UR president joins Obama at today’s White House summit

Today’s gathering of college presidents, along with the First Lady and Vice President, seeks to strengthen several higher education goals.

December 4, 2014; 9:52 AM • by Nathan Cushing

University of Richmond president Ed Ayers today joins President Obama, the First Lady, Vice President Biden, and other college presidents at the White House College Opportunity Summit.

Today’s summit builds on the first summit held earlier this year, and according to the White House website will encourage colleges to:

…improve degree completion, sustain community collaborations that encourage college-going, train high school counselors as part of the First Lady’s Reach Higher initiative, and produce more STEM graduates with diverse backgrounds.

UR announced it’s committed to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who declare STEM¹ majors and graduate with STEM degrees.

“A central principle of the University’s strategic plan, The Richmond Promise, is to expand educational opportunity to students of all means and backgrounds,” Ayers said in a statement. “Increasing the number of Richmond graduates from groups traditionally underrepresented in science and math disciplines is a key component of that effort. Providing these students with opportunities not only contributes to their success but also that of the economy and our nation.”

The White House is streaming the day-long summit. Here’s the feed for the morning portion: