Strada Education Network, an education nonprofit based in Indianapolis, launched the MSI Measuring College Value Grant last year for minority serving institutions that seeks to enhance the payoff for their students by helping them work toward gainful employment. The five grantee institutions, dubbed “The Fantastic Five” by Strada, spent the 2016-17 academic year in the planning phase of the grant. This academic year, they began the implementation of the programs they designed using funds from the award. From training in practical skills in Microsoft Excel to developing “soft” skills in communication, each of the five initiatives is a specific response to the needs of each school, but The Fantastic Five share the common goal of ensuring their students complete their undergraduate education with a purpose.
“I’m quite excited about the great progress that they’ve made. I think it’s changing the conversation at these institutions,” says Dr. Lorenzo Esters, vice president of philanthropy at Strada Education Network, who pioneered the MSI grant. “In many ways, I think these institutions, many of whom are under-resourced, can serve as examples or models for other institutions who are similarly situated.”
Harris-Stowe State University
Harris-Stowe is a historically Black public university in St. Louis, ranked number one by Diverse for granting the most degrees in mathematics and statistics to African-American students. Founded in 1857 and originally named after the abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe, the university offers over 30 academic programs. With the Strada MSI grant, Harris-Stowe’s administration hopes to focus on keeping business students active in making long-term plans for their success after completing their degrees.
“We believe in engaging students in their futures and engaging students in their careers, versus just providing a service,” says Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, associate provost and executive director for career engagement. “We wanted to get in front of our students very early in order to start having conversations about their careers.”
Smith says she focused on the advisers working in the Academic Success Center. She and her team at Harris-Stowe are using this resource to help students plan a trajectory from major to career. The university also administers a career interest survey to all its students.
“We wanted to start having a conversation with students at admission about the problems of the world they wanted to solve,” says Smith, “and what vehicle they wanted to use to pursue their careers.”
