A living testament to the life-changing power of higher education, Giovanni will meet one-on-one with doctoral fellows in Wayne State's KCP Future Faculty Fellowship Program at Wayne State - Michigan's next generation of college and university professors. Giovanni also will meet with university administrators on the subject of successful programs to retain underrepresented students.

"I never imagined I would have the opportunity to meet and interact with a world-renowned scholar the likes of Nikki Giovanni," said Chasity Bailey-Fakhoury, a KCP Future Faculty Fellow who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology. "She is an incredible role model and an inspiration to women everywhere, especially African-American women. I could not ask for a higher quality or more academically excellent graduate education than I am receiving at Wayne State."

Giovanni also will participate in two events in the city of Detroit on the same day. First, at 9:30 a.m., she will read poetry to Detroit Public Schools students at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Second, she will conduct a public lecture about her lifetime of literary achievement. Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb will introduce Professor Giovanni.

"Nikki Giovanni's poetry reading to children at the Charles H. Wright Museum reflects the Graduate School's overarching commitment to education and our mission to encourage even the youngest children to pursue advanced degrees and, hopefully, to become the university professors of the future," said Mark Wardell, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at Wayne State University.

Her lecture, "An Evening with Nikki Giovanni," will be held at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium, 450 Reuther Mall, Detroit. The 5:30 p.m. event is free and open to the public, although reservations are required.

Signed copies of Giovanni's latest work, a children's picture book called Rosa, also will be available at the Law School. Rosa, which reached No. 3 on The New York Times best-seller list, pays tribute to civil rights legend and native Detroiter Rosa Parks.

Through the KCP Initiative, which is funded by the State of Michigan, Wayne State is able to offer doctoral fellowships to support future faculty in higher education and bring visiting scholars such as Giovanni to campus to serve as role models for students of all ages and backgrounds. Since 1987, Wayne State University has emerged as a choice location for KCP Fellows to earn their doctoral degrees, and has awarded stipends to more than 150 students through the KCP Fellowship pipeline. Currently, 39 KCP doctoral students are pursuing their degrees at Wayne State. For more information, visit http://www.gradschool.wayne.edu/funding/kcp/kcp.asp.

Interview opportunities with Giovanni are available by phone prior to her arrival in Detroit on Sept. 30, 2010, as well as during her visit by appointment only. Requests must be arranged in advance by calling Francine Wunder or Tom Reynolds at (313) 577-2150.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.