FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 12, 2003
CONTACT: Carol Anderson
canderson@emich.edu
734.487.4400

Challenges of Urban Universities and Communities
Focus of National Conference at Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI - Eastern Michigan University, headquarters for the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), will host the 2003 annual conference, “Metropolitan Universities: Partners in the Urban Agenda,” Sept. 20-23 at the Eagle Crest Conference Resort.

The CUMU conference, expected to draw more than 200 participants from the United States and Canada, will address urban concerns and how they intersect with universities, cities and counties.

Bruce Katz , director of the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., will deliver the keynote address, “Key Challenges in Urban America,” Sept. 21. Other keynote speakers include Anne Habiby, co-executive director of research, strategy and communication, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City; Doug Henton, president, Collaborative Economics, Inc.; James Votruba, president, Northern Kentucky University; and Dennis Jones, president, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems.

The Coalition’s purpose is to facilitate the exchange of information among its members. The coalition is composed of 63 universities from the United States and five international universities who share common missions and values. Included among the CUMU members are Oakland University, California State University-Sacramento, Florida Atlantic University, Portland State University, Southwest Texas State University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Texas at San Antonio and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

“It’s a chance for us (EMU) to share useful information about urban issues with our constituents and to showcase southeastern Michigan,” said Martha Tack, EMU’s senior executive for presidential initiatives and coalition administrator for CUMU.

“These concurrent sessions will focus on best practices (and) what universities can do to improve their programs,” Tack said.

Conference registration fees range from $300-$500/person. To register or for more information, go to www.emich.edu/cumu. Contact Martha Tack at 487.2211 or e-mail her at martha.tack@emich.edu.

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