Oakland University Graduate School

06/03/2026

Huge congratulations to Dr. Andrea Bittinger on receiving the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Service Award!

The Graduate School is incredibly grateful for Dr. Bittinger’s dedicated service on our Advisory Board from 2021 to 2025. Her passionate advocacy and unwavering support for graduate education have made a lasting impact on our community, our programs, and our students.

Thank you, Dr. Bittinger, for your legacy of service, philanthropy, and mentorship!

✨ Feature Friday ✨

Congratulations to Dr. Andrea Bittinger, SON ’89, ’96 and ’18, recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Service Award at the upcoming Alumni Night of Excellence.

Dr. Bittinger is a distinguished alumna, clinician, educator and leader whose enduring connection to Oakland University spans more than four decades. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Corewell Health–Royal Oak and longtime faculty member in the Oakland University–Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia, she has helped shape the next generation of health care leaders through teaching, mentorship and outreach.

Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Bittinger developed outreach initiatives introducing middle and high school students to careers in nursing and nurse anesthesia and has coordinated shadow experiences for more than 900 aspiring nurse anesthetists. She also became the first certified registered nurse anesthetist in the United States to be certified in emotional intelligence.

Her lifelong commitment to OU includes serving as a student-athlete, faculty member, volunteer, philanthropist and advisory board member. Together with her husband, Scott, she has established three scholarships to support future students.

Join us in celebrating Dr. Bittinger and all of this year’s incredible honorees at the 2026 Alumni Night of Excellence on June 6! Be sure to register before May 27 to attend this unforgettable evening celebrating the Golden Grizzly community. 💛🖤

🔗Learn more and register here: https://bit.ly/4dX6w6N

Oakland University School of Nursing
Oakland University Graduate School

06/01/2026

Oakland University is looking for students and alumni to provide feedback on merch giveaways. It's a quick 5 minute survey to share your opinion:
https://oakland.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P06xmgWPpEUmkm?fbclid=IwY2xjawSKYy5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFPNDlJNUdmZ3A5dGhjTmwwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHr6hNEXD8HoKdqiNezO4zQTICw3QFFhcOGWEv1oItpE3PHYLZWFOqESpWNAZ_aem_FLJF4pAC7pcxOi7D2C7ZIw

Do you have 5 minutes? Help shape future OU merch giveaways.

We’re looking for student and alum feedback on items you’ve received in past giveaways and what you’d like to see in the future. Your input helps us choose merch that better reflects what you actually want and use. Please submit your survey by 6/13.

Take the survey here: https://oakland.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0P06xmgWPpEUmkm

05/21/2026

We were incredibly proud to sponsor this year’s Teaching & Learning Symposium! It is always inspiring to see our campus community come together to elevate education.

A huge congratulations to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on a fantastic event. If you missed it (or just want to revisit some of the incredible insights) be sure to check out the recordings below!

05/19/2026

⭐Graduate Student Spotlight

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (OUWB) student Wasey Rehman recently presented impactful community health research at a conference at Harvard University.

For four years, Wasey has worked with the HUDA Clinic, Detroit’s largest free clinic serving uninsured and underinsured populations. Recently, Wasey stepped up to lead the clinic’s research initiatives, focusing on the social determinants of health affecting Detroit's uninsured Arab-American population to help inform future healthcare policy. This research is a collaboration with students from other universities. “My goal at the HUDA clinic is to not only treat our patients physically, but to call to attention the forces that drive the ill to us, whether that might be economic, political, or socioeconomic," Wasey shared.

The Research Team: While mentors Tracy Wilson, ED (Executive Director) and Wasfeh Musheinesh, MD (Medical Director) could not attend, the presenting team in Boston included: Wasey Rehman, Sarah Shakhloul, Dania Jadallah, Ali Ayoub, Sara Sejdidni, Kawthar Al-Baiatty and Rayyan Syed.

05/18/2026

Congratulations to Oakland University Softball player and MS Business Analytics student Maggie Murphy on being named to the NFCA Great Lakes All-Region Third Team! A well-deserved honor after an incredible season at the plate.

Read more about her standout year: https://bit.ly/4dx66CY



Oakland University School of Business

ROCHESTER, Mich. - Oakland Softball's Maggie Murphy has been named to the 2026 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Great Lakes All-Region Third Team, as announced by the organization.

05/14/2026

We hit the pavement yesterday as team Totally gRAD for Oakland University Recreation and Well-Being's Annual Poker Walk. Even though the weather was pretty gnarly, we had a righteous time collecting our poker chips and showing off our grad school spirit.

We might have been freezing our leg warmers off, but we had a wicked good time. Big thanks to everyone who came out to walk the walk!

05/08/2026

🏆 The Graduate Student Showcase (GSS) trophy is now proudly on display in the Oakland University School of Engineering and Computer Science!

Pourya Shahverdi, who recently who recently earned his Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. took top honors with his presentation, “A Socially Interactive Robot: MakiMate” His name is engraved on the trophy, which will remain on display until the 2027 competition. Congratulations, Pourya!

📸 Photo 1: Pourya Shahverdi. Photo 2: Pourya Shahverdi with ECE Professor and Chair Osamah Rawashdeh, Ph.D. Photo 3: ECE Distinguished Associate Professor Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie, Ph.D. and Pourya Shahverdi.



Oakland University Oakland University Alumni Association

05/06/2026

🏆 The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) trophy is now proudly on display in the Oakland University School of Education and Human Services!

Danielle Alexander, who recently earned her Ph.D. in Literacy, Culture and Language, took top honors with her presentation “The Doors Writing Teachers Can Open.” Her name is now engraved on the trophy, which will remain on display until the 2027 competition. Danielle would like to thank her advisors Greg Bartley, Ph.D. and Gwen McMillon, Ph.D. for their support. Congratulations, Danielle!

📸 Photo 1: Danielle Alexander. Photo 2: Danielle Alexander and SEHS Dean Jon Margerum-Leys. Photo 3: Assistant Professor Greg Bartley and Danielle Alexander.

05/06/2026

Huge congratulations to the OUWB Class of 2026! We are incredibly proud of the dedication, rigor and passion these future physicians have poured into their Embark research projects.

From clinical care to tackling health inequities, their work is already making a massive impact. Check out their incredible achievements below!

Research conducted by OUWB’s Class of 2026 through a program that helps define the school as an institution is now available online.

05/05/2026

Last week, our graduate students, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the conclusion of another successful semester. Thank you to everyone who attended and made the End of the Semester Celebration event so memorable!

Check out the photo album below to see highlights from the celebration.