Paul S. Grogan, Boston Foundation President and CEO, will be the featured speaker at the Richard C. Van Dusen Forum on Urban Issues, sponsored by the College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs (CULMA) at Wayne State University. Grogan's keynote address, titled "Detroit: A Comeback City Where Community Creates Turnaround," will be delivered at Wayne State's McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Thursday, Feb. 27, 9-10:30 am.

Grogan is the former head of the nation's largest community development intermediary, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Under his direction, LISC funneled more than $3 billion of private capital into inner city neighborhoods across the country. These efforts spurred the development of 80,000 homes for low-income families as well as 13 million square feet of commercial/community properties. He has served as head of Boston's Neighborhood and Development Agency and is a current member of several national and local foundations and nonprofit organizations. He is also the founder and president of CEOs for Cities, a national organization made up of mayors, corporate leaders and university presidents.

Grogan's recent book, "Comeback Cities: A Blueprint for Urban Neighborhood Revival," co-authored by Tony Proscio, has been hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "arguably the most important book about cities in a generation." In it he details his vision for the future of American cities. As the Van Dusen Forum's keynote speaker, Grogan will address this timely topic as it specifically relates to Detroit.

The Van Dusen Forum is named after the late Richard C. Van Dusen, a prominent attorney from Detroit who made a lifetime commitment to improving urban communities. Among his many accomplishments, Van Dusen served as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, and chaired the Detroit Regional Chamber. He was also a distinguished governor of Wayne State University.

This annual forum is made possible by an endowment from Van Dusen's friends and family. The endowment was established to continue his commitment to urban America and metropolitan Detroit, to affirm his belief that the university can stimulate both thought and action in bettering urban life, and to recognize his extraordinary public service.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.