Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Eastern Michigan University Revamps Tuition-free Eastern Tuition Advantage Program
Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti is simplifying its tuition-free program — called Eastern Tuition Advantage — making it easier for high-achieving students with financial needs to know if they qualify.
Under the Eastern Tuition Advantage program, incoming students who have a 3.0 grade-point average and an annual household income of less than $60,000 are eligible for free undergraduate tuition. Students can receive free tuition for four years as long as they continue to meet family financial requirements and fill out the FAFSA each year.
The program is open to first-year students who have applied and have been admitted to the university. Students must also file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by the deadline each year. EMU’s school code is 002259.
“We proudly embrace our unique mission and vision as an institution of opportunity,” says James Smith, president of EMU. “For more than a decade, we have offered a tuition-free education to high-performing students with lower family incomes. Our pledge to these eligible students continues, now just under a new name.
“Income level should not be an obstacle to receiving a quality education, and we hope that our streamlined Eastern Tuition Advantage program helps even more talented and deserving students come to EMU.”
Kevin Kucera, vice president of enrollment management, says: “This scholarship opportunity has proven to be a great advantage in assisting students not only to enroll but has been a significant factor enabling the recipient to graduate from EMU within a four-year period. Providing access to an affordable education will allow more students to stay on track to graduation and earn their degrees in four years.”
For more information, visit here.
Birmingham’s OneStream Forms Alliance with Australian Company
OneStream, a corporate performance management (CPM) solutions company in Birmingham, and PwC Australia have entered into a strategic alliance for the Australian market.
The alliance will leverage PwC’s expertise as a business and technology consulting services provider and OneStream’s unified, cloud-based CPM software to support activities ranging from project delivery to marketing and strategic business collaboration.
“Australia is an important market for OneStream, and we are excited to welcome PwC Australia to our partner ecosystem,” says Stephanie Cramp, vice president of global alliances at OneStream. “We look forward to working with PwC to help organizations in Australia conquer complexity and transform their finance processes by leveraging our intelligent finance platform to replace multiple legacy applications, as well as point solutions and spreadsheets.”
As part of the alliance, PwC Australia will further develop its OneStream implementation practice to serve joint customers in Australia. PwC Australia also will leverage its industry and domain expertise to help drive growth for clients across the market with OneStream.
“This alliance of OneStream’s unified corporate performance management solution and PwC’s industry and implementation expertise is key in enabling clients to drive financial and operational transformation to achieve better decision making, cost and process efficiencies and long-term growth,” says Mathea Beck, a partner at PwC Australia. “We look forward to building upon this alliance and to improving clients’ performance management processes.”
KeyBank Introduces New Key Coverage Zone for Clients to Avoid Overdraft Fees
KeyBank, which has its Michigan headquarters in Southfield, has announced changes to its overdraft and NSF fees. Initially previewed earlier this year, new terms went into effect for consumer and small business checking and savings accounts beginning Sept. 16, 2022.
The updates, meant to offer clients more flexibility and convenience and help them stress a little less about their finances, include:
- Key Coverage Zone: Client accounts overdrawn by $20 or less at the end of day won’t be charged KeyBank overdraft fees. Clients are in the Key Coverage Zone.
- Eliminated fees: Eliminated charges for non-sufficient funds (Returned Items)
- Overdraft Protection Transfer: $0 Overdraft Protection transfer fees are being expanded to include transfers from eligible credit products (credit cards and lines of credit).
- Reduced overdraft fees: Overdraft charges outside the Key Coverage ZoneSM and Recurring Overdraft fees are now $20.
- Capped overdraft transactions: reducing the maximum number of transactions that would incur overdraft charges from five to three at the end of each day. Remember, overdraft fees are incurred only when outside of the Key Coverage Zone.
- Streamlined customer experience: simplified transaction posting order that is more intuitive and easier for clients to understand when monitoring their accounts.
For more information, visit here.
Sterling Heights’ Velocity Center to Host Human Resources Workshop Sept. 22
The Velocity Center in Sterling Heights will host the Avoiding the Landmines: HR Risk Management for Entrepreneurs workshop from 8-10 a.m. on Sept. 22.
Staged in conjunction with MeopleMost HR, the workshop is designed to help businesses avoid direct violation fines, scrutiny by other agencies, lawsuits, bad public relations, inefficient processes, diminishing company performance, and poor company culture.
Subjects to be covered include:
- The most common errors to avoid.
- What moves to make and when.
- Responsibilities based on the size of your business.
- How to build operational excellence to differentiate your business from your competition utilizing strategic HR strategies.
Attendees are expected to leave with a toolkit that includes sample policy statements and other materials to facilitate getting started on the right HR track.
The event includes breakfast and time for networking. To register, visit here.
Detroit Public Television to Air ‘Hospice Care in America’ Sept. 26
Detroit Public Television/PBS will air “Hospice Care in America,” a one-hour documentary film that steps into the daily lives of patients, families, and those who care for them as they transition from life to death at 10 p.m. on Sept. 26.
The film was produced with the support of the NorthStar Care Community — the parent of Hospice of Michigan and Arbor Hospice. Emmy award-winning director and producer Keith Famie and the team from Visionalist Entertainment Productions take the audience on an in-depth look at how hospice has historically changed the way we approach caring for those who are dying in today’s society.
What are the benefits of hospice care? What is the standard time frame someone would have for hospice care? How does this affect the families of loved ones? What services are available for veterans and young children? These are just a few of the subjects that are addressed as they step into the lives of those who care for those who are transitioning.
From Michigan to Savannah, Ga. to Santa Cruz, Calif., meeting with those on the front lines of hospice care, including aides, nurses, doctors, social workers, spiritual caregivers, volunteers, music therapists, and of course, patients and their families.
This one-hour film features personal stories of patients, their loved ones, and the hospice professionals dedicated to providing quality of life for not only adults facing end of life but children as well.
The hospice teams demonstrate how end-of-life care is just as valuable and essential as beginning-of-life care. Hospice, according to the film, is all about comfort and care and the longer someone receives hospice care, the better the family feels about the service.
For more information, visit endoflifefilm.com.
Hamtramck Parks Conservancy Plans Charity Baseball Game Oct. 2
The Hamtramck Parks Conservancy (HPC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit collaboration between the city of Hamtramck and Hamtramck Public Schools, is hosting a special charity baseball event at 1 p.m. Oct.2 at Historic Hamtramck Stadium (3201 Dan St.) in Hamtramck.
The Ike Blessitt Second Annual Baseball Classic will support Blessitt‘s baseball training programs for Hamtramck youth as well the HPC.
The event’s namesake, former Detroit Tigers player Ike Blessitt, was the first and only African American ballplayer from Hamtramck to play Major League Baseball.
Four teams, comprised of Blessitt’s Detroit Tigers Fantasy Camp alumni and players from the Detroit Men Senior Baseball League will battle on the grounds of Norman “Turkey” Stearnes Field where the Negro League Detroit Stars ballclub played. The Hamtramck ballpark also is where Blessitt was discovered by major league scouts in the 1960s.
“I am grateful for the love and support from fans and friends everywhere in remembering me, especially the efforts of the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy in our shared goal to bring baseball to all kids no matter where they live,” Blessitt says. “I look forward to once again bring together ballplayers and spectators on Oct. 2 to celebrate the great sport of baseball. I am hoping to draw about 40 ballplayers from the area to join us on the field.”
Former Tigers expected to attend include Art James, Carmichael Gulley, Felipe Ramirez, Jake Wood, Barbaro Garbey, and Juan Berenguer. Autographs on t-shirts and posters will be available for purchase.
A central component of the Hamtramck Parks Conservancy plan is the complete renovation of the historic Hamtramck Stadium and other sites within the Hamtramck Recreation District (HRD). The plan entails the radical transformation of 26 acres of underutilized open space, recreation fields, and disconnected historic sites into a community-invested, inclusive, and world-class park. To achieve this mission Hamtramck Parks Conservancy is launching a major capital improvement and fundraising campaign to raise nearly $20 million to complete the project over the next two to three years.
For more information, to register as a ball player, and to buy gameday tickets, visit hamtramckparks.com.
