From left: Cassopolis Superintendent Tracy Hertsel, Nicholas McKnight, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and Western Michigan University President Dr. John Dunn. (Leader photo/Provided)

Former Cassopolis resident and Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan announced the distribution of more than $1 million in scholarships through the Dennis W. Archer Scholarship Fund Sept. 19 in Detroit.

Cassopolis superintendent Tracy Hertsel was on hand for the announcement and was even called upon by Archer to speak.

“He asked me to speak and basically to talk about where our community is and that Cassopolis is home to him,” Hertsel said. “This is his way of giving back to the community. This scholarship fund has opened the door for a lot of students.”

Archer, who was Detroit’s mayor from 1994 to 2001, is using his leftover campaign contributions to give back to the community.

He announced last Thursday he was donating $1 million in scholarship money to both of his alma maters – Western Michigan University and Wayne State University.

Scholarship recipients will be minority students who are attending either WMU or WSU.

“Opportunity and education are the cornerstones for young people — especially for those born into circumstances where neither are plentiful — to rise above hardship and challenges,” Archer said. “Through the Dennis W. Archer Fund at the Community Foundation and our ‘Archer Scholars’ program at Western Michigan University and Wayne State University, we help talented young people from Detroit and my hometown of Cassopolis expand their potential for personal achievement and community enrichment. Today, we pause to celebrate the $1 million mark in scholarship awards. More importantly, we say thank you to all the contributors and congratulations to nearly 200 young people who are now building better lives for themselves, their families and their communities.”

The current cost of attending and living at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo is $25,985 and $22,582 at Wayne State according to CollegeData.com. Those figures are from 2012.

More than 37 percent of the students at Wayne State in Detroit and 22 percent at Western Michigan are considered minority students and therefore would be eligible for the scholarship.

Archer, who is a 1965 graduate of Western Michigan, is hoping to increase the scholarship funds to $2 million in the near future according to Herstel.