The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities is pleased to announce that The Annie E. Casey Foundation and The Kresge Foundation have been named title sponsors for the 2018 CUMU Annual Conference, Partnering for Equity.
CUMU’s 24th Annual Conference will take place October 22–24, 2018 in Chicago, IL. The theme, Partnering for Equity, calls upon attendees—leaders, administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community partners—to reflect on the changing role of our urban and metropolitan serving institutions through an equity lens in academe and in public life.
“The work of both foundations perfectly aligns with the work of CUMU and our member institutions, and this year’s conference theme,” said CUMU Executive Director Bobbie Laur. “On behalf of the CUMU Executive Committee, I want to thank both organizations for their continued support of CUMU’s mission.”
Over the last three years, CUMU has had the biggest period of growth since its founding. Today, nearly 100 CUMU members collectively serve a total U.S. population of over 140 million in over 50 metropolitan areas. CUMU members are are dedicated to serving their communities.
“CUMU members embed community engagement in their work, and that’s a transformational model for institutions, communities, and, most importantly, individuals. Kresge is committed to working together to bring about an equitable future for America’s cities,” said Rebecca Villarreal, Program Officer for The Kresge Foundation’s Education Program. “The Kresge Foundation is proud to collaborate with CUMU and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.”
The Kresge Foundation is a $3.6 billion private, national foundation that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development in Detroit.
CUMU members are mission-driven organizations inextricably linked to the long-term well-being of those they serve. Because of this, they are uniquely positioned and incentivized to play a more active role in supporting their local economies.
“As anchor institutions, CUMU members play increasingly important roles in their communities by leveraging a wide range of their institutional assets, including their economic power, to create thriving communities and more equitable cities,” said Charles Rutheiser, Senior Associate in the Center for Civic Sites and Community Change at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private philanthropy that creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow.
“The Annie E. Casey Foundation is honored to be a title sponsor of the 2018 CUMU Annual Conference. And, on a personal note, I’m looking forward to participating in Chicago,” added Rutheiser.
“Our members value the CUMU mission and are seeking new opportunities, such as our annual conference, to explore ways to connect and collaborate in exciting ways to help transform their communities. The support of these two foundations will help guide the conversations at this year’s conference,” added Laur.
About CUMU
Founded in 1989, The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) is the longest-running and largest organization committed to serving and connecting the world’s urban and metropolitan universities and their partners. CUMU focuses on strengthening institutions that are developing new responses to the pressing educational, economic, and social issues of the day.
About CUMU’s Annual Conference
The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities Annual Conference is highly regarded as a vibrant platform to explore and share new ideas. The conference is focused on CUMU member institutions, their community partners, and their work addressing contemporary challenges through dialogue and presentations delivered in a variety of formats that allow for in-depth conversations and actionable next steps. In 2017, the annual conference sold out, with a record number 400 attendees convening in Denver, CO, to discuss issues critical to urban and metropolitan institutions and the values that unite CUMU members.
Visit CUMUonline.org to learn more about CUMU and the annual conference.