Arcadia’s partnership with the Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS) was honored by the City of Philadelphia during a ceremony at City Hall on Dec. 11. Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. (4th District) presented a proclamation to recognize the work of the University and BMDS with Philadelphia public schools. Under the leadership of executive director/founder Dr. Doreen Loury, director of the Pan-African Studies program and assistant professor of sociology/anthropology/criminal justice at Arcadia, the symposium has flourished and become a nationally recognized forum that addresses the myriad of challenges faced by African American males, their families, and their communities.

Accolades also were given for Arcadia staff members who worked with the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Advancing Civic Education Program to provide support to judges and attorneys who teach civics in the Philadelphia public school system.

Stephen Tyson Jr. ’13M, graduate assistant for the BMDS and a doctoral candidate in Arcadia’s Education Leadership program, and Thomas Butler, a charter member of the BMDS Executive Team and a member of the Mayor’s Commission on African American Males, accepted the resolution on behalf of the University.

The BMDS will host “Reaching Out for the Brothers: A Call to Action,” its 9th annual event, on May 9, 2015, at Arcadia.