Clinton Global University Initiative

Dear Cheyney University Family,

I recently had the pleasure of participating in the second Clinton Global Initiative University conference at The University of Texas Austin in Austin, TX. The Clinton Global University Initiative (CGUI) was founded by the 42th President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton. I was privileged, as your president, to represent Cheyney University and to participate in a luncheon meeting with former President Clinton, Dr. Donna Shalala, and many other college presidents and students from around the globe. At the luncheon meeting, we talked about how to translate visionary leadership into positive social action that improves many areas of our lives including competitiveness in the STEM (science technology, engineering, and math), increasing the college completion rate among less advantaged students, decreasing world disease and hunger, and guiding our college students to make significant impact in the global economy.

I pledged to commit to work towards increasing the college-going rate in our area by increasing our precollege, outreach activities and by working with our students to demonstrate the positive effects of higher education. As you know, we are working towards increasing our presence at the Urban Site in Philadelphia and in other areas such as Coatesville and Chester City.

Moreover, I hope that students, faculty, and alumni will reflect on how we can be engaged in positive social action and public service to respond to the needs of the Commonwealth, the region, and the nation. Our country depends on the energy, commitment, and positive action of groups that collaborate to create an improved collective future. One theme at the CGUI was that we should focus on collaborative efforts and helping students to acquire the technical skills to fuel their passion for make our world a better place.

I look forward to working with students, alumni, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to organize specific action plans to help us engage in positive social action.

Sincerely,

Michelle R. Howard-Vital, Ph.D.
President