As part of Oakland University's campus-wide African American Celebration Month 2008, Kresge Library will welcome Jerome Vaughn to speak on the importance of mentorship in the African American community:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH @ 12:00 P.M. in the LIBRARY'S STUDENT LOUNGE. THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED.

Mr. Vaughn is news director at WDET, Detroit's National Public Radio station. He is an award-winning journalist, who joined WDET in 1992 to help chronicle Detroit's comeback and to become a positive voice in the media--focusing on the improvements in his hometown. In addition to his role as news director, Mr. Vaughn is also in charge of the news department's internship program, as well as serving as a mentor for NPR's national Next Generation Radio Project. "It's so important to get the next generation of public radio radio news producers involved in the process right now. We can't afford to let them choose their career path, without at least considering public radio. So, I'm doing my part to get young people around the country interested in what we do at WDET."

Vaughn received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Creative Writing from the University of Michigan in 1987. After traveling Route 66 with a friend to California, he spent three years in San Francisco, fundraising and performing media relations work for the San Francisco Education Fund.

Jerome Vaughn has received several honors including selection for National Public Radio’s Diversity Initiative (1996), and Michigan Associated Press first place awards for investigative/enterprise reporting (1995) and spot news (1994, 2003), as well as awards for excellence in journalism (2003). In 2005, the Michigan Associated Press recognized WDET Detroit Public Radio as the best non-commercial radio station in Michigan with this year's "General Excellence" award in addition to six other recognitions. Vaughn was personally recognized for "Best Hard News" for his piece on Rosa Parks' funeral, "Best Spot News" for his piece on the WDIV shooting, and "Best Sports Feature" for his reporting on the All Star Game here in Detroit.