“At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington” is the theme of MTSU’s 2013 observance of Black History Month. Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, will be a featured speaker at the Retention Summit, a discussion of how to stem college dropouts among African-Americans. The event is slated for 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25, in the second-floor ballroom of MTSU’s Student Union Building.

Profiled last year on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” for his dedication to educational innovation, Hrabowski has been tapped by President Barack Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African-Americans. For more information, visit mtsunews.com/black-history-month-2013.