To the Editor:
After reading Russell Olwell’s recent online Commentary “Creating ‘Promise Neighborhoods’: Where Are the Universities?” (June 30, 2010), I am pleased to note that at least one of the current applicants for the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods planning grants includes a major university within our own zip code.
Hempstead Promise Neighborhoods, in Hempstead, N.Y., is a consortium of more than 75 community stakeholders, including Hofstra University and its National Center for Suburban Studies, which has committed significant matching resources to our proposed planning effort. In fact, if we are successful in this venture, we will probably also benefit from collaborations with still other neighboring colleges and universities. Whether or not these institutions of higher learning lead, we’re proud to have them “in the dance” with us.
Philip M. Mickulas
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Family and Children’s Association
Hempstead, N.Y.
