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CSU leaders to visit 100 churches for Super Sunday

Leaders in the Cal State University, including Chancellor Timothy P. White, will visit more than 100 California churches to promote higher education to black families throughout the month of February.

The visit are all taking place for Super Sunday, an outreach initiative started by former CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed in 2005, according to CSU Spokeswoman Stephanie Thara. For Super Sunday, CSU leaders visit predominantly black churches each Sunday throughout February, or Black History Month.

“[The goal of] CSU Super Sunday is to inform the families of the underrepresented population that college is an opportunity,” Thara said.

Thara said that Reed decided to visit predominantly black churches to give the audience information about entering college and receiving financial aid provided by the CSU.

Cal State Long Beach Interim President Donald Para said that Super Sunday is a unique outreach program.

“I don’t know any other institution that does something like this,” Para said. “The CSU is one of the leaders of outreach, if not the leader.”

The CSU speakers will address applying for financial aid and scholarship programs, such as Cal Grants, submitting college applications through CSU Mentor and navigating a path to college, Thara said.  

Although Thara said the CSU does not have any statistics proving Super Sunday increases enrollment, Para said the initiative is a big help.

“Absolutely it helps,” Para said. “Our target audience is groups of all ages and the impact is significant.”

Para said that students of all ages need to be reached.

“It is important because we need to reach them and their parents to tell them that college is an option and that financial aid is available,” Para said. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

Para, who is speaking at the Antioch Church in Long Beach on Sunday, said he has his speech written and is excited to share the value of education, regardless of whether his audience is big or small.

“I’ll talk about my own circumstance growing up in Detroit and that I was the first in my family to go to college, and that is a big reason I’m excited to speak,” Para said. “Back then, a lot of auto factories were hiring everybody. They were good jobs and good wages, but that is not the case today.”

Para said he will also talk about the importance of a college education.

“I’ll also inform them about the high quality education at a low cost that CSULB provides,” Para said. 

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