GLIN==> Michigan Colleges Foundation and University Preparatory Academy Make the Connection between Policy Advocacy and Environmental Education

Michigan Colleges Foundation and University Preparatory Academy Make the 
Connection between Policy Advocacy and Environmental Education

Third 90 UPA Detroit Students and Staff to Attend Great Lakes Days in 
Washington, D.C. to Learn
about Great Lakes Restoration Advocacy

Southfield, Michigan, 3/3/2011 . Michigan Colleges Foundation (MCF) and the 
Michigan League of
Conservation Voters (Michigan LCV) traveled with four University Preparatory 
Academy of Detroit
students from the Third 90 Program to Washington, D.C. to attend Great Lakes 
Days, an annual
advocacy event for Great Lakes Restoration hosted jointly by the Great Lakes 
Commission and the
Healing Our Waters Coalition. Third 90 Program students, who have worked 
alongside of MCF
faculty and students in restoring a wetland in Monroe, Michigan, were 
briefed on the 2011 legislative
priorities for the Great Lakes, listened to presentations by business and 
conservation leaders on the
blue-green economy, visited the Capitol and observed the U.S. House of 
Representatives in
session, toured several landmarks, attended a reception at the Embassy of 
Canada, and met
congressional and environmental advocacy leaders.

A joint venture between MCF and UPA, the Third 90 Program is part of a 
comprehensive educational
strategy for excellent schools articulated by UPA Founder Doug Ross. .The 
Third 90 Program is
designed to help Detroit children attending University Prep High School 
achieve a 90% college
graduation rate, in addition to the school.s record of achieving two other 
nineties.a 90% high school
graduate rate and a 90% college enrollment rate.

The objective of the Third 90 Program is to extend personalized teaching and 
engaged learning into
the field to achieve real and positive impact on both the environment and 
the learning outcomes of
students. The program also is designed to establish a connection between UPA 
students and MCF
colleges and universities. In regards to the trip, Ross said, .Having this 
extraordinary opportunity to
go to Washington to lobby on behalf of the Great Lakes is a great incentive 
for our students to
continue their education and march towards college graduation.

MCF, whose member institutions collectively represent Michigan.s .third 
largest university., launched
the Third 90 Program in the fall of 2010 with an initial cohort of 10 UPA 
students, four students and
four faculty members from Albion College, Marygrove College, Madonna 
University, and Siena
Heights University. The MCF-UPA team collected and analyzed water and soil 
samples and
evidence of wildlife to create a baseline of the pre-restoration 
environmental quality of the site,
privately-owned former agricultural land on the River Raisin in Monroe, 
Michigan. The site has since
been excavated with the expert help of Ducks Unlimited to establish the 
foundation for a wetland
area. According to Robert Bartlett, MCF President, .The Third 90 Program 
illustrates how smaller
colleges are uniquely able to collaborate in ways that tangibly support our 
state.s future talent.

Third 90 Program visionary and funder Jerry Jung, former Michigan CAT CEO 
and a strong
supporter of preserving Michigan.s environment, sponsored the trip. 
Illustrating his belief in the
potential impact of the next generation of environmentalists across the 
curriculum, Jung recently told
the first cohort of Third 90 Program students that, ..an understanding of 
our connectedness to the
Earth is important no matter what field you choose to pursue...all of us are 
connected in this sense
and need to play a role in the preservation of natural habitats so they will 
be sustained for future
generations to enjoy.

Executive Director of the Michigan LCV Lisa Wozniak, who accompanied the 
students on the trip
said, "Ultimately, all that we do for Michigan's environment is simply to 
preserve and protect it for
future generations. This trip to Washington, in partnership with the Third 
90, was an excellent
opportunity for Michigan LCV to use our experience to help give the students 
from UPA a hands-on
experience of Washington and the congressional decision-making process."

A new Third 90 cohort of 10 UPA students will join the MCF faculty and 
students to build on the work
completed in fall 2010. The spring team will track changes in the 
environmental quality of the
wetland site post-excavation, and engage in planting native plant species 
and building a snake
hibernaculum, both of which will increase the diversity of the area. For 
more information about The
Third 90 Program or to arrange an interview with either UPA or MCF, please 
contact Britany Affolter-
Caine at (248) 356-3114.

Michigan Colleges Foundation (MCF) supports 14 colleges and universities in 
the liberal arts tradition, leveraging the
transformative power of its collective resources for Michigan.s future. 
Since 1949, MCF has supported student scholarships
and collaborative initiatives to advance excellence at its member 
institutions. MCF member institutions include: Adrian
College; Albion College; Alma College; Andrews University; Aquinas College; 
Calvin College; Hillsdale College; Hope
College; Kalamazoo College; Madonna University; Marygrove College; Olivet 
College; Siena Heights University; and
Spring Arbor University.
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