18 | OCTOBER 21 • 2021 

OUR COMMUNITY

T

he College for Creative Studies (CCS) 
hosted a historic announcement for 
Detroit on Oct 12. 
 CCS, the Gilbert Family Foundation, Target 
and the city of Detroit have announced a new 
Historically Black College and University 
(HBCU) and higher education program, resur-
recting Detroit’s formerly closed Lewis College 
of Business.
In the announcement, the Pensole Lewis 
College of Business and Design (PLC) has pro-
posed draft legislation for state authorization 
to be recognized as Michigan’s single HBCU 
with the intention to become the nation’s 
first-ever reopened HBCU. PLC is the “dream 
school-made-reality” by Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, 
founder of the Pensole Design Academy in 
Portland, Ore.
Partnering with CCS, PLC will open in 
March 2022 and serve aspiring creatives, 
designers, engineers and business leaders.
Among the college’s founding supporters are 
Dan and Jennifer Gilbert via the Gilbert Family 
Foundation. For each supporter, the commit-
ment to launching PLC is part of larger ongoing 
initiatives supporting the economic future of 
local and diverse communities.
The investment from the Gilbert Family 
Foundation comes as part of the organization’s 
ongoing, $500 million joint commitment over 
the next 10 years to its hometown of Detroit to 
drive access to economic and social opportunity 
and increase equity for residents of Detroit.
“Dan and I are committed to investing in 
and developing programs that build wealth 
and create equitable access to opportunity for 
Detroiters,” says Jennifer Gilbert, entrepre-
neur and co-founder of the Gilbert Family 
Foundation. “We are proud to contribute to the 
Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design 
and know that this historic institution will once 
again cultivate a diverse talent pipeline and fur-
ther cement Detroit’s legacy of innovation.”
Separately, through its Detroit Tax Relief 
Fund, the Gilbert Family Foundation 
announced last month it expects to pay off the 
back property taxes of 5,000 residents by the 
end of the year.

“
As a predominantly Black city, Detroit 
should have an operating Historically Black 
College. Not having one has been a hole in our 
educational landscape for too long,” says Detroit 
Mayor Mike Duggan. “To have the first HBCU 
anywhere to reopen happen in Detroit would be 
a tremendous demonstration of how our city is 
coming back as a city of opportunity for people 
of color.”
As part of the reinstatement process, Pensole 
Lewis will request authorization from the 
Michigan Department of Education to operate 
as an educational corporation and through 
draft legislation will invite the Michigan State 
Legislature to recognize PLC as an HBCU in 
the state of Michigan.
Prior to its official opening and reinstate-
ment, Pensole Lewis will operate in partnership 
with and under the auspices of the College for 
Creative Studies in Detroit. CCS is working 
with Edwards to gain the legal and legislative 
approval needed to establish PENSOLE Lewis, 
which includes designation as an accredited 
educational program.
An agreement is being drafted to establish a 
joint venture between CCS and PLC to allow 
PLC to offer accredited educational programs.
PLC will be located in CCS’ A. Alfred 
Taubman Center for Design Education until 
its permanent home in Detroit is selected and 
developed. Enrollment for Pensole Lewis’ pro-
gram is expected to open December 2021. 

Gilbert Family Foundation backs reopening
of Detroit’s Historically Black College.
A Commitment to the City

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Dan and
Jennifer Gilbert

GILBERT FAMILY FOUNDATION

