CMSI is Proud to Announce its Sixth Cohort of John Smartt Summer Scholars!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jacinda Nembhard | jacinda.nembhard@gse.rutgers.edu | 848-932-0774
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 8, 2025 – The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to host the sixth annual John Smartt Summer Scholars Program, a virtual internship that provides interested graduate students (masters and doctoral) with the opportunity to gain professional experience, network with scholars in the field of higher education, and learn essential research and programming skills related to equity and leadership in higher education.
Today, we're pleased to announce this year's cohort of John Smartt Summer Scholars:
- Victoria Parker, Purdue University
- Lupita Romo-González, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Nathaly J. Santos, University of California, Berkeley
- Saul Lopez, Marquette University
The John Smartt Summers Scholars program is named in honor of CMSI longtime supporter and philanthropist, John Smartt, and seeks to provide ambitious individuals who demonstrate an interest in learning more about Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with the opportunity to grow academically and professionally. The internship, centered on the scholarship and programs of CMSI, includes financial compensation and will offer selected interns practical research skills and programmatic skills that will help them as they move forward in their careers.
Scholars will receive generous benefits including faculty mentoring, the opportunity to gain research and professional experience, and a $2,000 stipend. Scholars will also receive a special invitation to attend ELEVATE, CMSI’s professional development program for early-career, tenure-track faculty from MSIs.
Learn more about the sixth cohort of John Smarrt Summer Scholars here.
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About the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) brings together researchers and practitioners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. CMSI’s goals include: elevating the educational contributions of MSIs; ensuring that they are a part of national conversations; bringing awareness to the vital role MSIs play in the nation’s economic development; increasing the rigorous scholarship of MSIs; connecting MSIs’ academic and administrative leadership to promote reform initiatives; and strengthening efforts to close educational achievement gaps among disadvantaged communities. The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions is part of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity and Justice (Proctor Institute) at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. For further information about CMSI, please visit https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/.
