Board of Regents scheduled to meet Oct. 16 at UM-Flint

The Board of Regents will meet Oct. 16 at the Riverfront Center on the UM-Flint campus. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Members of the public will also be able to watch a livestream of the meeting. To make comments during the meeting, one must attend in person. An agenda will be posted online at noon Oct. 13 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/agendas/. Those wishing to sign up to speak at the meeting, or to submit written or video comments, must do so between 9 a.m. Oct. 9 and 5 p.m. Oct. 13. To sign up or learn more about the public comments policy, visit regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/. People with disabilities who need assistance should contact the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of the University in advance at 734-763-8194. For more information, go to regents.umich.edu.

Take 5 to Focus returns to promote daily mindfulness

More effectively managing stress, having more focus, and being in a better mood are the key benefits of the Take 5 to Focus program. Available on the MHealthy Portal, the program encourages you to take short breaks and participate in mindfulness or relaxation practice each week. “Making regular space for rest and calm — even for a few minutes — is a way to practice self-compassion and support your well-being,” said Kelcey Stratton, chief behavioral health strategist, University Human Resources. “This program offers structured reminders to help you pause, restore, and refocus.” Take 5 to Focus is an easy, sustainable way to try out and build mindfulness and meditation skills. View brief guided videos — less than five minutes — several times each week. Your progress is tracked automatically on the MHealthy Portal. Registration is open through Nov. 9. The program runs four weeks, beginning Oct. 13 and concluding Nov. 9. For more information or to register.

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital ranked No.1 in Michigan

University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital has once again earned national recognition in the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and been named the No. 1 children’s hospital in Michigan. C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital — part of Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center — was recognized for top performing care in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, neonatology, nephrology, orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery, urology and pediatric and adolescent behavioral health. Rankings are based on a combination of clinical data, patient outcomes and a national survey of thousands of pediatric specialists. This marks the 19th year Mott has been the top ranked children’s hospital in Michigan.

UM-Flint marks 11 years as Gold-Level Veteran Friendly School

UM-Flint has once again been recognized for its longstanding commitment to supporting student veterans. For the 11th consecutive year, the university has earned the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency’s prestigious Gold-Level Veteran Friendly School designation, highlighting UM-Flint’s legacy of fostering an environment where student veterans can thrive through dedicated resources and community-building. “Gold certification is the highest level of recognition, reserved for institutions that set the standard in supporting veterans, their dependents and all military-connected learners. This award reflects UM-Flint’s outstanding commitment, innovative programming and leadership in creating a welcoming, resource-rich environment for Michigan’s military-affiliated students,” said Joe Saur, education analyst for MVAA. With overall enrollment increasing for the third consecutive year, student veteran enrollment has also seen corresponding growth. UM-Flint welcomed 283 student veterans for the 2025-26 academic year, representing an 18% increase from the previous year.

New UM-Dearborn entrepreneurship center helps students file patents

UM-Dearborn has a lot of ways to help students differentiate themselves in preparation for their post-college lives. Kas Kasravi, UM-Dearborn clinical professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, said helping students patent their innovations hasn’t been something universities have traditionally focused on. But UM-Dearborn’s new Henry W. Patton Entrepreneurship, Practice and Innovation Center, or EPIC, which was launched with support from Provost Ghassan Kridli and is now being led by Kasravi, is hoping to change that. With philanthropic support from the Song Foundation, EPIC is now debuting a slate of opportunities focused on promoting student-owned patents that support entrepreneurship and startup companies. “At universities and certain research organizations, it’s all about publishing papers. But that is not the case in industry. In one case, when I published a paper, my company even refused to pay for my air travel to go present at the conference because they didn’t see the value in it. But these companies highly value patents,” said Kasravi, who personally holds 31 patents. Currently, EPIC’s flagship offering is an Intellectual Property Clinic, which guides students with patentable ideas and inventions through the complex federal patent application process.

— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record