Wayne State University's Detroit Orientation Institute (DOI) and local nonprofit Inside Detroit are accepting applications for a special one-day summer training session scheduled on Wednesday, July 21. The fee is just $250 and more information and a link for online registration are available at www.doi.wayne.edu.

Understand Detroit: Past, Present and Future will be a concentrated one-day experience providing participants with "A Day 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, a nonprofit that showcases the city's assets. Inside Detroit's vision is to create positive perceptions, spur economic development and cultivate a more vibrant, energetic Detroit.

Highlights of the new one-day program will include:

• The opening session at the Doubletree Fort Shelby Hotel which includes a viewing of the new DOI film Regional Roots: The Birth and Evolution of Detroit and Its People and a demographic presentation by Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit (D3).

• Bus/Walking Tours of Downtown, Southwest Detroit, Midtown, the near East Side and Midtown - with a visit to the Wayne State Wednesday Farmers Market

• Panel discussion on "Collaboration Efforts in Detroit"

• A final reception at the Detroit Opera House

• And as always, opportunities to meet and discuss issues with representatives from foundation, government, development, churches, public safety, arts/culture, business, education and media.

The DOI, now in its 19th year of operation, is also accepting applications for their signature three-day fall session scheduled on three consecutive Thursdays, Oct. 14, 21 and 28, 2010. Program registration forms are available at www.doi.wayne.edu.

There will be a fee of $900 per person, which will cover meals and transportation. All staff and faculty of area colleges and universities will be able to sign up for the special WSU rate of $600, and other discounts are available. Registrations are accepted by phone or fax; however, full payment must be received by Sept. 24, 2010, to secure a reservation.

The three-day session 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.

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."

For more information, contact Ann Cuddohy Slawnik, Detroit Orientation Institute director, at (313) 577-0171, ann.slawnik@wayne.edu, fax (313) 577-8800, or Jill Horner at jmhorner@wayne.edu.

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.