KEY FORUM: College Retention & Completion Summit -Baltimore Nov. 3rd

 

COLLEGE COMPLETION SUMMIT

Sponsored by Associated Black Charities and its partners to include Citi, United Way, Whiting-Turner

TO FOCUS ON COLLEGE COMPLETION BARRIERS

INCLUDING READINESS, ACCESS, POLICY and CULTURE

Local & national speakers on panels

            The "COLLEGE COMPLETION SUMMIT - GO TO GROW: Transforming Lives and Communities through College Completion," will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, at the University of Baltimore, William H. Thumel Business School, 11 W. Mt. Royal Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, with registration from 8-9 a.m. and the Summit running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the Summit is free.  Seating is limited.

            Key speakers include Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), who was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report in 2008, and Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant and Advisor, to the Secretary's Initiative on College Access, U.S. Department of Education.

            The Summit's purpose is to develop a public policy and advocacy agenda that will improve college readiness, access and completion rates especially for African American youth, with a focus on those who are of low to moderate income and living in Baltimore City. Developing, influencing, and impacting statewide policy is among the Summit's goals. The Summit will be examining the data on a host of college completion factors, to include: College access, readiness, attainment; completion rates; and issues of institutional and individual culture that individually or collectively impact college completion.

            "A number of theories are in play as to why college completion rates are not where we'd all like them to be," said Diane Bell McKoy, ABC's CEO, "but we have not seen a comprehensive strategy to reach-back to better prepare pre-college-age youth, while intervening with young people already in the college pipeline. This Summit will bring the decision makers to the table to nurture the process of developing ongoing dialog and formulating effective policy."   

            The Summit is produced by ABC's More in the Middle (MitM) Initiative. The Initiative is a comprehensive strategy of Associated Black Charities and its strategic partners that aims to develop more economically inclusive communities to strengthen the economic competitiveness of Baltimore City, the State of Maryland, and the region. "When we ask the right questions, and massage-out the key answers," said A.Adar Ayira, Project Manager of the More in the Middle Initiative, "we'll be on the right track to bringing the college completion numbers up, and ultimately impacting the lives of college-goers, as well as the region's economic bottom line. The Summit's outcomes will assist in producing more and better-equipped grads for the region's myriad professions requiring college backgrounds."

            The Summit's keynote speaker, Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), has served as President of UMBC since 1992, and his research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis on minority participation and performance.  He also serves as a consultant to national agencies, universities, and school systems, and he currently chairs the National Academies' Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Science & Engineering Workforce Pipeline. He serves on a number of boards, including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and The Urban Institute.  Dr. Hrabowski co-authored the book, Beating the Odds and Overcoming the Odds (Oxford University Press), focusing on parenting and high-achieving African American males and females in science.

            Opening remarks will be given by Dr. Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D., CEO, Baltimore City Public School System. Among the panelists will be Dr. Benjamin Feldman, Research, Evaluation, and Accountability Officer for the Baltimore City Public School System, who will discuss local data on college readiness, enrollment and completion. Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant and Advisor, to the Secretary on the Secretary's Initiative on College Access, U.S. Department of Education, will be discussing the national data on college readiness. Mr. Darnieder will address national best practices in other urban areas with demographics similar to Baltimore City.

            The Associated Black Charities' partnerships have made this Summit possible. "Citi has been instrumental in the development of the College Readiness and Completion Summit," said Bell McKoy, "both as the key Summit funder and as a full ongoing partner who is invested in More in the Middle.  We are also proud to have the support of Whiting-Turner as a 'Business Champion', and the 'time and talent' of our Planning and Sub-Committee members who have worked so hard on this historic convening." The ABC is a proud affiliate of United Way.

            Summit parking is available at the Maryland Avenue Garage at the reduced rate of $4.00, at 1111 Cathedral Street. For Summit details or to register, go to abc-md.org/college-completion-summit/ or call 410-685-7664.