Emily J. Sullivan
Staff Writer
University of La Verne President Devorah Lieberman was recently elected president of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities, or CUMU.
CUMU is group of international universities in urban areas with the goal of creating partnerships between the universities and their surrounding communities.
Lieberman’s new title was announced at the group’s annual conference this fall.
“I’m just thrilled to have Devorah taking on this new role,” said Bobbie Laur, executive director of the coalition. “She is a national leader (with an) authentic commitment to supporting faculty, staff and students in their community engagement partnerships.”
Lieberman has participated with the Coalition’s executive committee for several years. Her term as president of CUMU will last two years.
“The University of La Verne was invited to be a part of CUMU five or six years ago,” Lieberman said. “Part of the responsibility of a president is to get connected with national organizations that are aligned with the mission of the university and help with our visibility.”
Lieberman said her passion for motivating young students to aspire to higher education is what motivates her.
“At the University of La Verne, we see our mission as a private institution with a public mission,” Lieberman said. “Our mission is … to make our region better and our country better,” Lieberman said.
ULV is also involved with programs like Promise Scholars, a regional initiative, that focuses on letting middle and high school students in the Inland Empire know that college is an option.
“Our mission is to enhance our community, be a part of our community and have our community be a part of the university and benefit our students,” Lieberman said. “I’m very loud ,and I’m very proud of that.”
Emily J. Sullivan can be reached at emily.sullivan@laverne.edu.
