FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Nov. 8, 2007
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153
 

Seventy-five students to take part
in Outstanding Black High School Students’ Weekend

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – About 75 high school students from West Virginia and metro area schools in Kentucky and Ohio will be on Marshall University’s Huntington campus Friday and Saturday, Nov. 9-10, to participate in the 21st annual Outstanding Black High School Students’ Weekend.

Maurice Cooley, director of Marshall’s Center for African American Students’ Programs, which is sponsoring the event, said the special weekend attracts gifted black high school students and showcases campus life and the academic environment at Marshall.

“Outstanding Black High School Students’ Weekend is a wonderful experience for these young men and women visiting our campus,” Cooley said. “Each student gets thoroughly introduced to the Marshall experience. They even stay on campus with Marshall students who have volunteered to host them in their residence halls.

“This annual affair ultimately results in the most academically promising African American students in our region choosing Marshall University as their environment to learn and enrich their lives. Most of these students, upon enrollment, also enter the prestigious MU Society of Black Scholars, which has continual avenues for enrichment and growth.”

Students and parents participate in educational forums and campus tours, meet college deans and attend informational panels composed of faculty and staff representing the Marshall University community.

High schools participate in the special weekend by nominating African American juniors and seniors with GPA’s of 3.0 or above for the Outstanding Black High School Students recognition.

In addition to the 75 students and their parents, another 22 students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., will arrive on campus tonight and then take part in activities planned with the College of Fine Arts. They also will participate in some of the Outstanding Black High School Students’ Weekend activities, and attend a banquet at 6 p.m. Friday in the Memorial Student Center’s Don Morris Room.

For more information, contact Cooley at (304) 696-5430.

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