Note to editors and news directors: For details and background on the California State University’s Super Sunday efforts, visit this website: http://www.calstate.edu/supersunday/. Available there are a list of churches, a 90-second promotional video and a blog by participants.
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Sunday morning, Feb. 22, at various times and
churches in L.A. and beyond
CSU’S ‘SUPER SUNDAY’ PUTS PRESIDENTS, OTHERS IN PULPITS OF 25 CHURCHES
Chancellor at West Angeles, trustee at First AME,
Cal State L.A. president at Full Harvest
as CSU leaders team with congregations to draw
African Americans toward higher education
Los Angeles, CA – Bringing a message of education to congregations, California State University leaders will visit 25 Southern California churches Feb. 22 as part of the CSU’s fourth annual Super Sunday outreach program to guide young African Americans toward a university education and the success it can foster.
Last year Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser, speaking at Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, said, “We’re not just standing by to help. We’re coming by to help. We’re reaching more than half-way to pull underserved students to college. There is plenty we all can do, whether or not we have school-aged children.” This year he will speak at Full Harvest International Church (see listing below).
According to CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed, “We hope to make communities aware of the steps that students need to complete each year to get to college. We are pleased to say that these efforts are paying off. Since Super Sunday began, the CSU has seen steady increases in African American undergraduate enrollment.”
More background, impact statistics and other details are way below. Listed immediately below are three of the 25 churches particularly suitable for media coverage. Here’s the complete list: http://www.calstate.edu/supersunday/churches_south.shtml.
California State University, 25 churches, and Super Sunday
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 – Three coverage opportunities
8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
West Angeles Cathedral
3600 Crenshaw Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90016
Speakers: CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed at 8 a.m. and CSU Northridge President Jolene Koester at 11 a.m.
Media point of contact:
Erik Fallis, Public Affairs, California State University, Office of the Chancellor
Tel: (562) 951-4064
Cell: (562) 477-7317
9 a.m.
Full Harvest International
18355 Figueroa Street
Gardena, CA 90248
Speaker: Cal State L.A. President James M. Rosser
Media points of contact:
Clara Potes-Fellow, Director, Media Relations, California State University
Phone: (562) 951-4806
Cell: (310) 995-3872
Sean Kearns, Director of Media Relations, California State University, Los Angeles
Phone: 323-343-3050
Cell: 323-369-4604
10 a.m. and noon
First AME Church
2270 S. Harvard Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Speaker: CSU Board of Trustee Margaret Fortune at 10 a.m. and noon
Media point of contact:
Claudia Keith, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Public Affairs
Phone: (562) 951-4800
Cell: 562-355-4479
Now for some background, perspective and details:
Can presidents pushing higher education from the pulpit boost African American enrollment in higher education? It sure looks like it.
Consider exploring the impact of Super Sunday, the California State University (CSU) system’s church-based effort to reach young people in the African American community. (www.calstate.edu/supersunday) This Sunday, leaders from the CSU will speak at services at 25 different area churches (see coverage opportunities outlined above).
Last weekend, more than 40 congregations in Northern California heard the four-point message:
• Higher education is the cornerstone of our society’s health, well-being and prosperity.
• Higher education is accessible and attainable.
• As a community, we must expect and encourage smart young people in our midst to pursue it.
• And we must help them plan and prepare for higher education.
In the back of the churches are counselors and information tables seeking to plant seeds and seal deals. The effort has also partnered CSU admissions counselors with educational liaisons at the churches to boost an understanding of what it takes to get to college.
This is the fourth year of Super Sunday. Has it made a difference?
The numbers are encouraging: Between 2004 and 2007, undergraduate enrollment by African-American students in the CSU increased from roughly 18,400 to just over 22,000 – an increase of nearly 20 percent. Over the same three years at Cal State L.A., the number of African American first-time freshmen increased by more than 55 percent, to 173 new students in 2007. Also, each year, on average, about 200 African American students are entering Cal State L.A. as undergraduate transfers. Meanwhile, at CSU Dominguez Hills (in Carson), the number of African American freshmen has risen by more than 33 percent.
Pasted below are some additional news releases:
CSU Chancellor’s Office Super Sunday main site: http://www.calstate.edu/supersunday/
CSU Chancellor’s Office Super Sunday early news release: http://www.calstate.edu/pa/news/2009/supersunday_release_general.shtml
Cal State L.A. news release: /univ/ppa/newsrel/CSUsupersun2009.htm
If you have any questions, or would like to attend one of the services, please give me a call Clara Potes-Fellow or Teresa Ruiz at the CSU Chancellor’s Office – (562) 951-4800 – or contact any of the points of contact listed above.
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 205,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu