Civil rights lawyer Amir Makled runs for University of Michigan Board of Regents on affordability, access and free speech
March 6th, 20260 Local attorney Amir Makled hopes to make history as the first Arab and Muslim American to serve on the University of Michigan Board of Regents, saying his decision to run is driven not by personal ambition but by his belief in the importance of equal representation within public institutions. The Lebanese American lawyer is seeking the...
Suspicious backroom maneuvering and administrative violations threaten to delay Henry Ford College’s presidential search
February 27th, 20261 As the Dearborn Board of Education prepares to ratify the final list of candidates for the presidency of Henry Ford College at a special meeting scheduled for Monday, March 2, the selection process for the new president of the Dearborn-based community college faces the possibility of collapse and a complete restart. An alleged breach of...
Prominent attorney Shereef Akeel seeks seat on Wayne State University Board of Governors
February 27th, 20260 Arab American attorney Shereef Akeel does not hide his enthusiasm for adding a new chapter to his distinguished career defending civil rights, the law and the Constitution — this time by running for a seat on the Board of Governors at Wayne State University in Detroit. Akeel is competing for the Democratic Party nomination at its...
Richard A. Bierschbach named 14th president of Wayne State University
February 27th, 20260 DETROIT – The Wayne State University Board of Governors has unanimously elected Richard A. Bierschbach, J.D., as the university’s 14th president, effective immediately. Bierschbach has led the university on an interim basis since September 17. Prior to that appointment, he served for more than eight years as dean of Wayne State...
Wyandotte School Board member Cindy Kinney resigns following anti-Muslim social media post
February 27th, 20260 WYANDOTTE — Board of Education member Cindy Kinney has resigned following intense public criticism for sharing an anti-Muslim post on social media. Kinney, who served on the board for 12 years, stepped down after widespread backlash from residents and civil rights organizations. The controversy erupted after she reposted an image on...
Dearborn School Board launches search for new superintendent with ambitious timeline
February 6th, 20260 DERABORN – The search for a new superintendent of the Dearborn Public Schools officially began last week, following the departure of former superintendent Glenn Maleyko, who moved on to lead education efforts at the state level after a decade marked by strong performance in Dearborn. As a first major step, the Dearborn Board of...
Preliminary Henry Ford College presidential shortlist excludes Arab American candidates, raising concerns
February 6th, 20262 Serious questions about transparency and selection procedures have emerged after the advisory selection committee charged with recommending a permanent president for Henry Ford College narrowed its field to 10 candidates from more than 120 applicants, without including a single Arab American, despite more than a dozen Arab American...
Dearborn Schools Interim Superintendent Lamis Srour explains why she will not seek permanent post
February 6th, 20260 DEARBORN — Interim superintendent Lamis Srour said she will not apply to keep her position on a permanent basis as the Dearborn Public Schools opens its search for a successor to former superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko. Maleyko left his position to become the state superintendent. He was hired in late December to replace longtime...
Dearborn Board of Education elects new leadership, prepares for a busy year of major decisions
January 16th, 20260 The Dearborn Board of Education opened its meeting on Monday, January 12, by holding its annual elections, which resulted in the election of Jamal Aljahmi as board president, Nasri Sobh as vice president, Amer Zahr as secretary and Ali K. Bazzi as treasurer. The election and reorganization session took place before the board’s regular...
Dearborn Public Schools move toward new bond proposal to fix aging buildings
January 9th, 20260 DEARBORN — Nearly seven years after voters rejected a bond proposal to fund Dearborn Public Schools, the district began discussions this week on possible options to secure hundreds of millions of dollars needed to repair, rebuild and modernize its aging and deteriorating infrastructure, amid signs that the school board is leaning...
Lamis Srour appointed as interim superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools
November 14th, 20250 DEARBORN – Lamis Srour was appointed interim superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools at the regular November Board of Education meeting on Monday, Nov. 10. Srour has served as the executive director of student achievement over the Edsel Ford High School track since 2022. In addition to overseeing a dozen schools, she also leads...
Wayne State Medical School Dean Wael Sakr returning after six weeks on leave
September 26th, 20250 DETROIT — After more than a month on paid administrative leave, Wayne State University School of Medicine Dean Dr. Wael Sakr will return to campus Monday, September 29, according to a university announcement. In an email to faculty Thursday, Dr. Bernard Costello, WSU’s senior vice president for health affairs, confirmed Sakr’s...
Wayne State University president resigns as student group calls for medical school dean’s reinstatement
September 19th, 20250 Students defend Medical School Dean Wael Sakr In developments that reflect escalating tensions inside Wayne State University, the student group Medical Students for Justice in Palestine issued a solidarity statement supporting the dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Wael Sakr, following what they described as the arbitrary decision by...
Dearborn School Board appoints Nasri Sobh and Ali Bazzi to fill vacancies
September 19th, 20250 Two vacancies filled within deadline The Dearborn Board of Education, during a special meeting held Monday, appointed Nasri Mohammad Sobh to the remaining vacant seat on the seven-member board, just one week after selecting Ali Kamel Bazzi to fill another vacancy. The board had lost two members following the resignations of Irene Watts...
Ali Kamel Bazzi appointed to Dearborn School Board as first of two vacancies filled
September 12th, 20250 DEARBORN – The Dearborn Board of Education voted on Monday to appoint entrepreneur and community activist Ali Kamel Bazzi to one of its two vacant seats, with the second seat to be filled at a meeting scheduled for next week. Bazzi, 43, is the founder of Progressive Management and Archer Creative, and also serves on the advisory board......
Dearborn Superintendent Glenn Maleyko chosen as Michigan’s next state superintendent
August 29th, 20250 LANSING – The Michigan State Board of Education voted on Tuesday, August 26, to appoint Dr. Glenn Maleyko, longtime superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools, as the next state superintendent of public schools. After interviewing three finalists for the position, the eight-member board voted 5–3 to offer the post to Maleyko, who is...
Dearborn’s Glenn Maleyko among finalists to become Michigan superintendent of public schools
August 23rd, 20250 LANSING – The Michigan Board of Education voted 6–2 on Tuesday to advance Dr. Glenn Maleyko, superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools, along with two other candidates, to the final shortlist for state superintendent. The chosen individual will replace Michael F. Rice, who announced earlier this year that he will retire. Joining......
Wayne State Medical School Dean Dr. Wael Sakr placed on paid administrative leave, reasons unclear
August 23rd, 20250 DETROIT – Wayne State University has placed the dean of its School of Medicine, Dr. Wael Sakr, a Syrian American physician, on paid administrative leave without offering any explanation for the move. The decision, which was announced in an email sent to faculty and staff, has sparked concern and unease among members of the...
Dearborn School Board seeks applicants to fill seat vacated by Trustee Irene watts resignation
August 15th, 20250 DEARBORN — The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education is accepting applications to fill a vacant seat following Trustee Irene Watts’ resignation. Watts, who served on the board since 2021 and was vice president at the time of her resignation on August 11, stepped down because her family is moving out of the district. The...
Michigan AG Dana Nessel escalates crackdown on pro-Palestine activists as students vow to resist
July 27th, 20250 LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is continuing to target student activists supporting Palestinian rights, despite mounting criticism in recent weeks, through what the TAHRIR Coalition — a broad coalition of student organizations at the University of Michigan — describes as an ongoing campaign of intimidation and...
Four CUNY professors say they were fired for supporting Palestine
July 18th, 20250 As Congress grills CUNY’s chancellor, the terminated Brooklyn College faculty say Palestine activism is “the only thing we have in common.” By Sanya Mansoor Four adjunct professors at the City University of New York say the university fired them because of their activism for Palestine. The administration’s decision......
Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil freed after 100 days in ICE detention, vows to keep fighting for Palestine
June 27th, 20250 NEW YORK — A federal judge in New Jersey has ordered the release of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, marking a major civil rights victory for pro-Palestinian advocates amid an escalating crackdown by President Trump’s administration, which has accused campus demonstrators of...
WSU students sue over Gaza encampment crackdown, alleging police abuse and constitutional violations
June 27th, 20250 DETROIT — A group of pro-Palestinian students is suing Wayne State University in federal court, alleging that the university violated their constitutional rights during a solidarity encampment held on campus on May 23, 2024, to protest the Israeli war on Gaza and demand divestment from companies tied to the Israeli government. The......
LAHC awards $60,000 in scholarships to 20 local students, honors Michigan officials with the Excellence Awards
June 15th, 20250 DEARBORN – The nonprofit organization Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities (LAHC) awarded $60,000 in scholarships to 20 high-achieving high school graduates from the Dearborn area and honored several high-ranking Michigan officials during its 42nd Annual Awards Gala, held Tuesday evening at the Henry Hotel in Dearborn. The event...
Dearborn bids farewell to transformative Henry Ford College President Russell Kavalhuna
June 15th, 20250 DEARBORN – On the eve of Henry Ford College President Russell Kavalhuna’s transition to the presidency of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo in July, The Arab American News Publisher Osama Siblani and longtime community leader and activist Ali Jawad hosted a farewell dinner in his honor, in recognition of his leadership and......
