PHILADELPHIA, PA --  Congressman Chaka Fattah will convene his 15th annual conference on higher education Saturday, February 10, 2001, at the Marriott Hotel, 12th and Market Streets. Former Congressman and current United Negro College Fund President Bill Gray will give the keynote address to students on Saturday, February 10, at 6:00 p.m.  Originally called The Graduate Opportunities Conference when it was first founded in 1986 by then State Senator Fattah, the conference started with the concept of giving college students all the information they would need to attend graduate school –  from financial aid advice to which schools offer the subjects they want to study.  

“With the growth of the conference over the years, and the addition of a component which targets students still in high school, the name of the program has changed, but the format has remained basically unchanged,” said Congressman Fattah.  “Every year, we offer students an opportunity to hear motivational speakers from around the nation, workshops in such subjects as Law, Liberal Arts, Business, Technology, Education/Social Work, Health Science, Math and Computer Science.  In addition, workshops on test taking and financial aid are also available.”  

Other speakers scheduled for the conference include U.S. Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. of Tennessee.  First elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 at age 26, Congressman Ford represents a new generation of political leaders who seek to replace the partisan politics of the past with fresh ideas and a pragmatic approach to the challenges of the twenty-first century.  

Also slated to deliver speeches are Ray Suarez, host of Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio’s nationwide call-in news program.  He will be the luncheon speaker on Sunday. Pedro Ramos, Esq., President of the School Board of Philadelphia will be the speaker at dinner on Sunday, February 11.  Dr. Therman Evans, a dynamic motivational speaker and President and CEO of his own business, Wholelife Associates, Inc., will address the students on Monday, February 12, during a morning session. Also participating in portions of the conference are State Senator Vincent Hughes, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. 

The Fattah Conference on Higher Education invites colleges and universities from across the state to participate.  These schools select and pay for minority students to attend the conference.  During the conference, two college fairs are held.  One fair is for students who want to attend graduate schools and the other is for students still in high school who want to go to college.  Some 500 high school students will attend the conference on the final day, Monday, February 12th, 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

For the last two years, Sallie Mae has sponsored the conference.  Fore more details about the Fattah Conference on Higher Education, visit the web site at http://www.fattahonline.org