Mitzy González is just about two weeks into her new role as program manager of the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU), a partnership with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).
As project manager, González is working on the Frontier Set project, which aims to “improve student outcomes and close attainment gaps” as well as “find, implement, research, and document policies and practices focused on student success,” according to its website.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Frontier Set consists of 29 colleges and universities and two state systems – referred to as “sites” — including APLU/USU, Arizona State University, Delaware State University, Florida International University, Georgia State University and Morehouse College.
“It’s really with the premise of: there’s no one person, institution or field that has the solution that serves every single student well,” González said. “That’s why we need to share ideas, experiences, challenges and work together.”
The project will end mid-2021 and González’s position will last through December 2021, with the possibility of an extension.
APLU/USU will serve Portland State University, Georgia State University and Florida International University, said González, who identifies as a “proud Latina” and Puerto Rican, who was born and raised in Central Florida. She is the first in her family to graduate from college.
“I always understood the value of education from a young age,” González said. “[My parents] always instilled in me the importance of what an education can do, not only for me but for my community and for others as well.”
