Press Release

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., February 12, 2026 —The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce the release of a new research report, “How Leaders Define Student Success at Minority Serving Institutions.” This report offers insight into how leaders at MSIs describe, cultivate, and measure student success within their own institutional contexts. It also highlights the different dimensions of success that are essential to students' overall progress at MSIs but are often overlooked by traditional academic performance indicators. 

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., February 9, 2026 – The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce the launch of the MSI Humanities Leadership Academy, a new academic leadership mentorship program designed to strengthen the pipeline of humanities leaders at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The initiative is supported by a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., October 9, 2025 –A new report by Rebecca Perdomo, Senior Research Associate at Rutgers CMSI, details the sweeping impact of the Trump Administration’s September 10, 2025, decision to end discretionary funding for Minority Serving Institution (MSI) programs. Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), colleges and universities where at least 25 percent of undergraduates are Hispanic, face a $458,985,568 loss in funding across three major programs.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., June 30, 2025 – The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has released a new report, The HBCU Registered Apprenticeship Toolkit. The publication offers Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to launching and sustaining Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs, equipping students with paid, hands-on work experience while completing their degrees.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., June 11, 2025 –This week, the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host its annual early-career faculty professional development program, ELEVATE (Enriching Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators). The three-day program will take place from today, June 11 to June 13, 2025, in Princeton, NJ.

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.