Photo Note: To download a photo of Coleman, see the end of the release.

Coleman to headline Graduate School’s national forum on graduate education

CHAPEL HILL -- University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumna, will be the keynote speaker for a two-day national forum at UNC-Chapel Hill focusing on the role of graduate education.

The forum, "Graduate Education: Building Public Partnerships," will be held Sunday and Monday (Oct. 12 and 13) and is sponsored by the Graduate School and the Office of the Provost. Coleman will give the keynote presentation at 1 p.m. on Monday, and more than 150 graduate education leaders nationwide are expected to attend the invitation-only event.

She will discuss the effect of affirmative action on graduate student admissions.

The forum, part of a yearlong celebration of the Graduate School’s 100^th anniversary, will focus on the importance of building partnerships between graduate education programs and the public. Speakers will discuss the role graduate education plays in North Carolina and the national efforts in promoting economic development, improving health and human services, ensuring diversity in leadership and meeting a range of educational needs, both in K-12 and higher education.

"Much of Carolina’s reputation as a leading public university rests on the exceptionally high quality of its graduate programs and the many contributions graduate students and their faculty mentors have made to North Carolina and the nation," said Dr. Linda Dykstra, the school’s dean. "We organized a national forum in order to explore new ways to further develop this partnership."

Coleman and U-M were in the news last summer when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a high-profile case involving the university’s affirmative action program. In a 6-3 ruling, the high court struck down a point system used by Michigan’s undergraduate admission program, while upholding a law school affirmative action program at U-M.

Coleman and a distinguished group of education leaders from universities across the country will speak at the forum, along with several university partners. Featured speakers include: Chancellor France Córdova of the University of California at Riverside; President Carol Garrison of the University of Alabama at Birmingham; President Deborah Wince-Smith of the Council on Competiveness; UNC President Molly Corbett Broad; and UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser.

For more than a century, graduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill has evolved in response to the needs of the university and North Carolina. Graduate students often conduct groundbreaking research in science, education, medicine and health, and the arts and humanities. Through their research and teaching, graduate students contribute to the strength of the university and the health and well-being of North Carolina’s citizens.

"The Graduate School has played an important role on the Carolina campus for 100 years serving graduate students from admission through graduation, and ensuring the excellence of graduate programs," Dykstra said. "The history of graduate education at Carolina has been one of partnership among faculty, students, campus leaders, private donors and friends of the university. As we look to the future, we envision this partnership continuing the legacy of excellence in graduate education at Carolina."

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Related links: Coleman will be the featured keynote speaker at University Day on Sunday. For more information, click on http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct03/univday100303.html. For more information on activities related to the Graduate School’s centennial, click on http://gradschool.unc.edu/centennial/index.html

Photo note: To download a photo of Coleman, click on http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/alum/coleman_mary_sue.jpg

Graduate School contacts: Deborah Makemson, (919) 843-3494 or makemson@email.unc.edu; or Kathy Farinola, (919) 962-6311 or farinola@email.unc.edu
News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu