at U-M, conducts research in the areas of computational nanoscience and simulation of soft matter, self-assembly and materials design. She has published more than 130 articles and presented nearly 200 invited talks and keynote lectures. She is active in science and technology policy and serves on many national advisory and study committees, including the National Academies’ Solid State Sciences Committee.

• Page, the Leonid Hurwicz Collegiate Professor of Complex Systems, Political Science, and Economics, is the principal investigator of the IDEAS IGERT grant, funded by the National Science Foundation. He studies the importance of diversity and complexity in social systems and is the author of more than 60 articles and four books including the recently released Diversity and Complexity. He regularly consults with government, business, and educational institutions on the pragmatic benefits of diversity.

The new class of fellows will be inducted at a ceremony Oct. 1 at the academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.

Since its founding in 1780 by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock and other scholar-patriots, the academy has elected leading "thinkers and doers" from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th century, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the 20th century. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—A computer science student at the University of Michigan, Dhineshkumar Muthu, pulls out his cell phone and uses Arbor Park, a mobile application that he developed with two classmates, any time he has trouble finding a parking spot on campus.

Together, the three students recently won Best Android App in the U-M Mobile Apps Challenge, a contest held each semester to award U-M students, faculty and staff for their most creative and innovative solutions.

Faced with limited budget and staff, the U-M mobile strategy is connecting a widespread community of mobile developers by leveraging the power of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing is a way of generating new technologies or creative solutions through an open call to the community.

"The contest that Muthu won is just one way U-M is encouraging mobile innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of our students, staff and faculty," said U-M CIO Laura Patterson. "We knew there were a large number of mobile developers across the university, but we also recognized the immediate challenge of connecting them and making key resources available, given the large, decentralized nature of this institution."

Patterson thinks it’s "absolutely critical" for universities to embrace and foster mobile app development.

Within six months of forming, U-M’s small mobile team which includes more than 30 people—who can really only contribute time equivalent to six full-time staff—launched an online resource, the U-M Mobile Center and its first app. According to Patterson, the U-M Mobile Center makes it easier for everyone to design solutions that enhance the way faculty, staff and students connect and share information.

The resource makes it easier for developers to locate and connect with university and local mobile interest groups, use the online forum to swap tips for developing on specific platforms, share job opportunities or offer advice on getting started.

The Mobile Center also features a developer toolkit containing guidelines on:

• Licensing and distribution.

• Design and usability.

• University logo and identity usage.

• Accessibility.

Another essential that Patterson stresses is making sure that as many people as possible can interact with U-M’s apps, regardless of ability or restrictions. The U-M mobile team partners with the U-M Office of Institutional Equity to ensure that apps are accessible.

The U-M mobile team is building strong relationships with faculty and students through U-M programs that also encourage mobile innovation. Students’ desire to do something with mobile technology is rapidly increasing on campus. According to the faculty, U-M’s Mobile and Web App Programming class has doubled in size from 40 to nearly 80 students in just two years due to growing demand.

U-M students can also participate in the 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon, a faculty-sponsored event that offers a completely distraction-free environment, providing the time, space, food, caffeine and camaraderie students need to build an app from the ground up.

The U-M Mobile Apps Challenge is a biannual contest that offers awards for the most creative and innovative app solutions. The event is sponsored by Apple, Inc. and Google, as well as several U-M groups: Information and Technology Services; the U-M Office of Technology Transfer; and U-M Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

The strategy to open up collaboration to the whole U-M community rather than to build a big team of staff members is paying off for students, the university and all mobile device aficionados. By tapping into the expertise that thrives on campus, in a relatively short time—14 months—U-M created a catalog of free apps despite limited resources.

What began as a class project for two former U-M computer science and engineering students became U-M’s first official app. Kevin Chan and Mark Yang developed the initial version of the Michigan app for the Mobile and Web App Programming course in the Winter 2009 semester. In March 2010, U-M purchased the app from Chan and Yang, added some additional features and security, and scaled it for broader use. Released through the iTunes store in June 2010, the Michigan app has since been downloaded more than 19,400 times. With just a few taps on an iPhone, iPad or iPod, anyone can now read university news, navigate the U-M campus, track campus buses in real time or even play the U-M fight song.

Purchasing student-built apps can require considerable staff time and resources to ensure the apps are scalable and comply with university security and policies. The U-M mobile team worked on the Michigan app full time for three months before releasing it for public consumption. Nevertheless, working directly with students gives the team insight into how students interact with technology in their daily lives.

U-M faculty and staff also play a large role. One of the more unique apps, Nerve Whiz, is a free application for medical professionals interested in learning the complex anatomy of nerve roots, plexuses and peripheral nerves. The app was created by a neuromuscular neurologist at U-M.

In March 2011, the U-M mobile team unveiled its Student Academics app, which provides a schedule of classes and other useful tools for managing academic life at U-M.

The U-M mobile team is preparing to release three more apps in the near future.

Mobile technology is changing the world more quickly and profoundly than any other innovation before it. Keeping current with limited resources poses a challenge U-M expects to live with for a long time.

Nevertheless, using a crowdsourcing approach at U-M is already paying off with clear benefits, such as:

• Partnering with a wider range of programming talent.

• Gaining unique insights into campus needs.

• Expanding support for mobile innovation across the university.

• Delivering relevant apps that met the needs of U-M students, faculty and staff.

Videos:

U-M web accessibility and adaptive technology coordinator Scott Williams discusses advancements in accessibility and demos the accessibility features of VoiceOver on an iPad using the Michigan app: http://www.youtube.com/user/UMITSCommunications#p/a/u/0/u3kfgIL9DRk

Engineering lecturer Jeff Ringenberg talks about how mobile opportunities are mutually beneficial for both students and the university: http://www.youtube.com/user/UMITSCommunications#p/a/u/1/SSS_0Ildzts

U-M students with an interest in mobile device programming come together for the third 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon. The event is designed to give the students a creative and supportive co-working environment in an uninterrupted 48-hour timeframe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPJdEorTH2A

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Five University of Michigan faculty can add the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship to their list of honors and awards.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation recently awarded the 180 Fellowships to individuals for distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.

The U-M fellows are Arun Agrawal, professor and associate dean for research, School of Natural Resources and Environment; Jeffrey Gardner Heath, professor of linguistics; Mark Mizruchi, professor of sociology and business; Endi Poskovic, artist and associate professor of art and design; and Jennifer Ellen Robertson, professor of anthropology.

"Our faculty members who’ve been selected for Guggenheim Fellowships are outstanding scholars in their disciplines," Provost Phil Hanlon said. "They exemplify the strength and diversity of faculty work at the University and we are very proud of their accomplishments."

Agrawal’s project "Poverty and Adaptation" will focus on how the poor have adapted for many years to climate change, as well as the effects of the reckless extravagance of the rich and the apathy of the powerful.

"The Guggenheim Fellowship, coupled with a sabbatical and support from the School of Natural Resources and Environment will afford the time and the space in which to complete the finest work of which I am capable on this subject," he said.

Heath says he will use the fellowship to work on the video and linguistic documentation of Dogon people in Mali, who speak at least 20 languages, as well as some of their neighbors. The results will be disseminated primarilyon the project website, www.dogonlanguage.org.

"The award will allow me to expand from basic linguistic documentation to also include video documentation of practical activities and of ceremonial events," he said.

Mizruchi is writing a book, tentatively titled "Power Without Efficacy: The Decline of the American Corporate Elite." He argues that in the post World War II period, American business leaders exhibited a relatively moderate, pragmatic approach to politics that included general acceptance of (if not support for) government regulation and management of the economy, the rights of workers to organize, and the need to address social problems such as poverty and urban blight. The corporate elite of today, however, is either unwilling or unable to act collectively to address any of the pressing economic and social issues of our age, he says.

"I am deeply honored to have received the Guggenheim Fellowship," Mizruchi said. "The fellowship, which I will use during the 2011-2012 academic year, will give me the space I need to be able to complete the book in a timely manner."

"Crossing the Mostar Bridge: A Series of Lithographic Prints and Drawings" is the title of Poskovic’s project. He plans to travel to Southern Europe to collect images for new drawings and lithographic prints, and return to his Ann Arbor studio to develop the visual data into large-scale drawings and lithographs.

"I am excited about the time this award will allow for my work and research," Poskovic said. "I imagine it will lead me towards various new creative discoveries. Having this year to focus on my creative work will directly flow into my undergraduate and graduate teaching upon the return to the School of Art and Design and the University of Michigan."

Robertson will conduct research on service robots, focusing on their safety, security, and convenience in relation to the political economy of Japan. Most of her fieldwork, she says, will be based in Kodaira City (Tokyo).

"The Guggenheim Fellowship will facilitate the completion of an ethnographic monograph on the real time, real world applications of robot technology, and of human-robot interactions and their consequences," she said.

The 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship winners include artists, scholars, and scientists selected from a pool of more than 3,000 applicants. Since 1925, the Foundation has granted almost $290 million in Fellowships to more than 17,000 individuals in the United States and Canada.

Ann Arbor, Michigan – ­Wagner Design Associates has developed several key marketing pieces for the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) Office of Research and its Business Development team. The graphic design firm designed the Business Development logo using compass imagery to signify the team’s role as collaboration navigators for faculty, and created a  pocket folder and flyers that give a comprehensive view of how the team facilitates interactions between faculty and industry partners. Wagner also designed complementary pieces for conference use, including a retractable banner, table drape and giveaways. In addition to the work for the Business Development team, Wagner also enhanced the Office of Research web site with new graphic elements.

With expertise in both the academic and business realms, the U-M Medical School Business Development team connects faculty with new collaborators and helps them navigate the most efficient path to accelerate research from "bench to bedside." 

Wagner Design provides a full range of creative design and advertising services to organizations in the high technology, retail, health care, financial, and academic sectors. The firm has won recognition and awards for its work in print collateral, direct mail, electronic communications, and web design, and has been featured in various design publications.

February 16, 2011 – Ann Arbor, Michigan ­ Wagner Design Associates has developed several key marketing pieces for the University of Michigan Medical School (UMMS) Office of Research and its Business Development team. The graphic design firm designed the Business Development logo using compass imagery to signify the team’s role as collaboration navigators for faculty, and created a pocket folder and flyers that give a comprehensive view of how the team facilitates interactions between faculty and industry partners. Wagner also designed complementary pieces for conference use, including a retractable banner, table drape and giveaways. In addition to the work for the Business Development team, Wagner also enhanced the Office of Research web site with new graphic elements.

With expertise in both the academic and business realms, the U-M Medical School Business Development team connects faculty with new collaborators and helps them navigate the most efficient path to accelerate research from “bench to bedside.”

Wagner Design provides a full range of creative design and advertising services to organizations in the high technology, retail, health care, financial, and academic sectors. The firm has won recognition and awards for its work in print collateral, direct mail, electronic communications, and web design, and has been featured in various design publications.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—More couples are living together than ever before, but the reasons men give for cohabiting—and the concerns they express about it—differ markedly from women’s, a new study shows.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Family Issues, is based on in-depth personal interviews and focus group sessions with 192 young people in their late twenties. Approximately half the participants were men, half were women, and there were approximately equal numbers of white, Black, and Hispanic participants.

Topics included positive and negative aspects of cohabitation, reasons couples might decide to move in together rather than date or marry, reasons not to cohabit, and the kinds of changes that might occur when a couple first moves in together.

"Men and women expressed very different expectations for cohabiting relationships," said Pamela Smock, a sociologist who directs the University of Michigan Population Studies Center, part of the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR). "We found that responses varied by gender much more than they did by race or ethnicity, suggesting a substantial gender gap in the perceived role of cohabitation in the union formation process."

Smock conducted the study with Penelope Huang of the University of California Hastings College of the Law, Wendy Manning of Bowling Green State University, and Cara Bergstrom-Lynch of East Connecticut State University. The research was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Overall, three key reasons for living together emerged: wanting to spend more time with one’s partner, wanting to share life’s financial burdens, and wanting to test compatibility. But the way men and women talked about these three broad reasons was very different.

Women volunteered "love" as a reason to live together three times as often as men did, while men cited "sex" as a reason to live together four times as often as women did.

Both men and women saw cohabitation as a temporary state in which to gauge compatibility, but major gender differences emerged in the underlying goals of living together. Women saw it as a transitional arrangement preceding marriage, while men tended to see it as a convenient, low-risk way to see if a relationship had longer-term potential, using terms like "test drive" to describe the arrangement.

But the strongest gender differences emerged in the perceived disadvantages of cohabitation. Women believed that living together meant less commitment and legitimacy than marriage, while men saw the greatest disadvantage as a limitation on their freedom.

Despite the gender mismatches in motives and expectations, Smock notes that young adults appear to see cohabitation as an expected part of life. "Ultimately, the clearest message was that living together is very much taken for granted. As a result, the upward climb in the proportion of young adults who cohabit is likely to continue for some time," she said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The University of Michigan Board of Regents voted Thursday (Jan. 20) to install new high definition (HD) video scoreboards at Michigan Stadium, Crisler Arena and Yost Ice Arena. The boards will be installed at each venue prior to the 2011-12 season.

"We are excited about the conversion to HD and the installation of LED boards at our three biggest venues," said Dave Brandon, athletic director. "These new boards will provide our fans with the opportunity for enhanced and crystal-clear viewing of not only the event, but of replays, announcements and other fun ways to create game day excitement."

Due to the construction at Crisler Arena, the Michigan Sports Television Production Studio, which manages and controls the video boards, will be relocated to Michigan Stadium until the arena is completed in 2012-13. The athletic department will convert to high-definition equipment with the installation of the new video boards.

The estimated cost of the project is $20 million. The athletic department will be funding the project through internal resources.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman has approved the final report on implementation of the new smoke-free policy that goes into effect July 1.

Leaders of the effort say the final plan was crafted after more than a year of extensive input from many in the campus and surrounding community.

"At the outset, we said we wanted to hear from representatives of all members of our community—faculty, staff, students, area residents, smokers, nonsmokers and never smokers—and we did," said Kenneth Warner, former dean of the School of Public Health and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health. "Five different subcommittees compiled surveys, conducted focus groups, held numerous meetings, and more, to get input from those who would be impacted by this change. The final report is a reflection of the input we received."

The steering committee for the Smoke-free University Initiative’s report includes 14 recommendations that define campus smoke-free boundaries, commit to treatment and support for those who wish to receive assistance to quit, and outline expectations for compliance. Among the recommendations:

• While all U-M facilities, buildings and grounds will be smoke free, smoking will not be prohibited on sidewalks adjacent to public thoroughfares on the Ann Arbor campuses

• All parking structures and surface lots should be smoke free. This does not include smoking in privately owned vehicles within these locations.

• Peer support, supervisory oversight and voluntary compliance should be relied upon to lead to behavioral changes over time. Smokers refusing to extinguish the product or repeat offenders of the policy should be addressed through existing disciplinary or other appropriate processes.

• U-M should provide resources to support managers, supervisors, students, faculty and staff with methods to address violations in a respectful manner.

• MHealthy and the University Health Service Health Promotion and Community Relations department should support faculty, staff and students in their stop-smoking efforts.
Coleman announced in April 2009 the plan for all three U-M campuses to go smoke free. A target date for implementation was set as July 1, 2011, to allow the subcommittees—facilities, grounds and the Ann Arbor interface; faculty and staff; guests, events and athletics; student life; and communications—the opportunity to gather input and make recommendation to the steering committee. It also allowed time for each campus to develop its own implementation plan.

"We were very pleased that so many in the university took the time to express their opinions, ask thoughtful questions and challenge the steering committee to come up with a policy that considers the impact on all of its constituents. We also are grateful to the many people who spent numerous hours working on the five subcommittees," said Dr. Robert Winfield, U-M’s chief health officer and director of University Health Service. "We are confident that with all of this great input we have a policy that achieves our goal of promoting a healthy campus while being as respectful as possible to the needs and concerns of all in our community.

One of the questions heard most often from the various groups was about how boundaries would be defined. While the report calls for all university facilities, buildings and grounds, including athletic properties, to be smoke-free, it makes two exceptions: smoking inside personal vehicles and along main thoroughfares. The ban does not include smokeless tobacco products.

The steering committee recommendation that smoking should not be prohibited along public thoroughfares was a decision based on the fact that the streets are not university-owned and, therefore, U-M has no authority over the adjacent sidewalks. To be consistent, it also treated the sidewalks along major roads on North Campus—which are university-owned—as areas outside of the smoking ban. Sidewalks within a campus area, such as the Diag, however, will be smoke free. Some signage, website maps and the presence of smoking receptacles in those places that are not included in the ban will help define the areas, leaders say.

In order to keep people from having to walk through smoke-filled areas, the ban also included sections of sidewalk adjacent to access drives, loading docks, parking structures, parking lots or along driveways—even if these areas are along major thoroughfares.

A second question frequently asked by students, faculty and staff was how the policy would be enforced.

"This was carefully considered by the group and it was decided that we would rely on voluntary compliance, along with peer and supervisory support, rather than fines or other means of enforcement," said Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for human resources.

The smoke-free policy will be included in the university’s Standard Practice Guide, which outlines disciplinary procedures for staff who violate any university policy. Student-related smoking violations would get directed to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, which handles issues involving student conduct.

Thomas says the steering committee heard from a number of supervisors who were concerned about what they should do when faced with violators. The team is in the process of sharing the final report with the supervisors, and will equip them with information that will assist in helping others adapt to the new policy, she says.

According to surveys, students (both smokers and nonsmokers) were most concerned about the rights and accountability of their peers. While 45.4 percent of students indicated that the initiative would affect them "slightly" or "not at all," 21.5 percent indicated that the initiative would affect them "a great deal." All of these populations were concerned that smokers and nonsmokers alike be treated with respect and fairness

Another key recommendation in the plan called for MHealthy and the University Health Service Health Promotion and Community Relations department to support faculty, staff and students who want to stop smoking and wish to receive assistance. Shortly after the smoke-free campus announcement was made, both programs announced a number of incentives and services for those who wanted to take the campus ban as an opportunity to quit.

Faculty, staff and their spouses or other qualified adults can receive free smoking-cessation counseling, use of Web or phone assistance smoking-cessation programs, and the inclusion of generic over-the-counter nicotine replacement products in the Tier 1 pharmacy benefit. They also can count participation in a quit program toward a $100 MHealthy incentive. Similarly, UHS has offered students free quit classes, counseling and over the counter nicotine replacement products when enrolled in a counseling program, along with discounted smoking-cessation prescription products.

The plan also lays out some communication goals to make sure students, faculty, staff and visitors are aware of the change. Communication through recruitment and orientation channels (faculty, staff and student), promotional materials provided to visitors, and outreach via campus and external media has been under way since shortly after the announcement of a smoke-free campus was made. Last week, materials targeted at students—which received student feedback prior to final approval—were distributed widely across campus. A similar awareness campaign to launch in February is planned for faculty and staff.

The final recommendations in the report charge the Tobacco Consultation Service with day-to-day management and monitoring of the policy, and call for an advisory committee to assist the chief health officer in evaluating any recommended changes to it, should any be suggested over time

Read the final report and find information on assistance for those who wish to quit at smokefree.umich.edu.

Saline, MI (January 25, 2011) – Great Lakes Educational Group – an academic tutoring, test preparation, and study skills center based in Saline – has launched its new website: www.greatlakeseducationalgroup.com.

The site was designed and developed by DesignHub, Inc. (www.design-hub.com), also of Saline.

Visitors to the new site learn how Great Lakes Educational Group helps to prepare students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, for meeting their current educational needs and future challenges.

The company, formerly Step Ahead Learning Center, has offered tutoring programs for individuals and small groups in the areas of homework assistance, ACT and SAT preparation, reading, writing, mathematics, science, social sciences, and study skills and organization since 2000. In recent years, Great Lakes Educational Group has expanded its offerings to include academic enrichment classes and science camps for students of all ages.

A highlight of the new site is an interactive calendar that provides details on Great Lakes Educational Group’s upcoming programs, along with other education-related events in the Ann Arbor area. Site visitors can use the calendar’s “email a friend” feature to easily notify others of particular events.

Great Lakes Educational Group is a member of the Education Industry Association (www.educationindustry.org), an organization promoting increased public support for the education industry to improve education. Recently, Great Lakes Educational Group was voted the Ann Arbor area’s top tutoring and learning center by readers of Ann Arbor Family (www.annarborfamily.com).

More information on Great Lakes Educational Group is available from the company at 152 S. Industrial Dr., Saline, MI 48176. Phone: (734) 944-5658. Email: bsaid@greatlakeseducationalgroup.com.

About DesignHub

DesignHub, Inc. is a creative services and marketing firm that works with clients on website design and development, brand development, brochures, annual reports, newsletters, advertising, public relations, direct marketing, packaging designs, signage, and exhibits, as well as marketing strategies and plans.

DesignHub was founded in 1999. Its principals include: Karen Ragland, business manager and account executive; Ted Chesky, creative director and graphic designer; and Chris Kochmanski, marketing strategist, account executive, and copywriter. The firm has on-staff and freelance professionals for graphic design and website design and development.

In addition to Great Lakes Educational Group, DesignHub’s clients include Advanced Photonix Inc., Ann Arbor Tower Plaza Condominium, Berry & Associates, BioMedware, Center for Automotive Research (CAR), Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, Chelsea Lumber, Daycroft Montessori School, Dexter Research, Dimensional Engineering, Electrocon International, Hardwood Solutions, Homeowner Services of America (HSA), Lamaze Family Center of Ann Arbor, LatitudeLearning.com, McMullen Company, Motawi Tileworks, Newcomers Welcome Service, OptiMetrics Inc., Phoenix Contractors, Recycle Ann Arbor, Renewal Ministries, City of Saline, Saline Area Chamber of Commerce, Saline Parks and Recreation Department, Sun Engineering, and the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.