Opportunity Nation Higher Education Council Regional Summits
The Opportunity Nation Higher Education Council was created to highlight the bright spots of opportunity that are our nation’s colleges and universities. Private, public, community, urban, religiously affiliated, and more – all types of colleges and universities are opportunity generators for their communities. The president/chancellor of each campus is serving on the Opportunity Nation Leadership Council where they are using their leadership position as a platform to facilitate discussions on opportunity and the current state of the American Dream.
Higher Education Panel at 2011 Opportunity Summit
Each of Opportunity Nation’s Higher Education Council members have each committed to further spread the mission of Opportunity Nation by engaging their communities in impactful ways. Several partners have committed to holding Opportunity Nation regional events. These events are community-specific and range in size and audience based on each campus’ own unique strengths and relationships with their communities.
We invite you to contact us to learn more about attending one of Opportunity Nation’s Higher Education events in your area, or for more information on joining the Opportunity Nation Higher Education Council.
Upcoming Events
Saint Anselm College
Dates: January 2013
Saint Anselm College will host an event in 2012 in partnership with the New Hampshire Institute of Politics that focuses on the role of opportunity in influencing political dialogue and movements in local elections.
Miami Dade College
Dates: Spring 2013
Miami Dade College will host an Opportunity Nation regional summit focused on the role community colleges can play as Opportunity Generators - in economic, social, and academic development and preparing students to be engaged and civically-minded members of their communities.
Saint Peter's College
Dates: Spring 2013
Saint Peter’s College, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. In its Best Colleges 2012 Guide, U.S. News & World Report ranked Saint Peter’s first in Campus Ethnic Diversity in the Regional Universities North division. The College was also ranked as one of the most affordable institutions in the North for Least Debt. Saint Peter’s Opportunity Nation Event will focus on the importance of cross-sector participation in the creation of opportunity..
Past Events
Des Moines Area Community College
Dates: January 26, 2012 and April 23, 2012
On January 26, Des Moines Area Community College President Rob Denson, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines President J. Barry Griswell, and Opportunity Nation Executive Director Mark Edwards joined Iowa Governor Terry Branstad for the public signing of the “Opportunity Iowa Proclamation and unveiling of the “Opportunity Iowa/Opportunity Nation” truck.
On April 23, DMACC co-sponsored the gathering of 228 Future Farmers of America Chapters in Iowa, which has over 12,500 members, for the 2012 State FFA Convention. They partnered with the FFA Foundation and Opportunity Nation to conduct a session entitled “I Believe in…OPPORTUNITY”.
Otterbein University
Dates: March 9 & 10, 2012
Otterbein University hosted the first summit in Ohio on Women and the American Dream, which brought together university scholars, local women, students, community leaders, and area youth passionate about cultivating new strategies for women to succeed. Scholars, public officials, and members of the Opportunity Nation community discussed past achievements for women to gain equal opportunities, as well as ways to increase opportunity for women. Attendees included Jo Luck, the founder of Heifer International, and Chris Jansing, host of “Jansing and Co.” on MSNBC.
Tulane University
Date: March 29, 2012
In partnership with the NCAA, “Growing Opportunity” brought together New Orleans area middle school youth and Tulane student athletes to take part in a morning of teamwork and environmental stewardship to demonstrate the importance of healthy, diverse and sustainable communities. Tulane’s Opportunity Nation event also highlighted Tulane Empowers, an acclaimed program that further enhances the university’s efforts in community engagement and public service and develops the next generation of community-minded citizens and leaders in New Orleans and beyond.
Delaware State University
Dates: March 31, 2012
Delaware State University’s Opportunity Nation event was an impactful community service project in each of Delaware’s three counties and a project within the incorporated city limits of Wilmington, Delaware. The event showcased DSU’s INSPIRE Scholars, students who are receiving tuition-free dollars from the state, but who are required, in turn, to give back 10 hours per semester for community service. This event was the first of its kind for DSU and for any state-funded scholarship program. Delaware Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper participated and spoke in the event.
Hamline University
Dates: March 31, 2012
Organized by Hamline University professor and former mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, Jim Scheibel, Opportunity St. Paul launched at Hamline University in April of 2012 at an event with over 200 attendees. Over 67,000 Saint Paul residents live in poverty, including 25,000 children and the poverty rate in the city of Saint Paul stands at 24%. Opportunity Saint Paul aims to actively engage the community in cross-sector solutions that fight poverty.
Wayne County Community College District
Dates: April 13, 2012
Wayne County Community College District hosted a conference around the pivotal role that educators, advocates and policymakers can play in the local and national agenda responding to the collateral forces of educational inequality, racial segregation and concentrated poverty that continue to impede economic opportunity. Leaders from around the Detroit community participated in this action-forcing community conversation.
University of Texas El Paso
Dates: May 2 & 3 2012
UTEP's two-day Opportunity Days not only showcased University programs and generated excitement about UTEP’s forthcoming centennial, but it also launched long-term regional initiatives. On May 2, a program called “Building Opportunity and Social Mobility through Collaboration: The El Paso Model” discussed the nationally recognized success of the work of UTEP, EPCC, area school districts, and other El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence partners to increase academic achievement and social mobility. The program explored the relationship between educational attainment, economic development and quality of life in this Paso del Norte region. On May 3, more than 7500 5th and 7th graders from area schools participated in educational and motivational activities on the UTEP campus.
In 2012, UTEP was ranked the #1 U.S. University for social mobility by Washington Monthly due to its success of enabling students to achieve the American Dream through affordable and high quality academic programs.
Appalachian State University
Dates: September 6, 2012
Appalachian State University’s event took place during its annual Fall Convocation in order to springboard discussions about opportunity, address the goals of Opportunity Nation, reflect on accomplishments thus far, and discuss the “next steps” on campus and in the State of North Carolina. Appalachian’s commitment to civic engagement played a central role in this event, and students and event attendees identified and committed to specific projects for 2012-2013 that will spread opportunity beyond the Appalachian community.
Seattle Community Colleges
Dates: September 11, 2012
Seattle Community Colleges’ Opportunity Nation event brought together the city’s leaders in government, business, college and nonprofit agencies to showcase the first wave of Pathways to Careers’ efforts and engage the community in a dialogue to explore ways we can work together to bring these efforts to scale throughout the city. The goal of Pathways to Careers is to build educational pathways to middle-class jobs for youth and low-income working adults. The event was in partnership with the City of Seattle, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Jobs Initiative, SkillUp Washington, Seattle Port Jobs, the Seattle Foundation, and the Service Employees International Union. Jim Sinegal, co-founder of Costco, and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn spoke.
The George Washington University
Dates: September 19, 2012
The George Washington University hosted and sponsored the 2012 Opportunity Nation Summit on its campus. The Summit was the 2012 national event for Opportunity Nation with 1200 attendees from across the country in attendance, including 400 young leaders.
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