Education leader to present Burian Lecture on poverty reduction

Photo of Eva EvansOn Tuesday, March 25, national education leader and accomplished humanitarian Dr. Eva L. Evans will present the Bill Burian University-Community Lecture, Building Bridges, at 6 p.m. at the WMU Fetzer Center. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is a collaboration of the College of Health and Human Services, the University-Community Empowerment Center and the WMU Academy of Lifelong Learning. It is a continuation of A Call to Action: Poverty Reduction in Kalamazoo County, a five-week series of forums examining ways to reverse the negative impacts of poverty and its correlates on the well-being of individuals and families in our community.

In one of the last sermons he preached, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. promised to lead a poor people’s campaign to force the nation to take action regarding the persistence of poverty and “to help bridge the gulf between the haves and the have-nots.” The forums and the lecture are among the first of what will be many steps that the University-Community Empowerment Center will take in helping to build bridges to help make Dr. King’s dream a reality.

Evans has dedicated her career to developing best practices for providing opportunities to underserved populations. In her home community of Lansing and throughout Michigan, Evans has broken barriers and accomplished many firsts, including service as the first female deputy superintendent of Lansing Schools and chairperson of the Tri-County United Way.

The impact Evans’ dedication and talent has also been experienced throughout the world, particularly through service with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in a variety of influential, key roles, including that of international president from 1994 to 1998. 

More information about the lecture and speaker is available at wmich.edu/hhs/about/lectures. Advanced registration will be appreciated and can be made at mywmu.com/burianlectures or by calling (269) 387-2663.