Wayne State University’s distinction as an academic institution with a long record of meaningful engagement in groundbreaking collaborations with urban stakeholders will again be evidenced during the 47th Anniversary Awards Dinner and Celebración of the Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies, to be held at El Kiosko banquet hall, 7271 Dix Street, Detroit, MI 48209. Founded in 1971 by local agencies Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED) and New Detroit, the nationally recognized Center has been at the forefront of progressive postsecondary education for nearly a half-century.
On Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, starting at 6 p.m., alumni, benefactors and corporate partners of the community-oriented leadership development program will be coming together once again to celebrate its longstanding commitment to excellence, diversity and equity in higher education while raising funds to grant scholarships to WSU students. The event takes place on the occasion of the university’s Sesquicentennial Celebration and its observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), which recognizes the many contributions of Latinos and Latinas in all facets of American life.
Lynette Dowler, executive director and president of the DTE Energy Foundation, will deliver this year’s keynote address. Renowned Chicano scholar Dionicio Nodín Valdés, professor emeritus of history at Michigan State University, will be conferred a Lifetime Achievement Award; the acclaimed visual fine artist Nora Chapa Mendoza will be honored with the Bernadino “Benny” Cruz Bellas Artes Award; and Dr. Salvador Rojas III, Center alumnus and internal medicine physician at Detroit Medical Center, will be presented the CBS Estrella Award. Broadcaster Eva Aguirre Cooper, community affairs director at WOOD TV8/WOTV4/WXSP, will grace the event as Mistress of Ceremonies.
Confirmed sponsors of the Awards Dinner include the estate of the late Dalia García, Comerica Bank, DTE Energy, Wayne County Community College District, Ideal Group, SER Metro-Detroit, Mechanical Contractors Association of Detroit, Michigan First Credit Union, General Motors, MGM Grand Detroit, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and MANA de Metro Detroit. El Central Hispanic News is this year’s media sponsor.
If you wish to attend or sponsor this year’s Awards Dinner, please contact Melissa Miranda Morse at mmorse@wayne.edu or call 313-577-4378.