OP welcomes new Oakland superintendent to the neighborhood
October 20, 2014 •
New Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Antwan Wilson
New Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) Superintendent Antwan Wilson received a warm welcome to the Oakland educational community from UC Office of the President at an Oct. 14 reception held in his honor at the Franklin building.
Education Partnerships, which works closely with the Oakland schools, sponsored the event to spotlight UC’s dedication to supporting public education through programs that build student learning and achievement.
President Janet Napolitano was among the UC luminaries at the event. In welcoming Wilson, she described UCOP’s efforts to forge strong ties with the city through community service and the UC Oakland Partnership scholarships, which were awarded in August to six OUSD students going to UC campuses this fall.
“The recipients demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and an unparalleled commitment to serving their community,” Napolitano said of this year’s scholars. “We have committed to extending this scholarship program for another year, so that OUSD students who will enter UC in the fall of 2015 will also have a shot.”
Wilson took office on July 1 and is dedicated to student preparedness. He has already established at OUSD a post-secondary office to focus on getting students ready for careers and college.
Previously, as assistant superintendent of the 90,000-student Denver Public Schools, he turned around one of the toughest schools in the system, improving high school graduation rates and upping the numbers of students taking college prep classes and attending college.
Other speakers at the Oct. 14 event included Vice Provost Yvette Gullatt, UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion Gibor Basri and UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education Dean Judith Warren Little.
