Wayne State University's Detroit Orientation Institute (DOI) and local nonprofit Inside Detroit are accepting applications for a special one-day spring session scheduled on Thursday, April 15, 2010. More information and a link for online registration is available at www.doi.wayne.edu.

Understand Detroit: Past, Present and Future will be a concentrated one-day experience and provide participants with "12 Hours in the D." In an effort to provide a session that is more accessible, convenient and affordable, the DOI is pooling resources with Inside Detroit, which showcases the city's assets. Inside Detroit's vision is to create positive perceptions, spur economic development and cultivate a more vibrant, energetic Detroit.

There is so much to learn and so many opportunities for Detroit and the region to grow and prosper. The DOI continues to present a historical perspective and candid look at our area, providing participants an opportunity to see and learn about parts of Detroit that are "off the beaten path."

Highlights of the new joint program will be the opening session at the restored Doubletree Fort Shelby Hotel and the showing of the new DOI film, Regional Roots: The Birth and Evolution of Detroit and Its People.

Also included in the package are tours of downtown, southwest Detroit, Midtown and the near East Side, and a demographic presentation by Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit (D3). Panel discussions, led by WDET-FM's Craig Fahle and others, will explore "Collaboration Efforts in the D" and "Where Are We Going As A Region?" Representatives from foundations, government, development, churches, public safety, arts/culture, business, education and media will participate in the discussions.

The DOI, now in its 19th year of operation, will continue to offer a three-day session in the fall that is beneficial to newcomers or anyone wishing to learn more about the city and metropolitan area. Business executives, professionals from nonprofit organizations, university faculty, high school teachers and administrators, government administrators and journalists typically attend. The fall dates are October 14, 21 and 28, 2010.

Inside Detroit currently offers customized tours, outings and information for groups that give people the insider's perspective on Detroit's amazing history, current renaissance and limitless future.

For more information, contact Ann Cuddohy Slawnik, Detroit Orientation Institute director, at (313) 577-0171, ann.slawnik@wayne.edu, or by fax at (313) 577-8800; or Jeanette Pierce, Inside Detroit director at jpierce@insidedetroit.org or (313) 962-4590.

A special registration link will be available on the DOI Web site at www.doi.wayne.edu or you may register directly online at www.insidedetroit.org.

For participants, the early bird registration fee of $200 per person will be available until March 22 and covers meals and transportation. The fee will increase to $250 after that date and payment should be received by April 8, 2010 to secure a reservation.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.