President Mary Sue Coleman addresses a community forum at the Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor Sept. 9. The occasion marked the first time a president of the University has engaged the African American community of Washtenaw County in an open-platform dialogue. The primary theme of the evening was the recent Supreme Court of the United States decisions in Gratz et al. v Bollinger et al., and Grutter v Bollinger et al., and their implications for access, equity and excellence in higher education. Following brief remarks, Coleman fielded questions from the capacity audience of 350, which included Michigan State Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann Arbor), Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje and Probate Court Judge Nancy Francis, along with several other elected officials, U-M students and alumni, and members of the local community. Second Baptist’s Senior Pastor, the Rev. Mark Lyons, and Eastern Michigan University Professor/U-M Adjunct Professor Ronald Woods presented a commemorative plaque to Coleman, which acknowledged her tireless and energetic efforts to: ensure that the University of Michigan would continue to pursue with vigor its defense of its admissions policies; articulate the case for the linkage between diversity and excellence in higher education; promote diversity as a requirement of achieving and maintaining a world-class institution of higher learning; champion the university as a molder and shaper of national culture; and to embrace without hesitation the mantle of national leadership within higher education on behalf of diversity and excellence.” (Photos by Marcia Ledford, U-M Photo Services)
