Community Leader Pastor Douglas Jones speaks at the 10-year celebration event for the OU-Pontiac Initiative celebration held on November 2, 2024.
Several students and alumni from the Clarence E Phillips Ascend Foundation's TRUTH Youth Coalition were recognized at the 10-year anniversary event.
Leaders of the OU-Pontiac Initiative include, from left: Glenn McIntosh, Khalfani Stephens, President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, Tom Kimble, Teresa Rodges, Kevin Corcoran, Bob Maxfield, Pastor Douglas Jones, Doug Smith.
Environment photo of those attending the 10-year anniversary celebration of the OU-Pontiac Initiative.
Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz speaking at the 10-year anniversary celebration of the OU-Pontiac Initiative event.
Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel speaking at the 10-year anniversary celebration of the OU-Pontiac Initiative event.
Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel and OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz do a symbolic exchange of keys between Oakland University and the City of Pontiac during the celebration event.
Senior Director of Pre-College Programs and Community Partnerships at Oakland University, Teresa Rodges, speaks at the celebration event.
Community Leader and OU alumnus Tom Kimble and Interim Provost Kevin Corcoran share a laugh during their talk at the 10-year anniversary gather of the OU-Pontiac Initiative on November 2, 2024.
C. Robert Maxfield, former dean of the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University, was an original member of the OU-Pontiac leadership group. He returned for the 10-year anniversary celebration and is being recognized for his work on the program in this photo.
OU-Pontiac, pontiac, community engagement
November 4, 2024
Representatives from Oakland University, the City of Pontiac and the community gathered on Saturday, November 2, for a breakfast and networking event at the Oakland Center Habitat to celebrate a decade of cooperation and collaboration called the OU-Pontiac Initiative (OUPI) that was established to benefit the Pontiac community.
One of the OUPI’s early champions is current Interim Provost Kevin Corcoran. At the time, he was the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and thought there must be a way to strengthen ties with OU's neighboring communities, including Pontiac.
“During that time, people were talking about Detroit, Detroit, Detroit,” Corcoran said. “I remember thinking, 'Why are we looking 25 to 30 miles down the road when we could build a relationship with a city that is six miles away from where I’m sitting right now?' Pretty much every university in the state was focused on Detroit; I knew that Pontiac could be our partner, and ours alone.”
Corcoran then teamed with other OU officials and partners in Pontiac to translate those connections to a larger scale.
Over the years, the collaboration has developed a shared mission that includes six main pillars:
- Arts and Culture
- Birth to Grade 16 Education
- Civic Engagement
- Economic and Workforce Development
- Health Care and Wellness
- Building Capacity for Nonprofits and Neighborhoods
“We value the collaboration between our City and Oakland University, especially the important work done by OU's Pre-College Programs to enroll more Pontiac residents in higher education,” said Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel. “The past 10 years of the OU-Pontiac Initiative have been beneficial to our community, and I extend a heartfelt thank you to Oakland University for its partnership.”
A recipient of the AASCU Excellence & Innovation Award for Stewards of Place in 2023, the OU-Pontiac Initiative partnered with Trinity Health Oakland to provide over $200,000 in Community Impact Sponsorship Awards. The scholarships were awarded to more than 40 community engagement projects. Additionally, OU received the prestigious 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification for "exceptional commitment and success" in community engagement.
“Oakland University takes great pride in fulfilling our ‘stewards of place’ responsibility by deeply engaging with and serving the City of Pontiac," said Oakland University’s Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer, Glenn McIntosh. "This 10-year anniversary milestone celebrates a truly mutually beneficial partnership, one that exemplifies the transformative power of collaboration."
“Today’s anniversary celebration marks an emotional milestone for me, celebrating a partnership built on family, mutual benefit, and transformative opportunities,” said Oakland University’s Senior Director for Community Service and Pre-College Programs, Teresa Rodges, “Having been born and raised in Pontiac myself, I deeply believe that investing in Pontiac students' education, removing financial barriers, and fostering community engagement will drive future success and prosperity.”
More than 700 students from Pontiac have gone on to attend Oakland University since the beginning of the OU-Pontiac Initiative.
Looking forward, community partner Tom Kimble attributes his perspective of the OU-PI’s next 10 years to a phrase that his mother used to say. “Mama said, ‘Good, better, best; never let it rest. Make good better, and better best,’” Kimble says. “Mama is long gone, but that idea of continuous improvement is still with us today. Never stop, because there’s always more work to be done.”
For more information about the OU-PI, visit hkange.net/oupi, or to get involved, contact Teresa Rodges at [email protected] or (248) 370-4455.