The role of Wayne State University in building successful community partnerships and collaborative projects will be the theme for an April 18 campus wide forum. Sites for the event include the Bernath Auditorium in the David Adamany Undergraduate Library and the Student Center Building.

Co-sponsored by the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA) and the Office of the Provost, the forum features special speakers, panels and a luncheon. Wayne State President Irvin D. Reid will open the sessions at 9 a.m. with remarks titled "Wayne State as an Engaged Community."

The keynote speaker, Professor Phil Nyden, director of the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola University of Chicago, will speak at 9:30 a.m. on "The Challenges and Opportunities of University-Community Engagement. "Nyden has been a leader in the Policy Research Action Group (PRAG), a partnership between four universities (Loyola, University of Illinois at Chicago, DePaul University, and Chicago State University) and more than 20 community organizations.

A panel of three university-community teams will conclude the morning session with presentations of sample partnerships representing engagement at Wayne State.

The afternoon session will begin with lunch at the Student Center Building, Hilberry Room C, at 12:15 p.m. Attendees will be invited to discuss classical issues of engagement with Nyden and the panelists during breakout sessions.

Highlights of the breakout sessions will be presented from 2-3 p.m. concluding with a discussion of ideas for next steps the university can take as it pursues urban partnerships and engagement.

Those interested in attending should RSVP to Bonnie Wright in CULMA at bonnie.wright@wayne.edu or
call (313) 577-0437.