UDM chosen for White House Town Hall meeting on May 22

UDM will be one of 20 colleges in the country hosting a White House Youth Town Hall meeting this spring.

The event, sponsored the university’s Institute for Leadership and Service, will be held Tuesday, May 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Students interested in participating must sign up through the UDM website, which is being created.

The event flows from activities by President Dr. Antoine Garibaldi, who was invited earlier this year to participate in a D.C. higher education conference with U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan.

“Since then, (Garibaldi) has been asked to work on a number of high-profile initiatives,” said Gary Lichtman, UDM director of media relations.

Lichtman said UDM is proud to be hosting the town Hall meeting.

“The event mirrors UDM’s mission as an urban institution, educating tomorrow’s leaders to make a difference,” he said.

In an email, Sedika Franklin, a programs specialist in the communications department at the White House, said the event would give 250 innovative young people a chance to address challenges facing higher education.

Franklin said students are being sought “who are passionate about finding solutions to issues in their communities.”

Not all of the students will be from UDM, but Lichtman hopes the university’s presence will be strong.

Interested students may send their requests to participate to admissions.events@udmercy.edu until a proper website is put up.