Super Sunday: You Can Go to College

A trio of Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) officials, including President F. King Alexander, will take part in Super Sunday 2012, a statewide effort that features leaders from the California State University (CSU) system speaking at more than 100 predominantly African American churches throughout the state in February.

Alexander will speak this Sunday, Feb. 12, at Gospel Memorial Church of God in Christ in Long Beach.  Services are scheduled at 11 a.m. Marie Alford, CSULB director of admissions, will speak at Long Beach’s Praise Temple, 5300 Atlantic Ave
Long Beach, also this Sunday. Services there are scheduled at 11 a.m. Next Sunday, Feb. 19, CSULB Vice President for Student Affairs Douglas Robinson will speak with the congregation at Faithful Central Church, 3900 West Manchester Boulevard,
Inglewood. Started in 2005, Super Sunday reaches more than 100,000 churchgoers and is part of CSU’s outreach to educate students and families about the requirements to successfully enter college.  A central theme of Super Sunday messages is a call for students to begin planning for college admission as early as middle school and to enroll in challenging classes that prepare them for college. “The goal of Super Sunday is to continue the personal relationships with the churches and the families that attend them.  We want them to consider the wonderful options the CSU provides,” said Valerie Bordeaux, director of CSULB’s University Outreach and School Relations who will be at Gospel Memorial Church with President Alexander this Sunday.  “Super Sunday is making a difference in the numbers of African American students and families who are applying for and attending the CSU.  So, we’re excited to meet with prospective students and their parents and to answer their individual questions about getting ready and preparing for college.”

After the church services, parents and students will have the opportunity to talk to Bordeaux and other CSU outreach representatives and receive the “How To Get To College” poster -- a practical guide about how to prepare for college beginning in the sixth and seventh grades.  The guide, available in several languages, provides the list of classes that students need to take grade by grade to qualify for CSU admission.  It also provides tips for parents and mentors to help students succeed.

Participants also receive information about financial aid and the CSUMentor.edu website that provides the tools to plan and apply to a CSU campus. The annual Super Sunday event is produced by the CSU African American Initiative -- a partnership between CSU campuses and African American religious leaders with the goal of increasing college going rates among African American students.  The initiative is led by CSU Chancellor Charles Reed and engages CSU Trustees, campus presidents, executives and staff. Now in its seventh year, Super Sunday, which began with 24 churches, has expanded to include more than 100 churches throughout the state. For more information about the list of participating churches, times of services and locations, go to the Super Sunday website.