First Lady Michelle Obama Keynotes May 1, 2015 At First Detroit City-Wide College Signing Day Celebration For College Entrance And Acceptance
More than 2,000 students from 40 Detroit High Schools to Celebrate Their Academic "Signing Day" in Similar Fashion to NCAA National Signing Day
Event Organized By Detroit College Access Network, An Initiative Of Excellent Schools Detroit; Sponsored By The Kresge Foundation, United Way Of SE Michigan, Skillman Foundation, The Fisher Foundation And Michigan College Access Network; Held At WSU For NCAA-Inspired College Signing Event
DETROIT, April 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- First Lady Michelle Obama will help Detroit College Access Network (DCAN), an initiative of Excellent Schools Detroit, host the first-ever College Signing Day at 10 a.m. Friday, May 1, 2015. The event will be held at Wayne State University's Matthaei Physical Education Center, located at 5101 John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit.
DCAN is a partnership of more than 20 philanthropic, civic, education and community-based organizations who use a collective impact approach to serve as the citywide coordinating body for Excellent Schools Detroit's college access and enrollment strategy. DCAN's mission is to increase post-secondary readiness, enrollment and attainment so that all students in Detroit can achieve their educational dreams.
Detroit College Signing Day (DCSD) is Detroit's adaptation of the National College Signing Day, a program of the White House's Reach Higher initiative. Modeled after the NCAA's National Signing Day, this pep-rally style event will bring more than 2,000 high school seniors from more than 40 Detroit high schools to celebrate their academic futures alongside teachers, counselors, nonprofit organizations and representatives from higher education institutions and programs.
"Members of the Detroit College Access Network have done world-class work to overcome many of the challenges facing our school systems. Their dedication has made college and other opportunities for postsecondary education possible for thousands of high school seniors," said Excellent Schools CEO Dan Varner.
"Detroit kids are college material, and this event truly highlights the incredible progress that can be made when we work together to create a bright future for our students," Varner added.
The first-ever event will kick off annual signing day events in Detroit. Event partners include Detroit nonprofit luminaries such as The Kresge Foundation, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Skillman Foundation, the Michigan College Access Network, the William H. Smith Fund at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Fisher Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Wayne State University among others.
Space is limited and the venue is expected to be filled to capacity early. All high schools have been invited to attend, any additional public tickets will be made available midweek.
About DCAN: The Detroit College Access Network (DCAN) is a citywide coordinating body for college access initiatives in the city of Detroit. The purpose of our network is to increase post-secondary attainment among low-income and first-generation students in Detroit high schools by promoting a college-going culture that removes barriers to college enrollment, persistence and completion barriers. DCAN's mission is to create, align, and strengthen college readiness, participation, and completion initiatives in Detroit so that all students, especially low-income and first-generation, can achieve their educational dreams. Funders of DCAN include the Kresge Foundation, Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), Skillman Foundation, Lumina Foundation and Excellent Schools Detroit. Excellent Schools Detroit convenes and supports the Network. Website: http://www.detroitcan.org/
About Excellent Schools Detroit: Excellent Schools Detroit seeks to create the conditions necessary to ensure an excellent education for every Detroit child, cradle-to-career, by the year 2020. This goal was established by a coalition of Detroit's civic, community, education, and philanthropic leaders. Excellent Schools Detroit was established by that coalition in 2011 as an independent nonprofit organization charged with coordinating coalition members and other institutions in the education sector, especially with regard to the issues of talent, accountability, and new school development; identifying and, when necessary, filling gaps in the education ecosystem resulting in poor outcomes for students; and organizing the Detroit community to demand and support excellence in educational services and outcomes. For more information on Excellent Schools Detroit, please visit http://www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org/en.
SOURCE Excellent Schools Detroit
Share this article