Global philanthropic and humanitarian leader author Judith Rodin to speak at Wayne State University, April 28

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Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, will discuss “Reinventing American Cities for the 21st Century” on Wednesday, April 28, at Wayne State University’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center, Room B/C on the first floor, 495 Ferry Mall, Detroit. The free public lecture, scheduled from 5:30-6:45 p.m., is sponsored by the Richard C. Van Dusen Endowment at Wayne State University.

Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation in 2005, Rodin was president of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), an appointment which distinguished her as the first woman to serve as the president of an Ivy League institution.

During a decade of leadership at Penn, the university doubled its research funding and tripled both its annual fundraising and the size of its endowment; launched a comprehensive, award-winning and internationally acclaimed neighborhood revitalization program; attracted record numbers of undergraduate applicants and created Penn’s most selective classes ever; and rose in the leading national ranking of research universities from 16th to fourth.

A pioneer in the behavioral medicine movement, Rodin taught at New York University before moving to a 22-year career on the faculty at Yale, where she held appointments in both the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Medicine.

Rodin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University and has received 17 honorary doctorate degrees. She has written more than 200 academic articles and wrote or co-wrote 12 books, including her most recent titled The University & Urban Renewal: Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Streets.

Rodin holds several prominent non-profit board positions including AMR Corporation, Citigroup and Comcast Corporation. She served on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and is a member of several leading academic societies, including the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reservations are required to attend the forum by visiting: www.specialevents.wayne.edu/van-dusen-lecture-detroit-orientation, or contacting Jill Horner at jmhorner@wayne.edu, or (313) 577-8819.

Richard C. Van Dusen’s Background

Richard C. Van Dusen had a lifetime concern for and commitment to urban communities, particularly metropolitan Detroit. His life was characterized by distinguished public service in national, state and local affairs. He served as undersecretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and chaired the Detroit Regional Chamber. Van Dusen served as a distinguished governor of Wayne State University. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he spent his professional legal career at the Detroit law firm of Dickinson, Wright PLLC. Van Dusen’s life reflected his belief that the private sector as much as the public sector could provide leadership and implement initiatives to enhance the quality of urban life.