Philadelphia, Pa., June 28, 2019— Faculty members are essential in the internationalization of institutions and curricula, however, they are often not encouraged to lead study abroad programs. A new report illuminates the significance of faculty-led study abroad using research from the Project Passport International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS), a joint program by the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).
 
Project Passport IFDS is a week-long seminar that provides Minority Serving Institution (MSI) faculty with the skills and confidence necessary to establish short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs on their respective campuses. The program, developed specifically with MSI faculty in mind, offers participants best practices for crafting a framework for intercultural learning, integrating global learning experiences in academic curricula, and identifying strategies for study abroad recruitment.
 
For the past three years, Project Passport IFDS has been held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a location purposefully chosen due to the country’s history and rich cultural heritage along with its proximity to the U.S. While in Santo Domingo, MSI faculty learn about the core competencies for intercultural development: knowing themselves, knowing others, managing emotions, and bridging through hands-on activities and excursions that allow participants to immerse themselves in the Dominican culture. They also learn how to integrate global concepts into their curricula.
 
“When faculty have the opportunity to engage in their own study abroad experience, their eyes are opened to all the ways an international context can drive innovation in teaching and learning,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “They are inspired to explore internationalization of course curricula and syllabi, and brainstorm ideas for creating unique study abroad experiences related to their field of study.”
 
The report also includes data from participant interviews. Participants shared how the program has led them to incorporate more international perspectives in their courses and to adopt some of the pedagogical practices that were modeled by the seminar’s facilitators. Participants also shared some of the obstacles they faced upon developing their own study abroad programs. These obstacles fell into two categories: institutional and student-related. Institutional obstacles included garnering buy-in from institutional leadership and peers as well as a lack of infrastructure to facilitate study abroad. Student-related obstacles included cost and culture, namely the cost for students in terms of both travel expenses and missing employment opportunities, and the fact that some students come from communities where various factors discourage them from traveling far from home.
 
“Efforts to increase the participation of MSIs in study abroad must be nuanced and explicitly address their unique institutional and demographic contexts,” noted Daniel Blake, the report’s lead author and a research associate at CMSI. “MSIs must approach obstacles strategically to increase their competitiveness and prepare students for an increasingly globalized world.”
 
The report urges MSI administrators interested in tapping into the wealth of study abroad benefits to begin by educating their faculty on the value of study abroad. Gaining the faculty support can be done by reducing the challenges that impede faculty involvement such as workload, time constraints, and resources required to participate. The report provides recommendations that can help administrators better support faculty members, including creating more flexible requirements for faculty members to ease the workload, especially for those working toward tenure and promotion, and lessening the financial burden of study abroad by exercising financial creativity to ensure faculty are not overburdened by the study abroad experience.
 
The report also provides recommendations on how faculty can be resourceful in planning study abroad. These recommendations include exploring collaborations with faculty within and outside of their institutions, considering short-term programs as a point of entry for MSI student participation, and partnering with study abroad providers to alleviate safety and lack of knowledge concerns. The report concludes with a list of grant opportunities available for MSI faculty and students.
 
The report can be found here.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 25, 2019— The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) in partnership with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has published a report entitled, “Diversifying Study Abroad and Expanding Equity for Minority Serving Institutions.”
 
The report offers an important glimpse into the challenges that dissuade students from studying abroad, including barriers of cost, culture, and curriculum, all of which may be exacerbated at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs often have limited institutional resources to support study abroad and the majority of students are of color and come from low-income backgrounds.
 
In particular, the report highlights the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship (FDGF), a collaborative initiative created by CMSI and CIEE that covers the costs for 10 outstanding MSI students, chosen for their academic achievement, communication skills, and service to others, to participate in an intensive four-week study abroad program focused on intercultural communication and leadership.
 
“By outlining the obstacles that can stand in the way of study abroad, and highlighting a program designed to minimize the impact of those obstacles, we hope this report will encourage additional efforts to make study abroad more accessible for under-resourced students, especially those at MSIs,” asserted Daniel Blake, the report’s lead author and a research associate at CMSI.
 
The report details how the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is shifting the narrative of study abroad for underserved students. Using pre- and post-FDGF interviews as well as data from the Intercultural Development Inventory, the report shares how fellows have been shaped by the intentional programming and customized curriculum provided by the program.   
 
“It has been incredible to observe students respond to the targeted intercultural support and guided reflection built into the curriculum,” said Dr. Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE. “The success of the program and the anecdotes from students reveal the value of intentionality in crafting a program that serves this distinct population—MSI students. Such deliberate planning can foster not only academic growth in students but personal growth as well.”
 
The report ends with data on MSI study abroad participation. According to the report, 10.9% of all U.S. study abroad students in the 2016-2017 academic year came from MSIs. This reveals the underrepresentation of MSI students in study abroad given that MSIs enroll over 25% of all college students. Hispanic Serving Institutions contribute the most to the overall representation of MSI students abroad and are followed closely by Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. The report also includes information on the fields of study that MSI study abroad students derive from, their destinations, and the duration of their study abroad experiences.
 
“One of the exemplary components of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is to encourage fellows to become ambassadors at their home institutions,” said Lola Esmieu, Associate Director for Programs at CMSI and one of the authors of the report. “As ambassadors, fellows are encouraged to spread the mission of the Frederick Douglass program—normalizing study abroad on their campuses and raising awareness on the benefits of education abroad.”
 
“The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship recognizes the power of positive role models to encourage young student leaders to embrace the life-changing impact that studying abroad affords,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “First, the inspiring life of Frederick Douglass encourages students to believe in their ability to change the course of their lives, just as he did in the mid-19th century, and then returning Frederick Douglass Global Fellows inspire their peers with their unique personal stories of transformation. They become the proverbial ‘pebbles on the pond’ of culture change in their campus communities. We hope this report inspires other innovations in study abroad designed to expand participation by MSI students and members of other underrepresented groups.”
 
The report can be found here.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 11, 2019— To commemorate a decade of the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation and call attention to the research associated with these institutions, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a guide that provides an overview on scholarship related to AANAPISIs.

In response to the diverse needs of underserved and underrepresented Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, the AANAPISI designation was introduced in 2007 by the U.S. Department of Education. Since its establishment, these institutions have been scarcely explored. The guide titled, “Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions: A Resource Guide,” encourages readers to engage in work related to AANAPISIs and further investigate how these institutions are uplifting and supporting AAPI communities.

“We hope this guide will inform the growing foundation of work on AANAPISIs,” says Thai-Huy Nguyen, Assistant Professor of Education at Seattle University, CMSI Senior Research Associate, and one of the authors of the guide.

The guide, a resource that spotlights the current literature on AANAPISIs, is intended to be a point of entry for scholars interested in further exploring these institutions. Using foundational questions to organize the content, the guide also provides references that readers can utilize as starting points to propose new inquiries related to the designation.

One of the lead authors and a graduate student in the Student Development Administration program at Seattle University, Willa M. Kurland shares “This was truly a collective endeavor and represents the power of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among scholars, practitioners, and administrators. The resource guide has allowed us to elevate the often misunderstood and misrepresented narrative of AANAPISIs and the students they serve.”

In addition to underscoring the scholarship related to AANAPISIs, the guide concludes with recommendations for future research and a call to action. Researchers and administrators are urged to consider how the designation impacts not only students but institutional identity, infrastructure, and initiatives.

“Being an Asian American, working on this guide has been critically significant to my academic journey. It has allowed me to feel both seen and heard. And if I feel that, I know there are others who also feel that," says Nicolas W. K. S. Lee, one of the guide’s lead authors and a graduate student in the Student Development Administration program at Seattle University.

The guide comes free of charge and is readily available on our website. Full copies of the guide can be found here.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 5, 2019— The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting our second MSI Aspiring Leaders Forum from Friday, November 1, 2019 to Sunday, November 3, 2019. MSI Aspiring Leaders is a three-day forum and two-year mentoring program that connects prominent Minority Serving Institutions' (MSI) leaders with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.
 
We are pleased to announce this year's cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders:

• Marcus Burgess, Claflin University
• Dara N. Byrne, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)
• Honora Chapman, California State University, Fresno
• Toya Corbett, North Carolina Central University
• Steven Delgado, formerly Whittier College
• Christopher Dowdy, Paul Quinn College
• Billie Gastic Rosado, New York University
• Kevin James, Morris Brown College
• Jason Johnson, Langston University  
• Mautra Jones, Langston University
• Venessa Martin Funches, Auburn University, Montgomery
• Crystal Moore, White House, Domestic Policy Council
• Pamela Payne Foster, University of Alabama
• Tonia Perry Conley, Mercer County Community College
• Curtis Proctor, University of Central Florida
• Monte Randall, College of the Muscogee Nation
• Rocio Rivadeneyra, Illinois State University
• Louie Rodriguez, University of California, Riverside
• Timothy Sams, Prairie View A&M University
• Kenneth Saunders, Kenneth Saunders Educational Consultancy
• Christine Thorpe, Kean University
• Julian Vasquez Heilig, University of Kentucky
• Mary Ann Villarreal, California State University, Fullerton  
• Kimberly White-Smith, University of La Verne
• Damon Lewis Williams Jr., Northwestern University

Read more about the selected Aspiring Leaders here. 

The program will also feature the following MSI presidential mentors:

• Roslyn Artis, President, Benedict College
• John Bassett, former President, Heritage University
• Colette Pierce Burnette, President, Huston Tillotson University
• Joseph Castro, President, California State University, Fresno
• Mildred García, President, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
• Timothy Hall, President, Mercy College
• Sharon Herzberger, President Emerita, Whittier College
• Harold Martin, Chancellor, North Carolina A&T University
• Charlie Nelms, former Chancellor, Indiana University East, University of Michigan-Flint, and North Carolina Central University
• Patricia McGuire, President, Trinity College
• Alvin Schexnider, President, Schexnider & Associates, LLC
• William Serrata, President, El Paso County Community College
• Vinton Thompson, President Emeritus, Metropolitan College of New York
• Rowena Tomaneng, President, Berkeley City College
• David Wilson, President, Morgan State University 

Marybeth Gasman, Director of CMSI, shared, “Ultimately, this program seeks to equip individuals, often on the periphery of discussions on leadership, with the skills, knowledge, and network to lead institutions that serve students that are the most in need. Because this program aims to alter what leadership looks like across the landscape of higher education, the forum acts as a hub for innovation and each Aspiring Leader and mentor were hand-selected for their eagerness to become trailblazers.”
 
Supported by $825,000 from the ECMC Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Apple, Samsung, HP, Intel, Pinterest and the Penn Executive Doctorate in Higher Education program, MSI Aspiring Leaders includes both a leadership forum and a mentorship program. The forum includes a variety of sessions on topics such as the presidential nominating process, presidential fit, fiscal management, strategic fundraising, trustee relationship management, and crisis communication. Following the forum, MSI Aspiring Leaders and their presidential mentors will participate in a one-on-one relationship over two years, managed by CMSI. CMSI will provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years, with the hope that these relationships may be part of a future longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ career trajectories.
 
“Each Aspiring Leader is pivotal to the success of the program. By matching mentors and Aspiring Leaders based on their goals and creating a cohort of leaders with similar aspirations, the program is intentional with providing layers of support that contribute to the overall success of those aspiring to be MSI presidents. We are not only preparing leaders with the skills to be adept in managing the challenges of the 21st-century college or university president but also we are spurring dialogue on the value of leadership that embraces authenticity,” says Paola “Lola” Esmieu, the Associate Director for Programs at CMSI.  
 
In our effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders will be hosted without program fees to all invited participants. In addition, all meals and materials will be provided by CMSI. Participants will only have to cover the cost of their personal travel and lodging.

Philadelphia, Pa., May 29, 2019—This week, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting its fifth annual early career faculty training program, ELEVATE (Enriching Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators) in Philadelphia, PA. The three-day program, offered free of charge to selected fellows, will include a series of interactive sessions on how to best maneuver the challenges associated with being tenure-track faculty at a Minority Serving Institution (MSI).

Facilitated by CMSI, senior faculty mentors, and former ELEVATE Fellows, with years of experiential knowledge working at or with MSIs, ELEVATE will present its largest cohort to date, 24 Fellows, with a valuable opportunity to network with experts in the field. Speakers will discuss topics that include publishing and pedagogical techniques, effective mentoring practices, op-ed writing, work-life balance, achieving tenure, and grant writing. Each session is curated to directly address the distinct needs and preparation gaps that can prematurely impede early career faculty at MSIs from advancing their careers.

“ELEVATE is one of those cherished gifts that keep on giving. Being selected to be a part of the inaugural cohort in and of itself was a confidence booster. I was able to readily apply what I learned in the pursuit of my professional goals (i.e. grant writing) and other professional development opportunities. In addition, I acquired a professional extended family that is always just a phone call or a keystroke away,” shared Erica R. Russell, ELEVATE 2015 Fellow and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Norfolk State University.
 
ELEVATE intends to support community building through ongoing learning, training, and networking of early career MSI faculty by offering a platform for collaboration that prompts participants to forge meaningful partnerships. In an attempt to foster a community of MSI scholars, the program will also provide participants with the tools necessary to support faculty at their home institutions.

“The road to tenure can be isolating; it does not have to be. The program provided a level of affirmation for success and a set of concrete strategies to take my project to the next level, which for me had immediate effects on my productivity. In a word, the program truly elevated mentorship and support, but unconditionally, for those who choose to center their scholarship within Minority Serving Institutions,” said Tyler Argüello, 2018 ELEVATE Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Division of Social Work at California State University, Sacramento.

ELEVATE is offered free of any registration fees to participants and covers all meals, materials, and lodging to minimize the financial burden of participating. ELEVATE is part of a partnership with CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and funded by both the Kresge Foundation and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.

“It has been remarkable seeing this program transform over the years. Seeing former recipients who once benefited from the program return and take the lead in facilitating the content has been both profound and refreshing,” says Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director for Programs at CMSI. “With a network of nearly 100 Fellows, we are on track to achieving what we set out to do—develop a community of MSI scholars with the tools necessary to be successful in academia, and we are so excited to see this community continue to grow.”

Philadelphia, Pa., March 27, 2019 — Today at the Forum on Education Abroad Annual Conference, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) announced the third cohort for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program. The following outstanding freshmen and sophomores from Minority Serving Institutions, chosen for their academic achievement, communication skills, and service to others, will participate in a four-week experiential education program at CIEE’s London Global Institute this summer:

• Jessica Allen, City College of San Francisco
• Jibril Bing, CUNY Stella and Charles Guttman Community College
• Qiwei Chen, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• Alisa Fowler, Paul Quinn College 
• John Francois, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
• Jasmine Garcia, California State University, Fullerton
• Daniela Quinones, The University of Texas at El Paso
• Henry Seyue, Benedict College
• Hali Smith, Clark Atlanta University  
• Frederick Uy, Claflin University  

FDGF is part of a three-year strategic partnership between CIEE and CMSI, designed to break down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to make study abroad accessible to students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Each year, the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, named in honor of Frederick Douglass, the renowned African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and international statesman, covers all program fees and travel costs for 10 outstanding MSI students to participate in an intensive summer study abroad program focused on leadership and intercultural communication.
 
The Frederick Douglass Global Fellows were nominated by their college leadership and selected from a pool of more than 250 applicants in a national competition. When they return to their campuses after studying abroad, they will use their experiences to motivate other underrepresented students to pursue similar study abroad opportunities.

“We are thrilled with the number, quality, and diversity of applications we received this year,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of CMSI. “We had students from many different backgrounds and academic majors apply for the program, and all types of MSIs were represented, including Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU).”

“The students selected for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship are ten exemplary student leaders who demonstrate the iconic leadership, keen intellect, and natural change-agent attributes of Frederick Douglass,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “These students will be the next generation of leaders and I know that the intercultural competence and global perspective they will gain during the London program will benefit them throughout their lives.”

To learn more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship and sign up to be notified when applications open for the 2020 Fellowship, visit ciee.org/fdgf. 

Learn more about the 2019 Frederick Douglass Fellows here.

Philadelphia, Pa., March 25, 2019 — The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) would like to recognize the 15 leaders of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who have demonstrated their commitment to democratizing study abroad by matching CIEE’s $1500 grant to their qualified students who applied for the prestigious Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship.

The following leaders are changing lives by increasing access to study abroad:

• President Roslyn Clark Artis, Benedict College
• President Joseph I. Castro, California State University, Fresno
• President Framroze Virjee, California State University, Fullerton
• President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, Central State University
• Chancellor James A. Anderson, Fayetteville State University
• President Rudolph F. Crew, Medgar Evers College
• President Eduardo J. Padrón, Miami Dade College
• President David Thomas, Morehouse College
• President David Wilson, Morgan State University
• President Ann McElaney-Johnson, Mount Saint Mary College
• President Michael Sorrell, Paul Quinn College
• President Laurel Vermillion, Sitting Bull College
• President Patricia McGuire, Trinity Washington University
• Chancellor Michael D. Amiridis, University of Illinois, Chicago
• President Makola M. Abdullah, Virginia State University

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, named in honor of Frederick Douglass, the renowned African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, international best-selling author, and international statesman, covers all program and travel costs for 10 outstanding MSI students each year to participate in a summer study abroad program focused on leadership and intercultural communication. The third cohort of Frederick Douglass Global Fellows will study in London during the summer of 2019.

This year, a record-breaking number of students from nearly 100 exceptional colleges and universities applied for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship and ALL qualified students who completed their application but were not chosen as Fellows will still receive a $1500 grant from CIEE toward a 2019 summer study abroad program. In addition, for students from the 15 institutions that are matching the CIEE grant, the total support will be $3,000.

“The additional financial support pledged by these MSI presidents will enable dozens more students to participate in a transformative international experience, just as Frederick Douglass did in 1845 when he traveled to London, Dublin, and Scotland,” said James P. Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “I wish to thank each of these exemplary college presidents for their generosity and vision in promoting international education for their students. Their actions are changing the face of study abroad.”

Launched in 2017, the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is just one example of how CIEE and CMSI are working to increase diversity in study abroad by breaking down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture that prevent students from participating in international education experiences that can positively impact their lives and futures.

Philadelphia, February 19, 2019—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting our 5th annual early career faculty training program, ELEVATE (Enriching Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators) in Philadelphia, PA from May 29 to May 31, 2019.

Today, we're pleased to announce this year's cohort of ELEVATE Fellows:

• Janet Antwi, Prairie View A&M University
• Terrell Brown, Florida A&M University
• Tissyana C. Camacho, California State University, Northridge
• Marlene Camacho-Rivera, CUNY School of Medicine
• Julius Carlson, Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles
• Jeseth Delgado Vela, Howard University
• Frank Fernandez, University of Houston
• Morewell Gaseller, Xavier University of Louisiana
• Jo Nell Aaron Gillings, Miami Dade College
• Tim Grigsby, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• Roshunda Harris-Allen, Tougaloo College
• Edwin Hernandez, California State University, San Bernardino
• Luz Herrera, California State University, Fresno
• Oscar Jerome Stewart, San Francisco State University
• Veronica Johnson, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
• Vivian Lim, Guttman Community College, CUNY
• Lap Nguyen, Central State University
• Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, Spelman College
• Joanna Perez, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Tomekia Simeon, Dillard University
• Henry Smart, III, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY
• Shahab Tayeb, California State University, Fresno
• Daniel Theriault, Benedict College
• Paloma E. Villegas, California State University San Bernardino

Read more about the selected ELEVATE Fellows here.

ELEVATE is a three-day professional development opportunity created specifically to address the unique needs of early career faculty members at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Drawing from the expertise of CMSI and our affiliates, ELEVATE will support the ongoing learning, training, and networking of early career MSI faculty by providing workshops, opportunities to network with peers, and a platform for collaboration.

Participants will have the opportunity to further develop their skills through hands-on workshops and candid discussions that will cover topics such as grant writing, developing a research agenda, teaching, mentoring, and achieving tenure. Knowledge obtained from ELEVATE will help participants enhance the visibility of MSIs in national conversations by producing high-quality research and practice.

ELEVATE is offered free of any registration fees to participants and covers all meals, materials, and lodging to minimize the financial burden of participating. ELEVATE is part of Project Passport, a partnership with CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and funded by both the Kresge Foundation and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation.

Please join us in congratulating these scholars on their selection for ELEVATE!

Philadelphia, Pa., February 18, 2019 — Today, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has announced the release of the first issue of Pathways: A Journal of Humanistic and Social Inquiry (Pathways), a peer-reviewed journal featuring the work of Fellows in the HSI Pathways to the Professoriate Program.
 
Pathways captures the distinctive voices and perspectives of Fellows in the HSI Pathways to the Professoriate program and features scholarship traversing a number of disciplinary traditions, showcasing the breadth of scholarly interests amongst HSI Pathways Fellows.
 
“This journal prepares students to confidently communicate their intellectual thoughts for public consumption,” shared Editor, Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “By offering Fellows an outlet to submit their research, we hope to alleviate the anxiety and stress associated with the academic journal process.”  
 
The closed-submission journal prompts Fellows from across the three participating institutions to submit manuscripts featuring their original research. This original research, developed by Fellows during the program’s research-intensive summer seminar, is refined and polished with the guidance of faculty mentors in the program. Each submission is carefully reviewed by several faculty members who serve on the editorial board. Authors receive constructive feedback and participate in the revision process prior to acceptance for publication.
 
“This program goes beyond simply preparing students for graduate school,” shares Brandy Jones, the Assistant Director for Communications at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and Pathways Managing Editor. “HSI Pathways to the Professoriate provides Fellows a foundation of research, inquiry, and scholarship that helps students fully engage in their academic milieu. This journal is yet another opportunity within the program for Fellows to demonstrate their academic agency.”
 
Supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, HSI Pathways to the Professoriate was created to increase the number of Latino faculty members in humanities. The program is coordinated by CMSI in partnership with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — Florida International University; the University of Texas, El Paso; and California State University, Northridge — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Each year, HSI undergraduate students are selected to take part in an intensive summer research program, while also receiving mentoring, and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school throughout the academic year. Throughout the five-year program, CMSI is also conducting assessments as to how selected students are navigating the HSI Pathways program and, once admitted, their graduate programs. CMSI aims to uncover the challenges and impetuses along the pathway to the Ph.D.
 
“Pathways allows Fellows in this program to claim a stake in their respective fields of study. This opportunity encourages Fellows to articulate their positions within their intellectual community, while simultaneously acquainting them with the often daunting academic journal process,” states Editor, Andrés Castro Samayoa, Assistant Professor at Boston College and the Assistant Director of Assessment at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
The first issue of Pathways: A Journal of Humanistic and Social Inquiry can be found here.

Philadelphia, Pa., February 11, 2019 —The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI), in partnership with minority-owned recruitment marketing platform, The Whether, is proud to announce the inaugural cohort of fellows in the Mary Ellen Pleasant Entrepreneur (MEPE) Fellowship program.

• Aden Coleman, Morgan State University
• Ahmed Ali, North Carolina A&T University
• Asante Gadson, Morehouse College
• Biruk Abate, Jackson State University
• Carl Wesley Smith, North Carolina Central University
• Deandra Simpson, Fayetteville State University
• Destinee Filmore, Spelman College
• Dorian Holmes, North Carolina A&T University
• Jabari Hopson, Morehouse College
• Jai'lyn Richardson, Tennessee State University
• Jameerah Ali, North Carolina Central University
• Jasmine King, Jackson State University
• Kanita Hutchinson, Tennessee State University
• Keneisha Wiggan, Claflin University
• Khalia Fernandez, Morgan State University
• Lyjiria Lacy, Dillard University
• Markia Brown, Albany State University
• Mauriac Alapino, Morgan State University
• Monica Geter, Benedict College
• Mya Jacobs, Xavier University of Louisiana
• Somto Nweke, Morgan State University
• Taylor Ford, North Carolina Central University
• Victoria Bryant, Paul Quinn College
• William "Ben" Rogers, Fayetteville State University
• Zaire Jenkins, North Carolina Central University

Photos and brief biographies for each of the selected fellows can be found here.

The MEPE Fellowship aims to increase future entrepreneurs from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is part of a $775,000 Innovations in Career Advising grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. HBCU students have the opportunity to build a peer advising startup through a 10-week virtual fellowship during the Spring 2019 semester with the help of The Whether’s virtual business and marketing-focused curriculum and their scientifically-validated Clarity Assessment.

The Clarity Assessment is focused on sharpening the critical thinking skills of students about their post-secondary life. The fellows will be responsible for introducing the assessment on campus to professors, student organizations, and individuals. Per the grant, their main goal is to gather feedback and help their peers, while also experimenting with various business principles to maximize their reach.

The Whether Founder and CEO, Chris Motley shares, “We received over 300 applications with more than 80 making it to the interview round. Our team made a very conscious effort to consider a diverse set of criteria that went beyond major and GPA.”

As The Whether narrowed down who to choose for the fellowship, they took into account multiple factors:

• Interview preparedness
• Interview execution
• On-campus involvement
• Bonus task completion in the application
• Clarity Assessment professional values and key strengths
• Responsiveness to messages
• School Leadership Engagement

The result was a class with 64% women, 40% having a dominant professional value of Taking Risks (compared with < 5% on average) from 14 different schools.

Throughout the fellowship, fellows will learn key startup principles and the components to successful and sustainable entrepreneurship, participate in a virtual curriculum on marketing, the customer funnel, virtually collaborate with the Whether’s peer advising platform across partner institutions, and experiment with innovative techniques to assist students on campus in identifying career paths and interests.

Fellows will keep track of their impact on campus by measuring the number of students they’ve reached, those who have completed their Clarity assessment, and those who have provided feedback about the effectiveness of their peer advising startup.

“This fellowship is distinct because it has been developed particularly for HBCU students to serve HBCU students; we are so excited to offer this opportunity and to work alongside The Whether,” says Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

The program will allow fellows to earn up to $2,500 based on metrics and feedback from their campus community.

Philadelphia, Pa., February 4, 2019 — This week, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host the second annual Cross Institutional Conference for its HSI Pathways to the Professoriate program. The four-day conference will bring together 60 Fellows from two cohorts of the program and include interactive sessions that have been crafted to help Fellows in the program better understand the path to the professoriate.  

The conference, which is both a culmination of the second year of the program and a post-graduate convening for the program’s first cohort, will take place February 7, 2019, to February 10, 2019 at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the weekend, Fellows in the second cohort will present their year-long research to their peers — with Cohort 1 Fellows as session chairs, interact with current Ph.D. students and faculty in their field, and participate in hands-on workshops that will provide them with the tools to be successful in graduate school.

“This conference is special because it brings together two cohorts of Fellows,” shared Paola “Lola” Esmieu, the Associate Director for Programs at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “This year’s event will focus on enhancing community throughout the program and will allow Fellows to formulate lasting connections that can be useful as they navigate the academy.”

The Cross Institutional Conference will offer Fellows practical and relevant advice on the challenges and opportunities that they may encounter in their graduate programs. Similar to last year’s conference, this conference will include Latinx guest presenters and keynote speakers who have successfully maneuvered academic spaces.
 
The event’s keynote address will be delivered by Frederick Luis Aldama, a Distinguished Professor and Director of the Latino and Latin American Space for Enrichment (LASER) at The Ohio State University. His keynote entitled, “Latinxs in the Humanities: Blazing New Transdisciplinary Paths,” will explore how the Latinx experience leads to the convergence and emergence of transdisciplinary knowledge in the humanities. Along with the keynote address, there will be sessions on positive mental health management, writing and publishing for academic journals, and a graduate school panel featuring Fellows from the first cohort of the program. There will also be a series of demonstrations from faculty mentors in the program that will encourage students to consider their pedagogical style.
 
“Not only is this conference an opportunity for Fellows to learn, it is also an opportunity for faculty mentors, coordinators, and all those associated with the program to gain insight into how to best support Fellows as they transition to graduate school,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and the Director for the Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
Supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, HSI Pathways to the Professoriate was created to increase the number of Latino faculty members in humanities. The program is coordinated by CMSI in partnership with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — Florida International University; the University of Texas, El Paso; and California State University, Northridge — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Each year, HSI undergraduate students are selected to take part in an intensive summer research program, while also receiving mentoring, and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school throughout the academic year. Throughout the five-year program, CMSI is also conducting assessments as to how selected students are navigating the HSI Pathways program and, once admitted, their graduate programs. CMSI aims to uncover the challenges and impetuses along the pathway to the Ph.D.

Philadelphia, PA., December 14, 2018 – Two HBCUs, Morgan State University and Grambling State University, will be amongst the participants in a study on the new student enrollment resurgence of Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) sponsored by the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI).

Announced by CMSI in October, the study aims to explore the motivations that may be related to the recent new student enrollment resurgence at select HBCUs across the country. This qualitative study will collect data on student’s institutional experiences as well as their impetus for considering, attending, and enrolling in HBCUs.

For the first time in five years, Grambling State University has experienced a significant new student enrollment surge similar to both Howard University and Clark Atlanta University — the first two institutions that were included in the study. Boasting a full time enrollment of over 5,000 students, the institution’s student population total is close to their largest student body, 7,883 students in 1993.

“We were excited when Grambling State reached out to us to be included in the study; the institution like many other HBCUs is experiencing an important enrollment shift and we are happy to explore this trend,” says Janelle Williams, Visiting Scholar at CMSI, and one of the two lead authors of the study.

A representative from Morgan State University also reached out and expressed interest in being a participant in the study.

“Morgan State is a critical addition to this study as the institution’s efforts to expand their student population outside the state of Maryland and become a leader in higher education across the country resonates with young college-going students,” shared Robert Palmer, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University, a Research Affiliate at CMSI and one of the two lead authors of the study.

Findings from the study will inform HBCU administrators, faculty and staff on the factors that influence students interested in enrolling in an HBCU. Based on the study, researchers hope to compile a list of best practices for institutions interested in increasing Black student enrollment, creating inclusive campus environments, and retaining students of colors.

Interested students at Grambling State University or Morgan State University can complete an eligibility survey here.

Philadelphia, Pa., November 9, 2018— Three alumni of the prestigious Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship (FDGF) program are presenting at the CIEE Annual Conference on Study Abroad taking place this week in Barcelona.
 
The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is a product of a partnership between the Council on International Exchange (CIEE) and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) created to increase access to study abroad opportunities for MSI students. It is named in honor of the African-American social reformer, abolitionist, and international statesman Frederick Douglass and is bestowed each year on 10 outstanding freshmen and sophomores from Minority Serving Institutions. It covers all fees and travel costs of participation in a four-week experiential education program designed to provide a global perspective and strengthen the leadership and intercultural communication skills of each participant.

Peire Wilson, part of the first cohort of Frederick Douglass Global Fellows who studied in London in the summer of 2017, will be a co-presenter on a panel entitled "Attitudes on Policing in U.S. International Education." Carmen Crusoe and Juan Duran, from the second cohort who studied in Cape Town in the summer of 2018, are featured speakers at the conference breakfast where they will discuss what was meaningful to them about being part of the Frederick Douglass Fellowship program.

“We’re so proud of the alumni of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and the Director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “They fully engaged in the study abroad experience and committed to sharing what they learned with their campuses after their return home. Their outreach makes them encouraging examples for other students at Minority Serving Institutions and beyond."

The 2018 Frederick Douglass Global Fellows were an extremely ethnically, regionally, and culturally diverse group of students –  including among others, students of Hmong, Dominican, Liberian, Mexican, African American, Venezuelan, and Nigerian backgrounds.

“The student’s own cultural diversity and interest in cultural nuances became a wonderful enhancement to the how they interacted with each other, with the course, and with the host country in meaningful ways,” said Keshia Abraham, Director for Strategic Initiatives at CIEE. “Students committed to learning indigenous languages, sought out residential advisors for cultural dialogues, and both men and women participated in traditional dance classes in the evenings.”

“The carefully crafted international experience for diverse students shared by the Frederick Douglass Global Fellows has proven to be very effective at developing students’ intercultural competence,” said James Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE. “Fellows’ Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) assessment score jumped significantly between pre and post-program testing, increasing by an average of almost 12 points – a far greater increase than students in the Georgetown Consortium study who achieved only a 1.32-point gain after an unfacilitated study abroad program.”
 
CIEE and CMSI are currently accepting applications for 2019 Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship. The deadline for students from MSIs to apply is February 14, which is Frederick Douglass’ adopted birthday. Details on eligibility requirements and the application process can be found here.

New this year, all qualified students who apply, but are not selected for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, will be awarded a $1,500 grant that can be applied to select CIEE summer programs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cape Town, Paris, and Shanghai.

Know an MSI student who may be eligible for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship? Encourage them to apply! Applications can be found here.  

Philadelphia, Pa., November 7, 2018— Today in Barcelona, Spain the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host the fourth annual Presidential Leadership Workshop, a one-day executive level workshop designed for university presidents from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) looking to expand study abroad opportunities for their students. 

This workshop is a part of a partnership between CIEE and CMSI created to increase access to study abroad opportunities for MSI students by facilitating dialogue about the importance of international education at all levels of MSIs, including presidents, faculty, and students.
 
The following MSI presidents will be participating in this year’s workshop:

• Michael Amiridis, University of Illinois – Chicago
• Roslyn Artis, Benedict College
• Rudolph Crew, CUNY Medgar Evers College
• Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, Central State University
• Ann McElaney-Johnson, Mount St. Mary’s University Los Angeles
• Patricia McGuire, Trinity Washington College
• Anthony E. Munroe, Essex County College 
• Eduardo J. Padron, Miami Dade College
• David Thomas, Morehouse College
• Beverly Wade Hogan, Tougaloo College

“We are so proud that these institutional leaders who are dedicated to expanding international education on their campus and are leading by example and engaging in dialogue about the significance of immersive and intentional programming for MSI students,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and the Director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
Among other topics, the workshop will teach the presidents techniques for improving campus access to international education and integrating international education into their institutional strategic plans.
 
Presidents will also hear from alumni of the highly-selective Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program that is also part of the partnership between CMSI and CIEE. Carmen Crusoe and Juan Duran, two of ten 2018 Frederick Douglass Fellows, will share what they learned while participating in a four-week intercultural leadership program held in Cape Town, South Africa this summer.
 
“The Presidential Leadership Workshop dissects the difficult task of internationalizing the college campus by sharing strategies that can help MSI presidents break down barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to expand study abroad opportunities at their institutions,” said Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE.

In addition to the Presidential Leadership Workshop, the MSI presidents are invited as special guests to CIEE’s Annual Conference Study Abroad, Leading Innovation: Educating Global Citizens in the Digital Age, which will be held in Barcelona from November 7-10, 2018. CIEE’s Annual Conference will have attendees from 222+ international organizations, including 135+ colleges and universities.

Philadelphia, Pa., October 29, 2018 — The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce that they will be co-sponsoring a study exploring the cause for the recent uptick in the enrollment of Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Conducted by Janelle L. Williams, Assistant Director for Health Policy at the University of Sciences and Visiting Scholar at CMSI, alongside Robert Palmer, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Howard University and a Research Affiliate at CMSI, the study aims to identify factors that may be related to the recent HBCU enrollment resurgence. By focusing on Black students from two HBCUs, Howard University and Clark Atlanta University, this qualitative study will collect data on student’s institutional experiences as well as their impetus for considering, attending, and enrolling in HBCUs.
 
“Both Howard and Clark Atlanta have experienced enrollment increases, despite years of flat and declining enrollment. These institutions are ideal locations to explore this phenomenon,” shares Janelle Williams.
 
Findings from the study will inform HBCU administrators, student affairs administrators, staff, and faculty on the critical factors responsible for the enrollment resurgence in addition to the motivations of students interested in enrolling in an HBCU in a contemporary context. These findings will urge HBCUs to consider the practices and policies that help retain current students and attract future students. Findings of this study will also be beneficial to predominately White institutions and may lead these institutions to consider how to best create safe spaces and inclusive environments for all students.
 
“In light of the recent racially biased incidents on college campuses across the nation and social movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement, HBCUs must be cognizant of how these cultural shifts have the potential to shape their student populations, both current and future students. For HBCUs, it is imperative that we understand the factors that influence student motivations, as this is a pivotal time in history for all institutions serving Black students,” said Robert Palmer.

Philadelphia, Pa., October 8, 2018 — This weekend, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host a Mid-Program Convening for their MSI Aspiring Leaders program in Chicago, IL. The three-day event will take place from Friday, October 12 to Sunday, October 14 and will focus on cohort-building and addressing the distinct challenges associated with being a president of a Minority Serving Institution (MSI).

Similar to the format of the MSI Aspiring Leaders forum, the Mid-Program Convening will contain sessions that explore the various responsibilities and roles that college presidents may encounter during their tenure. With sessions ranging from presidential fundraising to government and state relations to managing institutional crises, Aspiring Leaders will engage in meaningful discussions that will provide them with best practices on how to effectively lead an MSI from presenters and presidential mentors with experiential expertise.

Throughout the program, there will be time allotted for Aspiring Leaders to engage with one another and to learn more about the individuals in their cohort.

“This convening will focus on building community and making connections between peers with similar aspirations and abilities,” shared Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions and Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education. “We believe that not only can Aspiring Leaders learn from their designated mentors and the invited speakers, but they can also learn from the other Aspiring Leaders in the room.”

Additionally, the program contains sessions aimed at understanding Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), two kinds of MSIs that are underexplored and often overlooked. These sessions will allow Aspiring Leaders to learn about the history and opportunities associated with these federally-designated institutions. 

“Leading an institution can be challenging; having the tools and understanding the techniques to address the issues that may arise are important. This convening will strengthen the peer network between Aspiring Leaders, ” shares Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions.   

Supported by $815,000 from the ECMC Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Apple, Samsung, HP, Intel, Pinterest and the Penn Executive Doctorate in Higher Education program, MSI Aspiring Leaders brings together prominent MSI leaders to engage with mid-career Aspiring Leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.
 
In an effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders is free of program fees to all invited participants. Participants also receive travel stipends to offset the cost of their travel and lodging.

Philadelphia, Pa., October 1, 2018—In partnership with ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Democracy Works, Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, Young Invincibles, Students Learn Students Vote, and the Campus Vote Project, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new report that takes a detailed look at the programs and practices that Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are employing to engage their students in voting.

This report titled, Spotlight on MSIs: Turning Student Activism into Votes, stems from a 2017 CMSI report on the role of MSIs in increasing voter turnout. The initial report urged MSIs to address the challenges that inhibit students and their surrounding communities from participating in voting; these challenges include polling location barriers, policy restrictions, lack of voting information, miscommunication of information, and racism at the polls. The current report highlights MSIs and the initiatives these institutions have implemented to effectively eliminate barriers to student voting on their campuses.

Students of color tend to be underrepresented among voters in local and national elections. With MSIs enrolling 40% of all students of color in the United States and many MSIs having long histories of democratically engaged student populations, these institutions are in a distinct position to encourage students of color to vote.

“MSIs have a responsibility to educate their students on the significance of civic engagement,” shared Tyler Hallmark, one of the lead authors of the report. “MSI leaders must be aware of the barriers that obstruct students from voting and use their agency to advocate for student voter access.”

Selecting eight MSIs as models, the report explains that even in places where voting barriers loom largest, MSIs are advocating for their students and increasing voter turnout. For example, after a series of student marches at historically Black university, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), an early polling site was placed near campus, making it more accessible for students to participate in local and national elections. In 2017, PVAMU students turned out to the polls and elected their student body president to City Council. These efforts and others like it have not only addressed barriers to voting but have in many cases shaped election results.
 
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State), both an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) is another MSI that holds civic engagement in high regard. The dually designated institution has expanded its annual Constitution Day to a full week filled with civic engagement activities, a speaker series, and volunteer opportunities across the city. The institution has also established an alternative spring break option that provides students the opportunity to canvas cities to increase voter registration. These efforts further solidify Sacramento State’s place as an institution that successfully promotes civic engagement on campus and in its surrounding community.
 
Both of these institutions and the other six highlighted in the report demonstrate intentional, innovative, and effective practices to increase voter engagement on their campus and in their respective communities.
 
Andrew Martinez, a lead author of the report and CMSI Research Associate shares, “Democratic engagement goes beyond simply registering students to vote. Institutions must meet students where they are and educate them on the value of their vote and how it can shape the decisions that affect their lives now and for years to come.” 
 
The report concludes with recommendations for MSIs to best engage their students. The report suggests partnering with MSIs that have effectively engaged students in voting, and with organizations like All In Campus Democracy Challenge and TurboVote that provide institutional support with increasing student voter interest and participation. The report also suggests educating students early in their academic careers about the significance of voting, their voting rights as students, and ensuring faculty and staff are prepared to answer questions students may have about voting.
 
Full copies of the report are freely available here. 

About the Center for Minority Serving Institutions 
The Center for Minority Serving Institutions 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. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi.

About the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge believes that more young people need to participate in the electoral process. Recognizing colleges and universities for their commitment to increasing student voting rates, this national awards program encourages institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship. Hundreds of colleges and universities have joined the Challenge and have committed to making democratic participation a core value on their campuses. Together, they are cultivating generations of engaged citizens, which is essential to a healthy democracy. To learn more, watch our video at allinchallenge.org/video and visit our website at allinchallenge.org

About Campus Vote Project 
In 2012, the Fair Elections Legal Network (FELN) launched Campus Vote Project (CVP) to focus and expand its work around student voting issues. CVP works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting. Our goal is to help campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote. For further information about CVP, please visit http://campusvoteproject.org.

About Democracy Works
Democracy Works is building the tools needed to upgrade the infrastructure of our democracy and improve the voting experience for voters and election officials alike. Our vision is straightforward: make voting a simple, seamless experience for all Americans so that no one misses an election. For further information about Democracy Works, please visit https://democracy.works.
 

About the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education
The Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE), part of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, serves as a leading venue for research, resources, and advocacy on college student political learning and engagement in democratic practice. Through research, resource development, and convening,we strive to inform and shift college and university priorities, practices, and culture to strengthen democracy and advance social and political equity. For further information about IDHE please visit https://idhe.tufts.edu.

About Students Learn Students Vote
The Students Learn Students Vote Coalition is a group of over 150 nonpartisan organizations dedicated to helping college faculty, staff, and students implement data-driven strategies for increasing student registration and voting rates. For further information about Students Learn Students Vote, please visit http://www.studentslearnstudentsvote.org/. 

About Young Invincibles 
Young Invincibles (YI) was founded by a group of students in the summer of 2009, motivated by the recognition that young people’s voices were not being heard in the debate over health care reform. In the years since, YI has expanded from a group run out of a school cafeteria to a national organization with offices across the country. YI takes on issues related to health care, higher education, economic security, and civic engagement, to expand economic opportunity for young adults ages 18 to 34 and make sure our generation’s perspective is heard wherever decisions about our collective future are being made. YI builds a national network of young leaders to take action for social change, shares the stories of young adults, produces cutting-edge policy research and analysis, and provides tools for our generation to make smart economic choices. To learn more, visit younginvincibles.org and follow @YoungInvincible on Twitter. 

Philadelphia, Pa., September 14, 2018— The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce that it has received $50,000 in donations from Intel, HP, Apple, Pinterest, and Samsung to further support their MSI Aspiring Leaders program.
 
At a reception sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, and the Internet Association in Washington, D.C., CMSI was honored for its effort to diversify industry and senior leadership at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) through programs, such as the MSI Aspiring Leaders program, and initiatives aimed at enhancing avenues for all people to have equal access to 21st century opportunities.  
 
“We are incredibly thankful for the outpouring of support from these companies,” shared Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director for the Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “This funding will eliminate barriers of cost and strengthen mentoring relationships for the Aspiring Leaders of our program. We are very grateful for this opportunity.”
 
The event was a part of a three-day annual event known as the National HBCU Braintrust developed by Congresswoman Alma S. Adams of the HBCU Caucus to bring together government, industry, and educational leaders to discuss the condition of HBCUs and to find solutions to the issues shaping these institutions and their students. This year’s HBCU Braintrust was titled, “The Power of Black Women: Reshaping, Redefining & Diversifying America’s Workforce,” and featured Black women Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers as well as Black women HBCU presidents with the goal of igniting new industry and HBCU partnerships.
 
“We are proud to support this important cause and to uplift the future educational thought thinkers that will ensure our schools are working collectively with industry and government to provide pathways to opportunity for all students,” said Congresswoman Alma S. Adams.
 
As a testament to the program and its impact, MSI presidential mentor Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College and his mentee, Aspiring Leader, Donna Hay-Jones of The Washington Center were in attendance. Michael Sorrell delivered a compelling speech detailing the dynamic structure and the essential nature of such an initiative.
 
“The Aspiring Leaders program is about building bridges and developing authentic relationships focused on common goals and shared gains. There is an understanding among mentors and mentees that there are far more things that bind us together than pull us apart,” shares Michael Sorrell. “This program is important, and I am so proud to be part of it. Thank you, Marybeth, and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions for the pioneering work you are doing to prepare leaders to best serve our institutions”
 
The donations will provide travel scholarships for women of color who travel to MSI Aspiring Leaders professional development events, who want to visit their mentors for leadership shadowing experiences, and who want to attend national leadership conferences. 
 
The MSI Aspiring Leaders is a two-year program that brings together prominent MSI presidents to engage with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents. The program includes both a leadership forum and mentorship program and has been designed to help promote diversity among higher education leadership. In an effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders is hosted free of program fees to all invited participants.
 

Philadelphia, Pa., September 11, 2018—The Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI), in partnership with an award-winning recruitment marketing platform, The Whether, has launched the Mary Ellen Pleasant Entrepreneur (MEPE) Fellowship. The fellowship aims to increase future entrepreneurs from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is part of a $775,000 “Innovations in Career Advising” grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through the MEPE Fellowship, 25 fellows will build a career-advising startup to help their peers declare majors, prepare for interviews, and explore career paths. These fellows will be selected from a network of 17 HBCU partners with a collective population of more than 50,000 students.

The MEPE Fellowship will provide fellows with an opportunity to build their own startup through a 10-week virtual internship during the Spring 2019 semester. Over the 10 weeks, fellows will:

• Learn key startup principles and the components to successful and sustainable entrepreneurship
• Participate in a virtual curriculum on marketing, the customer funnel, and the business model canvas
• Collaborate with each other across partner institutions through periodic virtual meetings
• Experiment with innovative techniques to assist students on campus in identifying career paths and interests early

The MEPE fellows will build their career-advising startup using two key elements:

1. A virtual business and marketing-focused curriculum developed by the Whether.
2. The Whether’s scientifically-validated Soft Skills and Values Assessment (SSVA).

The curriculum will teach fellows the business of career advising, its impact on the success of their institution, and how to scale advising to thousands of their peers. The SSVA  provides a personalized and holistic evaluation of a student’s natural values, motivations, and abilities. It has been used as a model by institutions such as Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis.

Unlike other assessments that only focus on personality traits, the SSVA takes an individual’s natural values, motivations, and abilities into account when discovering career paths. It provides a lifetime’s worth of career advice in less than 30 minutes. As evidenced by a Strada-Gallup survey (2017) of over 32,000 students, only a third of students believe they will graduate with the skills and knowledge to be successful in the job market (34%) and only 36% believe they will be successful in the workplace, and just half (53%) believe their major will lead to a good job. With the SSVA, students receive personalized career advice about their soft skills, leadership, key strengths, caution areas, and desired organizational culture in an easy-to-understand report accessible on their phone. Fellows will be encouraged to use their entrepreneurial creativity to get as many of their peers to complete the SSVA.

Fellows will keep track of their impact on campus by measuring the number of students they’ve reached, those who have completed their SSVA, and those who have provided feedback about the effectiveness of their campus-advising startup. Fellows will conclude their experience with a celebration dinner hosted by CMSI.

“By encouraging their peers to get excited about their career interests and using tools like the SSVA to gain clarity on their potential, fellows will leave a legacy of innovation within the career advising efforts on their campus,” says Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

The cohort of HBCUs that will host the MEPE fellowship on their campus include:

• Albany State University
• Benedict College
• Bluefield State University
• Claflin University
• Clark Atlanta University
• Dillard University
• Fayetteville State University
• Jackson State University
• Langston University
• Morgan State University
• North Carolina A&T University
• North Carolina Central University
• Paul Quinn College
• Spelman College
• Stillman College
• Tennessee State University
• Xavier University of Louisiana

Creating career paths for others has always been close to The Whether founder and CEO, Chris Motley’s heart.

“The Whether was born out of my own experience as a student,” Motley reflects. “My career path has been serendipitous in many ways. As an African-American, first-generation college graduate from the south side of Chicago, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. There are certain careers —and networks—a person is exposed to when growing up, but they represent a subset of relevant opportunities one could pursue.”

“We’re excited to collaborate with CMSI and our HBCU partners to increase entrepreneurs across these campuses, all while accelerating our vision to personalize career paths for every student,” says Motley. “Together, we will make it easier for these schools to innovate with their faculty, grant partners, and employer partners using the data captured from the assessment. Empowering fellows with a scientifically-validated product allows the school to scale career education to every student. Helping students make a great impression with alumni and employer partners who visit campus allows the institution to showcase their institution and student population in a distinct way. We believe our advising and recruiting model is a real game-changer.”

The program, which began accepting applications on August 1, 2018, will allow fellows to earn up to $2,500 based on metrics and feedback from their campus community. The MEPE Fellowship is a one-year grant that is piloting these important concepts to make a big impact in the next generation of minority entrepreneurs.

The application closes December 10, 2018, at 11:59 PM PDT and fellows will be announced in January 2019.  Only students from partner HBCUs are eligible for the fellowship.

About The Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Center for Minority Serving Institutions 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. The Center’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. For further information about the Center, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi.

About The Whether

The Whether is a recruitment marketing platform that helps university recruiters build and nurture diverse talent pipelines. It recommends diverse candidates to employers through employer-generated career content that is targeted to students based on their soft-skills, strengths, and values. Our values-based approach and automated content marketing engine saves companies 75% of recruiting spend while personalizing the candidate experience at scale. Based in St. Louis, we’re on a mission to scale career education for all college students and make recruiting them easier. For further information about the Whether, please visit check.thewhether.com.

Philadelphia, Pa., August 13, 2018—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new guide to help students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) better understand the doctoral admissions process.

“This guide was crafted with first-generation MSI students in mind,” said Daniel Blake, lead author of the guide and Research Associate at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “The goal of this guide is to offer essential information on how to prepare for the application process and what factors to consider when making the decision of which program to enroll in.”
 
The guide seeks to demystify the Ph.D. application process and provide ease to students who are interested in taking the first step toward attaining a doctoral degree. With sections on the various parts of the doctoral application, the guide gives readers an overview of what the application process requires.
 
“Primarily authored by current doctoral students, this guide fills in gaps of knowledge that are often left out of graduate school advising,” said Andrew Martinez, Research Associate at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

Written in an accessible manner — without jargon — this guide can be used for all students interested in advancing their post-baccalaureate education. Much of the guide considers common challenges students may encounter and urges them to engage in self-reflection regarding their motivations for pursuing a Ph.D.

The guide comes free of charge and is readily available on our website. Full copies of the guide can be found here.

If you are interested in applying to participate, please review our online pamphlet, which will provide you with information on the application timeline, program eligibility, FAQs, and how to best complete an application.

Philadelphia, Pa., August 10, 2018— Supported by $745,000 in grants from ECMC Foundation and The Kresge Foundation, MSI Aspiring Leaders is a program developed by the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) that brings together prominent leaders from Minority Serving Institutions' (MSI) to engage with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.
 
The MSI Aspiring Leaders program includes both a leadership forum and extensive mentorship. The next forum will be held from Friday, November 1, 2019 to Sunday, November 3, 2019 in Philadelphia, PA and will include sessions curated specifically for aspiring presidents on topics such as de-escalating institutional challenges, fundraising, and fiscal responsibility, assessing student learning and engagement, and navigating relationships with stakeholders. 
 
After the forum, mentors and their mentees will participate in a one-on-one mentoring relationship through in-person meetings, conference calls, and email over two years. CMSI will facilitate these relationships and provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years. These relationships are part of a longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ career trajectories.
 
In our effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders will be hosted without program fees to all invited participants. In addition, all meals and materials will be provided by CMSI. Participants will only have to cover the cost of their personal travel and lodging.

For questions about the program, please contact our Associate Director for Programs, Paola "Lola" Esmieu, at pesmieu@gse.upenn.edu with "MSI Aspiring Leaders" in the subject line.

Future updates about MSI Aspiring Leaders will be announced on CMSI's website.

Philadelphia, Pa.,– August 6, 2018 – This week, the third annual International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS) begins in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. IFDS is a week-long program that brings together exemplary faculty from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country and provides them with tools they can use to expand the role of international exchange on their college campuses. It is one of several initiatives of Project Passport, a partnership between CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI), established to increase access to study abroad opportunities by facilitating dialogue about the value of international education at all levels of MSIs, including presidents, faculty, and students.

“IFDS provides faculty with the skills they need to develop programs centering on a global perspective, and it encourages collaboration among MSI faculty to better advocate for the significance of student study abroad opportunities at their institutions,” said Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

“Faculty are essential if institutions are to achieve their goal to increase study abroad opportunities,” said Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE. “They are important advocates for increased intercultural programming for students, and they must take the initiative to lead innovative study abroad experiences.”

In Santo Domingo, faculty will partake in sessions that will explore productive methods to successfully develop a faculty-led study abroad program. With various hands-on sessions on addressing recruitment, funding, and crisis management, the seminar hopes to prepare faculty for all of the elements associated with establishing a study abroad program on their home campuses.

Each IFDS participant was nominated by the president of their institution based on their exemplary leadership, research, and teaching.

This year’s participants include:

• Akilah Francique, Prairie View A&M University
• April Stull, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
• Crystal Hudson, Clark Atlanta University
• Ejim Sule, Prairie View A&M University
• George Norma, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
• Glen Philbrick, Sitting Bull College
• James Walters, Bluefield State College
• Jennine Krueger, Huston-Tillotson University
• Lombuso Khoza, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
• Marlissa Phillips, Clark Atlanta University
• Michael Merrill, Saint Edward’s University
• Nishaun Battle, Virginia State University
• Renee Froelich, Sitting Bull College
• Sarina Phillips, Prairie View A&M University
• Sean Connolly, Bluefield State College
• Shameka Reed, Jackson State University
• Sherry Harper, Prairie View A&M University
•  Yen Dang, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
•  Yun Lee, Virginia State University

Facilitators for IFDS include Melissa Sandoval and Ryan Bowen, CIEE Portland, ME; Julio González-Ruiz, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; and Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Philadelphia, PA.

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) brings together researchers and practitioners from the nation's Minority 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. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About the Council on International Educational Exchange
CIEE, the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, transforms lives and builds bridges by promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences. To help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world, CIEE sponsors a wide variety of opportunities for cultural exchange, including work exchange programs, teach abroad programs, and a worldwide portfolio of study abroad and internship programs for college and high school students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Third Annual International Faculty Development Seminar Kicks Off in the Dominican Republic 

Philadelphia, Pa.,– August 6, 2018 – This week, the third annual International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS) begins in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. IFDS is a week-long program that brings together exemplary faculty from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country and provides them with tools they can use to expand the role of international exchange on their college campuses. It is one of several initiatives of Project Passport, a partnership between CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI), established to increase access to study abroad opportunities by facilitating dialogue about the value of international education at all levels of MSIs, including presidents, faculty, and students.

“IFDS provides faculty with the skills they need to develop programs centering on a global perspective, and it encourages collaboration among MSI faculty to better advocate for the significance of student study abroad opportunities at their institutions,” said Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

“Faculty are essential if institutions are to achieve their goal to increase study abroad opportunities,” said Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE. “They are important advocates for increased intercultural programming for students, and they must take the initiative to lead innovative study abroad experiences.”

In Santo Domingo, faculty will partake in sessions that will explore productive methods to successfully develop a faculty-led study abroad program. With various hands-on sessions on addressing recruitment, funding, and crisis management, the seminar hopes to prepare faculty for all of the elements associated with establishing a study abroad program on their home campuses.

Each IFDS participant was nominated by the president of their institution based on their exemplary leadership, research, and teaching.

This year’s participants include:

• Akilah Francique, Prairie View A&M University
• April Stull, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
• Crystal Hudson, Clark Atlanta University
• Ejim Sule, Prairie View A&M University
• George Norma, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
• Glen Philbrick, Sitting Bull College
• James Walters, Bluefield State College
• Jennine Krueger, Huston-Tillotson University
• Lombuso Khoza, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
• Marlissa Phillips, Clark Atlanta University
• Michael Merrill, Saint Edward’s University
• Nishaun Battle, Virginia State University
• Renee Froelich, Sitting Bull College
• Sarina Phillips, Prairie View A&M University
• Sean Connolly, Bluefield State College
• Shameka Reed, Jackson State University
• Sherry Harper, Prairie View A&M University
•  Yen Dang, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
•  Yun Lee, Virginia State University

Facilitators for IFDS include Melissa Sandoval and Ryan Bowen, CIEE Portland, ME; Julio González-Ruiz, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; and Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Philadelphia, PA.

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) brings together researchers and practitioners from the nation's Minority 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. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About the Council on International Educational Exchange
CIEE, the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, transforms lives and builds bridges by promoting the exchange of ideas and experiences. To help people develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world, CIEE sponsors a wide variety of opportunities for cultural exchange, including work exchange programs, teach abroad programs, and a worldwide portfolio of study abroad and internship programs for college and high school students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Philadelphia, Pa., August 3, 2018: Earlier this week, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) hosted a celebratory event in Cape Town, South Africa highlighting the 10 meritorious students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) who were selected to be part of the second cohort of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship (FDGF) program.  

The event was held at the District Six Museum’s Homecoming Centre in Cape Town and kicked off with a roundtable discussion featuring several guest speakers such as Mandy Sanger, Head of Education at District Six Museum; Bilgees Baker, a local entrepreneur and tour guide in Bo-Kaap; Ndifuna Ukwazi, an activist with Reclaim the City, a Cape Town-based desegregation and affordable housing development organization; Tony Elvin, Director of Associates SA and founder of Social Enterprise Consulting; and Keshia Abraham and Quinton Redcliffe of CIEE. This year’s roundtable topic was ‘Decolonizing Spaces,’ each session explored themes of violence, colonialism, and displacement through a democratic exchange of knowledge and experiences between American and South African scholars, academics, activists, and thinkers.

The event also included a keynote address from Nettie Washington Douglass, Frederick Douglass’s great, great granddaughter and Co-founder and Chairwoman of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives as well as Fowzia Achmat, a member of the Bo-Kaap Civic Association and the descendant of Sarah von der Kaap, an enslaved woman, who is one of the first female property owners in Cape Town. After the sessions, guests were invited to dance alongside Silumko Koyana, an African Dance lecturer and instructor from the University of Cape Town with music by the Ekhaya Marimba Band. 

“The impact of the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program goes well beyond a life-changing experience for just 10 students,” said Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “As last year’s Frederick Douglass Fellows demonstrated when they returned to their home campuses, alumni of the program are encouraging examples for other students at Minority Serving Institutions and beyond.” 

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship covers all program fees and travel costs for 10 students to participate in a four-week experiential education program designed to provide a global perspective and strengthen the leadership and intercultural communication skills of each participant, with a focus on developing techniques to apply these skills in their respective communities when they return to the United States.

“We are so proud of this second cohort of Frederick Douglass Fellows, and the collaboration between CIEE and CMSI that is providing tools that will help these outstanding students grow into globally conscious and service-oriented leaders,” said Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE.

Students selected for the 2019 Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship will study in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Applications are open and will close on October 1, 2018.

“These Fellows will have the distinct advantage of being surrounded by MSI students, who like them are seeking exceptional leadership opportunities” explained Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “Thus, this fellowship is not only urging students to use their experiences to advocate for study abroad on their campuses, but promoting the value of cohort-building.”

For more information, read more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program here. 

Philadelphia, Pa., July 24, 2018— In March 2018, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) released an infographic exploring Minority Serving Institution (MSI) presidents and their use of Twitter as a tool to further engage their student population.

Today, CMSI has published the larger report – from which the infographic was pulled– on MSI presidential engagement. The new report explores the ways that presidents engage with students, using traditional means as well as social media.

“There has been relatively no data on presidents and student engagement at MSIs; this report aims to create a dialogue on how MSI presidents are engaging their students,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

The report begins with a foreword from one of the most engaged MSI presidents, Walter Kimbrough of Dillard University, a historically Black college in New Orleans. Kimbrough recounts how an attempt to engage students post-Hurricane Harvey resulted in an institutional evaluation of overall student engagement and its effectiveness. He uses this anecdote to assert the value of finding creative and institution-specific ways for leaders to better engage their students.

“This presidential engagement report hopes to spark discussion on how presidents can better engage their students, provide presidential best practices for leaders seeking to increase their student engagement, and spur research on the impact of presidential engagement on institutional goals and educational outcomes,” shares Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University. 

The report also provides an audit on how MSI leaders have engaged their students in the past. The report lists service and social event attendance, photo opportunities, one-on-one interaction, family-oriented support, and social media as strategies that presidents have employed to create meaningful interactions with their students on campus. The report then transitions into a detailed discussion of social media engagement, highlighting presidential outliers who have effectively used the platform to build relationships with constituents, cultivate community on campus, and bolster non-traditional spaces for institutional dialogue.

The report concludes with recommendations on how MSI presidents can increase student engagement via social media as well as more traditional methods.

Full copies of the report are freely available on CMSI’s website here.

Philadelphia, Pa., July 12, 2018— The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has released a new report that provides an in-depth portrait of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in Florida.
 
As of 2017, Florida’s population is almost 21 million, making it the third most populous state. The largest racial and ethnic categories are White (55%), Latino/a (25%), and Black/African American (17%). With a growing Latino/a and Asian American and Pacific Islander population, Florida is amongst the most racially and ethnically diverse states in the U.S.
 
“Higher education must develop equitable and inclusive practices that embrace, support, and retain all students. Policymakers and administrators are doing a disservice to students if they fail to adapt to changes in demographics,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
The report provides an overview of Florida’s economic landscape and higher education systems. It also delves into the characteristics of the state’s MSIs, with a look at enrollment, revenue, retention, and graduation while also spotlighting some of the distinct challenges that MSIs in Florida face. Some of the policy challenges the report mentions include performance-based funding, college affordability, and DACA.
 
Colleges and universities of various types in Florida are being subjected to performance-based funding. Mandating institutions to reach state-defined metrics of success could result in a decrease in state funding and even fewer resources being allocated to support the mission and student population at MSIs. Despite the need for institutions to maintain low tuition rates due to performance funding and Florida’s commitment to affordable higher education, the report explains that many institutions are exhibiting waning college affordability. Another challenge that Florida MSIs are facing is the dissolution of DACA. With an estimated 32,000 DACA recipients living in Florida, if DACA is rescinded, Florida can stand to lose close to $1.5 billion.

"Performance-based funding often ignores the demographic makeup of Minority Serving Institutions. These institutions tend to be the unfortunate victims of this policy. In Florida, where MSIs reflect the evolving demographics of the country, policymakers should be more cognizant of the varying impact of such a blanket policy,” said William Casey Boland, the lead author of the report and Assistant Professor in the Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College, The City University of New York

With a list of action items that MSIs can enact, including MSI partnership development, applying for grants, and strengthening their success sharing, the report urges institutions to take the necessary steps to enhance student support. The report also provides recommendations for policymakers, including prioritizing equity when enacting performance-based funding policies, protecting Dreamers, and investing in need-based funding.
 
Full copies of the report are freely available here.

Philadelphia, Pa., June 21, 2018—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) announced today that it has been awarded $250,000 from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations to support its early career faculty development program, ELEVATE (Enriching, Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators).

ELEVATE is a three-day program that brings together junior faculty from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to further equip them with support, training, and an opportunity to create a close-knit network of peers. The program features sessions related to research, grant writing, teaching, and earning tenure and promotion. Each session is curated to directly address the needs and preparation gaps that prematurely impede high-quality faculty at MSIs.

"This program provides essential resources on navigating the professoriate and enables faculty at Minority Serving Institutions to be the best scholars and mentors to the students at their respective institutions," said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

With sessions tailored to support MSI student success such as mentoring, advising, teaching, and advocating for the needs and learning process of students, ELEVATE provides a space for faculty members to discuss and identify their teaching styles, better understand their roles within colleges and universities, and expand their ability to conduct research.

“ELEVATE has, for many years, equipped MSI faculty members with professional development that seeks to empower them to become strong researchers, caring and effective mentors, and change makers on their campuses, all while connecting participants to other faculty of color and faculty mentors” said Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director for Programs. “Thus, ELEVATE urges collegial collaboration and encourages the development of peer networks to support faculty retention.”

ELEVATE is free of any registration fees to participants, covers all meals and materials.

“The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations is proud to support the growth and progress of the ELEVATE program as a vital and distinctive program for quality future faculty. We are aware of the challenges that often deter faculty of color from reaching their full potential,” shares Dr. Nancy J. Cable, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations’ President. “Being aware of these challenges has prompted us to support this distinctive program.”

The ELEVATE 2018 program will take place June 27-June 29, 2018. Learn more about this year’s cohort here.

Philadelphia, Pa., May 16, 2018— The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to announce that 20 students in our HSI Pathways to the Professoriate program will be matriculating into graduate programs across the country in the 2018-2019 academic year. 

HSI Pathways to the Professoriate is a program coordinated by CMSI supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Designed to diversify the professoriate in the humanities at U.S. colleges and universities, the program, which is in its second year, provides 90 students over five years with the tools to apply to Ph.D. programs and to succeed in graduate school and remain successful on the path to the professoriate.
 
“The Fellows in this program have worked tremendously hard this past year to identify their research interests, polish their scholarship, and apply to Ph.D. programs, all while being undergraduate students,” shared Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs for the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and all that they have done while being in this program.”
 
HSI Pathways success includes students securing admission into the following graduate programs:
 
From California State University, Northridge:

• Brian Mercado, CUNY Graduate Center, Ph.D. program, sociology
• Elizabeth Calzada, University of Minnesota, Ph.D. program, history
• Eryn Talevich, University of Michigan, Ph.D. program, anthropology
• Hermes Rocha, University of California, Davis, Ph.D. program, philosophy
• Jared Diaz, Arizona State University, Ph.D. program, religious studies
• Kiara Padilla, University of Minnesota, Ph.D. program, American studies
• Shawntel Barreiro, The Ohio State University, Ph.D. program, linguistics
• Yaquelin Morales, Northwestern University, Ph.D. program, performance studies

From Florida International University:

• Amanda González, Rutgers University, Ph.D. program, comparative literature
• Estefany Lopez, New York University, Ph.D. program, English
• Francisco Lopez, Emory University, Ph.D. program, comparative literature
• Gabriela Diaz, Florida State University, M.A. program, rhetoric and composition
• Janie Raghunandan, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, Ph.D. program, English
• Jason Fontana, Florida International University, M.A. program, history
• Joshua Scheer, Boston College, M.A. program, philosophy
• Maria Ahumada, University of California, Davis, Ph.D. program, English literature
• Michael Garcia, Florida International University, M.F.A. program, creative writing
• Stephanie Janania, Florida International University, M.A. program, English literature

From The University of Texas, El Paso:

• Johanna Lopez, University of Iowa, Ph.D. program, history
• Star Flagel to University of Nevada, Reno, M.A. program, history

Of note, all the HSI Pathways Fellows who applied for graduate school were admitted; those who did not apply are taking a gap year and will apply for Ph.D. programs next year. 
    
“Not only are these students — many of whom are first-generation — setting a precedent for their families, but they are exemplars for future cohorts of HSI Pathways Fellows,” shared Marybeth Gasman, Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

HSI Pathways to the Professoriate is coordinated by CMSI in partnership with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — California State University, Northridge; Florida International University; and the University of Texas, El Paso — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Throughout the five-year program, CMSI is also conducting assessments focused on how selected students are navigating the HSI Pathways program and, once admitted, their graduate programs. CMSI aims to uncover the challenges and impetuses along the pathway to the Ph.D. 
 
According to Armando Bengochea, Program Officer at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, "Hispanic Serving Institutions are critical for tapping into the rich talent of a very important student demographic that has to be tapped for the next-generation humanities professoriate:  Hispanic students, most obviously, but also first generation, low income, and new-immigrant students. We are excited to see all of this talent in action as they enter Ph.D. programs."

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn 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 Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions is part of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
 Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. For more information, please visit https://mellon.org/. 

Philadelphia, Pa., April 18, 2018—This Thursday, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting an event celebrating the release of the book, Educational Challenges at Minority Serving Institutions.
 
The event will take place at 4 PM at the Penn Bookstore and will feature a panel of the authors—alumni of the Higher Education program at the University of Pennsylvania—along with the book's editors. The panel will be followed by an opportunity to meet with the authors and editors at an informal reception.
 
The book published by Routledge Press examines some of the challenges that Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country tend to face and provides practical solutions to address those challenges. Each chapter was written by a graduate student in a seminar on MSIs, taught by Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
“MSIs educate nearly 40 percent of the nation’s students of color, yet many of them face distinctive challenges that are often not discussed within the larger landscape of higher education,” shares Marybeth Gasman.
 
Some of the book’s topics include the preservation of tribal identity at tribal colleges, examining performance-based funding at HBCUs, how HSIs are supporting Afro-Latinos, articulation practices and policies for transfer students, as well as the ways in which institutions are supporting undocumented students. 
 
“By addressing challenges faced by institutions that tend to serve large populations of students of color, this book aims to assist in policy-making at both the institutional and federal level as we move towards a more equitable society,” shared Casey Boland, one of the editors of the book and a research associate at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
Educational Challenges at Minority Serving Institutions is now available for purchase here.
 

Philadelphia, March 29, 2018— The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new infographic that explores how MSI presidents are using Twitter, what they are tweeting about, and which presidents are the most engaged on the platform.

The research team at CMSI was motivated to explore Twitter usage by MSI presidents while working on a larger project related to MSI presidential engagement of students. The team found that one of the more prominent forms of student engagement was the use of social media to promote students. 

The infographic notes that Twitter use by MSI presidents falls below the national average of college and university presidents. About 55 percent of all college university and presidents use Twitter, while only 36 percent of MSI presidents are on the platform. The presidents who are active, typically use Twitter to share the accomplishments of their students, express school spirit by featuring sports and service activities and spotlighting the innovation of their institutions.

The infographic also lists the MSI Presidents with the most followers. University of Houston’s president, Renu Khator heads the list followed by Wallace D. Loh of the University of Maryland, College Park and Walter Kimbrough of Dillard University. These leaders are creatively using the platform to strengthen community on their campuses and bring attention to the mission of their institutions.

“Being active on social media not only helps raise an institution’s visibility, but it plays a role in fundraising, student interaction, and gives a president a national voice,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

Full copies of infographic are freely available on CMSI’s website here.

Philadelphia, Pa., March 26, 2018— The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has released a new report that delves into the lack of women leadership within U.S. higher education, particularly Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The report highlights strategies for effective presidencies while also sharing the opportunities and challenges that women often face while serving as college and university presidents, and especially while serving at MSIs. Despite the ever-changing student population, most college and university presidents have been White, married men. The report reveals that women account for less than 30 percent of all college presidents and less than 12 percent of MSI presidents.
 
"Women make up almost 50 percent of all college students," said Amanda Washington Lockett, the lead author of the report and research associate at CMSI. "Not only is it imperative that institutional leadership reflects the student body, but that students understand that leadership comes in many forms."
 
For many women, the path to the presidency was not always a direct path, goal, or aspiration. Many were encouraged into the role by colleagues and/or mentors. Whether or not there is an intentional motive to pursue the presidency, it is important to understand the various challenges that women in the role face. Women aspiring to be college presidents must understand the ways in which gender is situated in the organizational and institutional culture of a college or university, the report explains. The report urges aspiring women presidents to become familiar with their own leadership strengths and styles, and understand the ways in which an institution operates, the campus culture and climate, and the key players at the institution (i.e. students, board of trustees, staff, faculty etc.) prior to taking on the role of president.
 
The report suggests that aspiring women presidents must also recognize and discern ways to overcome discrimination. Unequal pay remains an issue in the professional workforce, so do hindrances such as imposter syndrome and stereotype threat. These issues can surface and negatively shape a successful presidency. The report also emphasizes the role of mentorship in ensuring encouragement, guidance and a fresh perspective in times of need throughout the presidency.
 
"There are many barriers that derail aspiring women from securing the presidency; current and past women presidents must bridge the gap by developing intentional mentoring relationships to support the next generation of institutional leaders," says Atiya S. Strothers, one of the authors of the report and Postdoctoral Fellow for Academic Diversity through the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
 
The report concludes by offering 29 presidential tips that can be used in the search, selection and appointment process of the presidency. These tips were curated to combat the distinct challenges that deter women leadership.

"Women presidents are not only testaments to the possibility of marginalized people, but have the ability to reshape and restructure the traditional presidency with their distinctive voices,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
 
Full copies of the report are freely available here.

Philadelphia, March 23, 2018—This summer, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting our annual early career faculty training program, ELEVATE (Enriching Learning, Enhancing Visibility & Training Educators) in Philadelphia, PA from June 27-29, 2018. Today, we're pleased to announce this year's cohort of ELEVATE Fellows:

• Tyler Argüello
• Derek Blackwell
• Christian Bracho
• Charity Brown Griffin
• Vincent Carales
• Amber Crowell
• Dale Dawes
• Yen Dang*
• Neil Hwang
• Glen Philbrick*
• Verónica Rabelo
• Vanessa Sansone
• Lissa D. Stapleton
• Blanca E. Vega
• James Walters*

 * These faculty were nominated through our Project Passport partnership with CIEE and are thus considered Presidential Fellows.

ELEVATE is a three-day professional development opportunity created specifically to address the unique needs of early career faculty members at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Drawing from the expertise of CMSI and our affiliates, ELEVATE will support the ongoing learning, training, and networking of early career MSI faculty by providing workshops, opportunities to network with peers, and a platform for collaboration.

Participants will have the opportunity to further develop their skills through hands-on workshops and candid discussions that will cover topics such as grant writing, developing a research agenda, teaching, mentoring, and achieving tenure. Knowledge obtained from ELEVATE will help participants enhance the visibility of MSIs in national conversations by producing high-quality research and practice.

ELEVATE is offered free of any registration fees to participants and covers all meals and materials to minimize the financial burden of participating. ELEVATE is part of Project Passport, a partnership with CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange.

Please join us in congratulating these scholars on their selection for ELEVATE!

Philadelphia, Pa., March 16, 2018—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is proud to name the second cohort of HSI Pathways Fellows of our HSI Pathways to the Professoriate program. 

HSI Pathways to the Professoriate is supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Designed to increase the number of Hispanic faculty members working in the humanities at U.S. colleges and universities, the program will provide 90 students over five years with the tools to acclimate in graduate school and remain successful on the path to the Ph.D. Each Fellow participates in an intensive summer program, presents their research at a cross-institutional conference and receives mentoring and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school.

“We are proud to welcome a new group of scholars to the HSI Pathways community. These students are not only ‘taking the path less traveled’, but they are opening doors for students that aspire to be mentors in academe,” said Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

HSI Pathways to the Professoriate is coordinated by CMSI in partnership with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — California State University, Northridge; Florida International University; and the University of Texas, El Paso — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Throughout the five-year program, CMSI is also conducting assessments as to how selected students are navigating the HSI Pathways program and, once admitted, their graduate programs. CMSI aims to discover the challenges and impetuses along the pathway to the Ph.D. 

2018 HSI Pathways Fellows

California State University, Northridge 

• Paolo Aiello 
• Sara Almalla 
• Liam Espinoza-Zemlicka  
• Lyrianne Gonzalez 
• Vanessa Lopez 
• Hannah Mangum 
• Ricardo Perez 
• Kenia Rodriguez 
• Celia Velazquez 

Florida International University 

• Stephanie Butt 
• Lynn Saniorah Edouard 
• Ana Gomez 
• Daga Nyang 
• Rachael Orbeta 
• David Ortiz 
• Johanna Piard 
• Jose Ramirez 
• Barbara Sanchez 
• Robert Vives 

The University of Texas, El Paso 

• Jessica Armendariz 
• Lidia Carrillo 
• Luis García González 
• Gema Lopez 
• Ashley Prat 
• Gustavo Rodriguez 
• Janette Rodriguez 
• Karina Salcido 
• Lauren Viramontes 
• Priscilla JudsonWallace 

 Learn more about this year's HSI Pathways Fellows here.

Philadelphia, February 27, 2018— The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting the first Cross  Institutional Conference, a three-day series of workshops celebrating the first cohort of the HSI Pathways to the Professoriate program. On March 2, 2018, fellows from three partner Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) will come together in Philadelphia to present their year-long research projects and engage in sessions designed to prepare them for the path to the professoriate.

The conference will take place March 2, 2018, to March 4, 2018 at the University of Pennsylvania, and features three keynote addresses, four panel discussions, and a total of thirteen sessions aimed at equipping HSI students for the transition to graduate school and the culture of academe. Supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, HSI Pathways to the Professoriate was created to increase the number of Latino faculty members in humanities. The Cross-Institutional Conference is a small, but integral part of the five-year program; the program also includes an intensive summer research institute and provides mentoring and support for HSI Pathways fellows applying to and enrolling in graduate school.  

 “Programs that cater to developing a pipeline for humanities students, particularly students of color are essential in today’s society. These scholars are our historians, our ethnographers, poets and authors, a lack of Latino voices in these fields is a lack of Latino narratives,” states Mariët Westermann, Vice President at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “This conference, along with the supplementary pieces of this program, allow for underrepresented students to find their voices and prepares them to be persistent in their quest to obtaining a Ph.D.”

With sessions ranging from the positive management of mental health to academic freedom to writing and publishing in academe, the conference will help students to overcome roadblocks within the faculty profession and will provide advising for navigating the current state of the academy. Along with faculty facilitators, current graduate students at majority research institutions will serve as panelists and share their experiences achieving success while in graduate school.

 In the first keynote address, “The Urgency of Latino/a Faculty in Higher Education,” Mildred García, President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, will discuss the significance of diversifying the faculty pool to reflect an increasingly diverse society. This theme is expressed throughout the conference, and touched upon during “What’s Film Got to Do with It? Multimodal Scholarship, Diversity and the Future of Academia,” a session by the University of Pennsylvania’s, John Jackson. This session will make a case for why “multimodal” research is relevant to discussions of inclusion in higher education using film. A third keynote address will be given by Catherine Good, Associate Professor at City University of New York, who will discuss stereotype threat and how it shapes intellectual performance, motivation, and molds self-image, particularly in academe. Most importantly, Good will discuss how to overcome stereotype threat.

 Amid the engaging sessions, HSI Pathways fellows will have the opportunity to present their research as either a research paper, poster presentation, or a performative piece to their peers. HSI Pathways fellows have participated in an intensive summer research program and have worked together on their research alongside a faculty mentor and their HSI Pathways Coordinator to prepare for this presentation. HSI Pathways fellows will also have an opportunity to submit their work for peer-review in an open source journal managed by CMSI known as, Pathways: A Journal of Humanistic and Social Inquiry, to be published in the fall of 2018.  

 “There is a need for academic spaces to reflect our diverse population,” shares Marybeth Gasman, the Judy & Howard Berkowitz Professor of Education and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “We want to add to the educational value of the student experience and inform students of the possibilities that pursuing a Ph.D. can offer.”

 HSI Pathways to the Professoriate is coordinated by CMSI in partnership with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — Florida International University; the University of Texas, El Paso; and California State University, Northridge — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Each year, HSI undergraduate students are selected to take part in an intensive summer research program, while also receiving mentoring, and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school. Throughout the five-year program, CMSI is also conducting assessments as to how selected students are navigating the HSI Pathways program and, once admitted, their graduate programs. CMSI is hoping to discover the challenges and impetuses along the pathway to the Ph.D.

MSI Graduate Student Weekend is an annual event hosted by the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and Penn Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). This weekend provides undergraduate students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with an opportunity to obtain additional information on pursuing graduate and professional degrees in education. The jam-packed weekend encourages students to participate in professional development and educational sessions all meant to inspire, inform, and prepare students for the graduate school process. This year, we received an overwhelming amount of applications and after a competitive application process, the following students have been selected to attend MSI Graduate Student Weekend and take their first steps towards securing a graduate degree:

• Nora Araujo, California State University, Sacramento
• Jessica Baker, Sitting Bull College 
• Jordyn Nicole Booth, Spelman College
• Leah Boynton, Whittier College 
• Ervin Bryant, Prairie View A&M University
• Stefanie Cardenas, University of Texas, El Paso
• Marcos Castillo, Lincoln University
• Arie Christon, Florida A&M University
• Corbin Covington, Howard University
• Christian Ortiz Gonzalez, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Irma Ruiz Guerrero, San Diego State University 
• Tiyana Herring, Florida A&M University
• Ramon Johnson, Morehouse College
• Fatima Andrade Martinez, University of California, Santa Barbara
• Francisco Martinez, San Diego State University 
• Mary Carry Moccasin, Sitting Bull College  
• Monioluwa Otubaga, Langston University
• Theron Paul, Langston University
• Daniel Satterthwaithe, Morehouse College 
• Nicole Tucker, Texas Southern University 
• Tommy Walker, Alabama State University 

Please join us in congratulating these students, who will join us at CMSI from April 6-8, 2018!

Philadelphia, Pa., November 14, 2017— This week, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host our inaugural MSI Aspiring Leaders Forum. The three-day forum will take place from Friday, November 17 to Sunday, November 19 and will include more than 12 sessions designed to address a myriad of issues, scenarios, and events that may arise during the college presidency.

The program will feature the following MSI presidential mentors:

• John Bassett, former President, Heritage University
• Joseph Castro, President, California State University, Fresno
• Soraya Coley, President, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
• Mildred García, President, California State University, Fullerton
• Sharon Herzberger, President, Whittier College
• Walter Kimbrough, President, Dillard University
• Elmira Mangum, former President, Florida A & M University
• Ann McElaney-Johnson, President, Mount Saint Mary’s University
• Collette Pierce Burnette, President, Huston-Tillotson University
• Alvin Schexnider, former Interim President, Norfolk State University
• William Serrata, President, El Paso County Community College
• Michael Sorrell, President, Paul Quinn College
• Vinton Thompson, President, Metropolitan College of New York
• Rowena Tomaneng, President, Berkeley City College
• David Wilson, President, Morgan State University

For information on the 21 selected Aspiring Leaders, please visit http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi/aspiring-leaders/2017.

In an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents, the forum will allow for authentic and candid conversations between mentors and aspiring leaders. With a series of interactive sessions such as, “Developing Relationships between Administration and Faculty,” “Working with Boards of Trustees,” “Budgeting and Finance for Presidents,” “Successful Communication Strategies for Presidents,” as well as “The Role of President in Ensuring Student Success and Gainful Employment,” the forum will provide aspiring leaders with vital information on the positions they plan to hold in the future. 

Many of the sessions and panel discussions will be moderated by the fifteen mentors who have years of experiential knowledge and reputable insight. There will also be guest speakers who will lend their professional acumen to the discussions, including Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed, Ericka Miller, and Lionel Anderson of Isaacson Miller Search Firm, and representatives from the Association of Governing Boards and the American Association of University Professors. Keynote speaker, Mildred García, President of California State University, Fullerton, will share her journey as she navigated three presidencies in an address titled, “How Diverse Champions and Passion for Equity Led Me to the Right Institutions at the Right Time for the Right Reasons: A Journey of Three Presidencies.” 

To complement the sessions, CMSI has developed case studies that simulate actual institutional challenges; these challenges range from budgetary dilemmas to enrollment declines to leadership turnover. Each mentor and aspiring leader pair will address their designated institutional challenge and present a solution at the end of the forum. These case studies, along with three books, have been given to each mentor and aspiring leaders prior to the weekend to prepare for a rich discussion. The three books include, Presidencies Derailed: Why University Leaders Fail and How to Prevent It by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Gerald D Kauvar and E. Grady Bogue, Educating a Diverse Nation: Lessons from Minority Serving Institutions by Clifton M. Conrad and Marybeth Gasman and On Being Presidential by Susan R.  Pierce.

Marybeth Gasman, Director of CMSI, shared, “This forum will provide an extraordinary experience for all those who attend. It will ignite conversations and we hope it will be transformative to the career trajectories of all of the aspiring leaders.”

Supported by $765,000 in grants from the ECMC Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Penn Executive Doctorate in Higher Education program, MSI Aspiring Leaders includes both a leadership forum and a mentorship program.                             

Following the forum, mentors and their mentees will participate in a one-on-one relationship over two years. CMSI will facilitate these relationships and provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years, with the hope that these relationships may be part of a future longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ aspiring leaders’ career trajectories. The structure of the MSI Aspiring Leaders program aims to cultivate future MSI presidents by strengthening pathways to leadership and building connections between peers with similar aspirations and abilities.

 In an effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders is free of program fees to all invited participants. Participants also receive travel stipends to offset the cost of their travel and lodging.

Philadelphia, Pa., November 9, 2017— The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in partnership with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions(CMSI) and the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives is proud to announce the second cohort of students for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship (FDGF) Program:

• Chiagoziem Agu, Albany State University
• Joshua Blackwell, North Carolina A&T University
• Andres Colmenares, Miami Dade College
• Carmen E. Crusoe, Howard University
• Darielis Cruz, Mercy College
• Juan Jose Duran, California State University, San Marcos 
• Kloe Harris, Lincoln University, Missouri
• Malena Her, California State University, Sacramento
• DeVon Jackson, Virginia State University
• Jorian Reeves, Xavier University of Louisiana 

FDGF is part of a three-year strategic partnership between CIEE and CMSI, designed to break down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to make study abroad accessible to students from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellows (FDGFs) were nominated by their college presidents and selected from a large pool of applicants in a national competition. These fellows are meritorious individuals who demonstrate high academic achievement, possess exemplary communication skills, display the hallmarks of self-determination, exhibit characteristics of bold leadership, and have a history of service to others.
 
“We are thrilled to join CIEE in giving the opportunity to MSI students who want to study abroad. The experience is life-changing for everyone involved,” said Marybeth Gasman, professor, and Director of CMSI.
 
FDGFs will use their experiences to motivate other under-represented students to pursue similar opportunities. The program draws on the legacy of Frederick Douglass—the African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and international statesman who lived, lectured and studied in London in 1845—and encourages students to use his life as a model to becoming bold, globally conscious and service-oriented leaders.
 
Nettie Washington Douglass, chairwoman and co-founder of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, shares, “We are excited to participate in the development of leaders that are taught the value of intercultural awareness and molded to be change agents in their communities like our great ancestor, Frederick Douglass.”

This year's cohort of 10 students will participate in a four-week summer study abroad program designed to enhance their leadership and intercultural skills in Cape Town, South Africa. FDGF covers all program fees and travel costs for 10 students each year who are selected from a diverse group of MSIs. The fellowship is awarded based on a combination of personal leadership attributes, academic achievement, and financial need. The next cohort of FDGFs will study in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (summer 2019).
 
James P. Pellow, President, and CEO of CIEE explained, “The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship Program allows for both CIEE and CMSI to intentionally curate intercultural programming for MSI students. We are proud to assist in the development of a global perspective for the next generation of leaders.”
 
For more information, read more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program here. For more information about the individual fellows or to speak with them, please contact Paola 'Lola' Esmieu, Associate Director for Programs at CMSI. 
 
Please join us in congratulating these amazing students!
 
About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions brings together researchers and practitioners from the nation's Minority 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. Visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi.
 
About the Council on International Educational Exchange
CIEE was founded in 1947 to facilitate international exchange programs that help foster peace and understanding in our world and to open doors to such programs for students from all socio-economic backgrounds.  Today, CIEE serves more than 400 U.S. colleges and universities, 1,000 U.S. high schools, and facilitates over 40,000 exchanges each year. CIEE serves as the leading sponsor for the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program (the J-1 visa program), promoting exchanges with over 100 countries. Additional CIEE programs include international faculty training, teach abroad, and various specialty and custom programs for secondary, post-secondary, and international students. Visit www.ciee.org.

About the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives 
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) is an Abolitionist organization co-founded by direct descendants of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. FDFI combines lessons from the legacies of Douglass and Washington. The mission of  FDFI is to Advance Freedom through Knowledge and Strategic Action. FDFI has been a leader in implementing human trafficking prevention education curricula in classrooms nationally since 2007. Visit http://www.fdfi.org. 

Philadelphia, Pa., November 3, 2017— The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) have developed a one-day executive-level workshop designed for university presidents from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the nation. This workshop is part of Project Passport, a three-year partnership between CIEE and CMSI developed to increase accessibility to study abroad opportunities for students at MSIs. The workshop discusses the importance of educating MSI students on the value of international education and provides guidance on overcoming the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture for university presidents looking to expand study abroad programming at their respective institutions.

The workshop will feature the following MSI presidents:

• Makola Abdullah, Virginia State University
• Juliette B. Bell, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore 
• Jerryl Briggs, Missisippi Valley State University
• Collette Pierce Burnette, Huston-Tillotson University
• Marsha Krotseng, Bluefield State College
• Laurel Vermillion, Sitting Bull College

“The action-oriented workshop encourages presidents to strategize ways to grow study abroad programming on their campuses and encourages them to partner with other MSI leaders” shares Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

The program, which will take place on November 8, 2017, includes sessions such as The Benefits of Study Abroad, Putting Study Abroad into Action; a panel discussion featuring study abroad practitioners; and The Importance of Institutional Collaboration to Advance International Education, facilitated by Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College.

James Pellow, President and CEO of CIEE adds, “This training advocates for the benefits of study abroad at the executive level with university presidents who have the capability to make policy changes to better serve their student population.”

In addition to the Leadership Workshop, presidents are invited as special guests to CIEE’s Annual Conference Study Abroad, Born Digital: Embracing Technology to Enhance International Education. This year’s Leadership Workshop and Annual Conference will be held in Austin, TX.

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions

The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions 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 Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions is part of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi.

About the Council on International Educational Exchange

 CIEE was founded in 1947 to facilitate international exchange programs that help foster peace and understanding in our world and to open doors to such programs for students from all socio-economic backgrounds.  Today, CIEE serves more than 400 U.S. colleges and universities, 1,000 U.S. high schools, and facilitates over 40,000 exchanges each year. CIEE serves as the leading sponsor for the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program (the J-1 visa program), promoting exchanges with over 100 countries. Additional CIEE programs include international faculty training, teach abroad, and various specialty and custom programs for secondary, post-secondary, and international students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Philadelphia, Pa., September 19, 2017—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has partnered with ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Democracy Works, Young Invincibles, Students Learn Students Vote, Campus Vote Project and the Andrew Goodman Foundation to release a new report that examines the role of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in engaging racial and ethnic minorities as well as young people in voting.

The report highlights national data on voter turnout and addresses some of the issues that deter young and minority voters from participating in elections across the nation. The report urges MSIs to continue to educate and politically engage their students.

Despite the exponential surge of minorities and Millennials, there has been a decrease in racial and ethnic minorities racing to the polls. Much of the low turnout can be attributed to voter restriction laws. The report reveals that some of the issues that deter students and minorities from voting include, but are not limited to, the poll location, policies that perpetuate voter suppression as well as general miscommunication, misinformation and racism at the polls.

"As the political landscape changes and the population of the nation rapidly shifts, there is a critical need to evaluate the challenges that have left so many students and minorities disengaged in the political process" said Andrew Martinez, one of the lead authors of the report and research associate at CMSI. "MSIs have historically assisted students in finding their voices and have acted as hubs for social change."

MSIs make up 7% of the all colleges and universities and educate 40% of all students of color in America. These institutions have historically empowered students of color and have catered to the social and cultural experiences of their students. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in particular, have woven civic engagement into their mission and the ethos of their institutions. As centers for culture and advocates for the uplift of their communities, the report explains, these MSIs have the ability and responsibility to empower their constituents to become active citizens and agents of social change and political action.

"Institutions such as Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) El Paso Community College and HBCU Paul Quinn have been prime examples of how MSIs can use their commitment to civic engagement to mobilize students to use their civil liberties", says Tyler Hallmark, one of the lead authors of the report and a research associate at CMSI.

The report urges MSIs to address the issues that inhibit students and their surrounding communities from participating in voting. The authors suggest that these institutions provide on campus & early voting, provide accurate and appropriate voting information to students, and develop partnerships with election officials, voting rights organizations and student organizations to increase voter interest.  

"MSIs are in a unique position to not only graudate civically informed and democratically active students but they can also play an important role in ensuring a more inclusive electorate that affirms every person's place in the American story," said Clarissa Unger, Director of Civic Engagement with Young Invincibles and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.

Full copies of the report are freely available here.

Philadelphia, Pa., September 6, 2017 —The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new report that concludes the data-driven National Campaign on the Return on Investment (ROI) on Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The report features the 52 data points from the yearlong campaign and provides 18 recommendations to bolster research related to MSIs.

The ROI campaign featured 52 weeks of 52 data points. The data points were curated and contextualized by CMSI researchers as well as their organizational partners in order to highlight the many significant, yet largely unknown contributions of MSIs in the field of higher education.

Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions noted, “MSIs serve 40% of all students of color and have adopted practices, policies and programs to best accommodate these students. This campaign shares the impact of these institutions and can be used to motivate others to adopt similar models to better uplift and serve racial and ethnic minorities”.

The campaign’s goals were to bring more attention to MSIs, highlight the contributions of MSIs among higher education practitioners and general audiences, dispel common misperceptions about MSIs, and motivate scholars to conduct more data-driven research related to MSIs. MSIs disproportionately serve low-income and first-generation students as well as students of color yet often experience relatively high success (i.e., ROI) despite fewer financial resources.

“This campaign has introduced pivotal data that is advantageous to the advancement, growth and sustainability of MSIs across the nation", said Casey Boland, a Research Associate at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and one of the campaign’s data specialists. “These institutions serve students who often need it the most, sharing this data allows us to advocate for the preservation of MSIs”.

Sixteen partners joined the campaign to spread the data points through their respective networks and include the following organizations: American Council on Education; CIEE: Council for International Educational Exchange; American Indian College Fund; Hispanic Association¨of Colleges and Universities; Thurgood Marshall College Fund; Educational Testing Service; Institute for Higher Education Policy; Diverse; Noodle; HBCU Lifestyle; HBCU Nation; Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund; The Sullivan Alliance; National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education; American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education; and the Human Rights Campaign.

Full copies of the report are freely available at CMSI’s website.

Philadelphia, Pa., September 6, 2017 —The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new report that concludes the data-driven National Campaign on the Return on Investment (ROI) on Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The report features the 52 data points from the yearlong campaign and provides 18 recommendations to bolster research related to MSIs.

The ROI campaign featured 52 weeks of 52 data points. The data points were curated and contextualized by CMSI researchers as well as their organizational partners in order to highlight the many significant, yet largely unknown contributions of MSIs in the field of higher education.

Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions noted, “MSIs serve 40% of all students of color and have adopted practices, policies and programs to best accommodate these students. This campaign shares the impact of these institutions and can be used to motivate others to adopt similar models to better uplift and serve racial and ethnic minorities”.

The campaign’s goals were to bring more attention to MSIs, highlight the contributions of MSIs among higher education practitioners and general audiences, dispel common misperceptions about MSIs, and motivate scholars to conduct more data-driven research related to MSIs. MSIs disproportionately serve low-income and first-generation students as well as students of color yet often experience relatively high success (i.e., ROI) despite fewer financial resources.

“This campaign has introduced pivotal data that is advantageous to the advancement, growth and sustainability of MSIs across the nation", said Casey Boland, a Research Associate at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions and one of the campaign’s data specialists. “These institutions serve students who often need it the most, sharing this data allows us to advocate for the preservation of MSIs”.

Sixteen partners joined the campaign to spread the data points through their respective networks and include the following organizations: American Council on Education; CIEE: Council for International Educational Exchange; American Indian College Fund; Hispanic Association¨of Colleges and Universities; Thurgood Marshall College Fund; Educational Testing Service; Institute for Higher Education Policy; Diverse; Noodle; HBCU Lifestyle; HBCU Nation; Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund; The Sullivan Alliance; National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education; American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education; and the Human Rights Campaign.

Full copies of the report are freely available at CMSI’s website.

Philadelphia, Pa., August 17, 2017— This November, The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will be hosting our inaugural MSI Aspiring Leaders Forum from Friday, November 17, 2017 to Sunday, November 19, 2017.

We are pleased to announce this year's cohort of MSI Aspiring Leaders:

• Angela Alvarado Coleman, Florida A & M University
• Tierney Bates, North Carolina Central University
• Nicholas Courtney, George Washington University
• Regina Dixon-Reeves, University of Chicago
• Levon Esters, Purdue University
• Jonathan Gayles, Georgia State University
• Jessica Harris, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
• Donna Hay-Jones, Maplewood H68
• Davida Haywood, Alabama State University
• Charlisa Holloway Edelin, Wesley College
• Sherlynn Hall, Arkansas Baptist College
• Christopher Jenkins, Oberlin Conservatory
• Saul Jimenez Sandoval, California State University, Fresno
• Stephanie Krah, Central State University
• Martin Lemelle, Grambling State University 
• Thomson Ling, Caldwell University
• James Overton, University of Massachusetts, Boston
• Michael McFrazier, Prairie View A&M University
• Heather Shipley, University of Texas at San Antonio
• Nicole Stokes DuPass, Holy Family University
• Elaine Wong, University of California, Riverside 

MSI Aspiring Leaders is a three-day forum and mentoring program developed by the CMSI that will create a space for prominent Minority Serving Institutions' (MSI) leaders to engage with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.

 Supported by $745,000 in grants from the ECMC Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Penn Executive Doctorate program, MSI Aspiring Leaders includes both a leadership forum and a mentorship program. The forum will include discussions and workshops on topics such as the presidential nomination process, managing relationships with faculty, using data to make decisions, fiscal management, strategic fundraising, assessing student learning, and navigating the media.                                 

Following the forum, mentors and their mentees will participate in a one-on-one relationship over two years. CMSI will facilitate these relationships and provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years, with the hope that these relationships may be part of a future longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ aspiring leaders’ career trajectories. The structure of the MSI Aspiring Leaders program aims to cultivate future MSI presidents by strengthening pathways to leadership and building connections between peers with similar aspirations and abilities.

Marybeth Gasman, Director of CMSI, shared, “This forum will celebrate the diversity of experiences from those in the nonprofit and education sectors and will cultivate collaborations that will build the next generation of MSI college presidents.”

In an effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders is free of program fees to all invited participants. In addition, all meals and materials will be provided by CMSI. Participants will also receive travel stipends to offset the cost of their personal travel and lodging.

Philadelphia, Pa.,– August 9, 2017 – This week, CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) are hosting 15 faculty members from Minority Serving Institutions across the nation in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at an International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS). Faculty members will gain expertise in facilitating faculty-led study abroad experiences for their students.

Throughout the seminar, faculty members will collaborate to devise strategies for intercultural development that they can then use on their respective campuses. In addition, they will learn best practices to address challenges that may arise while planning a successful study abroad program.

Participants were each nominated by their campus president based on their exemplary leadership, research, and teaching. They include Erica Decuir, Albany State University, Albany, GA; Uzoma Okafor, Albany State University, Albany, GA; Latoya Brooks, Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, NC; Nicole McFarlane, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC; Quienton Nichols, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC; Melanie Hernandez, Fresno State University, Fresno, CA; Jessie Adolph, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO; Troy Frank, Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO; Phillipe Semenet, Saint Edward’s University, Austin, TX; Eric Butler, Shaw University, Raleigh, NC; Dorothy Browne, Shaw University, Raleigh, NC; Sheena Harris, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL; and Rhonda Collier, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL.

Facilitators for IFDS include Keshia Abraham, Erin Santana, Melissa Sandoval, Stacy Wood and Ryan Bowen, CIEE Portland, ME; Julio González-Ruiz, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; Daniel Blake and Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Philadelphia, PA.

According to Lola Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, “IFDS not only equips faculty members with essential tools to develop study abroad programs, but it opens doors for students at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to gain global perspectives through programming uniquely curated for their particular experiences.”

Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE, added, “Furthering the commitments made by each of the Presidents who nominated faculty to participate, IFDS is the cornerstone of the CIEE/CMSI partnership. It provides a space for exemplary faculty leaders at MSIs to collaborate and develop strategic initiatives to expand international exchange on their respective campuses.”  

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions

The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions brings together researchers and practitioners from the nation's Minority 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. Visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About the Council on International Educational Exchange

 CIEE was founded in 1947 to facilitate international exchange programs that help foster peace and understanding in our world and to open doors to such programs for students from all socio-economic backgrounds.  Today, CIEE serves more than 400 U.S. colleges and universities, 1,000 U.S. high schools, and facilitates over 40,000 exchanges each year. CIEE serves as the leading sponsor for the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program (the J-1 visa program), promoting exchanges with over 100 countries. Additional CIEE programs include international faculty training, teach abroad, and various specialty and custom programs for secondary, post-secondary, and international students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Philadelphia, Pa., July 31, 2017: On August 1, 2017, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) in partnership with the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) will host the inaugural celebration for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship Program in London, England. The event will celebrate 10 high-achieving student fellows from Minority Serving Institutions who are participating in a summer study abroad program in London focusing on leadership and intercultural communication. The Frederick Douglass Global Fellows (FDGFs) were nominated by their college presidents and selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants in a national competition.

The four-week program highlights the attributes and significance of global leadership with a special focus on developing techniques to apply these skills in their respective communities when they return to the United States. In addition, FDGFs will use their experiences to motivate other under-represented students to pursue similar opportunities. The program draws on the legacy of Frederick Douglass—the African-American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and international statesman who lived, lectured and studied in London in 1845—and encourage students to use his life as a model to becoming bold, globally conscious and service-oriented leaders.

Marybeth Gasman, Director of CMSI, shared, “The event will highlight the magnitude of this monumental collaboration between CIEE and Penn CMSI. It is one of several steps we are taking to increase study abroad opportunities for students at Minority Serving Institutions.”

The inaugural celebration will include a roundtable discussion that will feature guest speakers Dr. Mildred García, President of California State University-Fullerton; Dr. David Wilson, President of Morgan State University; and Ms. Nettie Washington Douglass, Co-founder and Chairwoman of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives. The topic of the roundtable will be “What is possible for me is possible for you.” Speakers will share their experiences on the impact of a global perspective and how it has propelled them to endure through adversity to become leaders and influential figures within higher education. Ms. Washington Douglass will deliver the keynote address.

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program is designed to strengthen the leadership and intercultural communication skills of each participant using a pedagogical approach that centers on experiential education and a global perspective.

“This FDGF program is unique in that it enables exemplary student leaders, nominated by their college president, who come from the most financially challenged backgrounds, to develop critically important leadership skills in an international setting,” said Paola “Lola” Esmieu, Associate Director of Programs at CMSI. “Our partnership with CIEE allows us to break down the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture to make study abroad accessible to students from MSIs, a demographic that is often disproportionately left out of national study abroad conversations.”

The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship covers all program fees and travel costs for 10 students each year who are nominated by their college president and selected from a diverse group of MSIs. The fellowship is awarded based on a combination of personal leadership attributes, academic achievement and financial need. Future cohorts of FDGFs will study in Cape Town, South Africa (summer 2018) and Seoul, South Korea (summer 2019.)

Dr. Keshia Abraham, Director of Strategic Initiatives at CIEE, explained, “By anchoring this transformative program in the legacy of global citizenship exemplified by Frederick Douglass, we are intentionally fostering leadership development while emphasizing intercultural skills, enabling students to self-author their experiences abroad into lasting, encouraging examples for other students at Minority Serving Institutions and beyond.”

For more information, read more about the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program here. 

The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) is pleased to open applications for our upcoming leadership development and mentorship program, MSI Aspiring Leaders. Supported by $745,000 in grants from ECMC Foundation and The Kresge Foundation, the program will bring together prominent Minority Serving Institutions' (MSI) leaders to engage with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.

The MSI Aspiring Leaders Forum will be hosted at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA from Friday, November 17, 2017 to Sunday, November 19, 2017. In our effort to encourage attendance and minimize financial burden, MSI Aspiring Leaders will be hosted without program fees to all invited participants. In addition, all meals and materials will be provided by CMSI. Participants will only have to cover the cost of their personal travel and lodging.

If you are interested in applying to participate, please complete the online application by no later than May 30 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Selected participants will be announced by email in late July 2017. For questions about the program, please contact our Associate Director for Programs, Paola "Lola" Esmieu, at pesmieu@gse.upenn.edu with "MSI Aspiring Leaders" in the subject line.

MSI Aspiring Leaders includes both a leadership forum and mentorship program and has been designed to help promote diversity among higher education leadership, where nearly 60% of sitting university presidents are over the age of 60 and where many see a lack of opportunity for women and people of color. By providing professional development workshops focused on 21st-century skills as well as two years of post-forum mentorship, MSI Aspiring Leaders hopes to cultivate future MSI presidents by strengthening pathways to leadership and building connections between peers with similar aspirations and abilities.

The forum will include discussions and workshops on topics such as the presidential nomination process, managing relationships with faculty, using data to make decisions, fiscal management, strategic fundraising, assessing student learning, and navigating the media. After the forum, mentors and their mentees will participate in a one-on-one mentoring relationship through in-person meetings, conference calls, and email over two years. CMSI will facilitate these relationships and provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years, with the hope that these relationships may be part of a future longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ career trajectories.

Future updates about MSI Aspiring Leaders will be announced on CMSI's website.

Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 2, 2017—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has named the first 30 scholars that will receive unprecedented support and mentoring as part of a program to increase the number of Hispanic professors working in the humanities at U.S. colleges and universities.
 
The undergraduate students selected for HSI Pathways to the Professoriate, a program supported with a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, attend one of three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
 
Beginning this summer, these HSI Pathways Fellows will take part in intensive summer research programs and cross-institutional conferences, while also receiving mentoring and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school.
 
The program kicks off as colleges and universities across the United States are trying, and often struggling, to develop a faculty that reflects the nation’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity. The scarcity of Latino professors is especially stark, as Latinos make up only 4.1 percent of the professoriate in the United States, but 20 percent of the population aged 18-44.
 
“We aren’t doing enough to diversify the professoriate—either through recruitment or retention—and the fact is that we have the tools available to us, we just need the will,” said Marybeth Gasman, Penn professor and director of CMSI. “With HSI Pathways, we are showing that we have the will and role modeling that should be taking place throughout the nation. No excuses.”
 
During the five-year program, CMSI will partner with three HSIs—Florida International University; the University of Texas El Paso; and California State University, Northridge—and five majority research institutions—New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis. Faculty from these majority institutions will be featured at summer sessions and cross-institutional conferences. They will also offer fellows advice and support as they apply to graduate school.
 
2017 HSI Pathways Fellows
 
California State University, Northridge

• Shawntel Barreiro
• Elizabeth Calzada
• Jared Diaz
• Elizabeth Hernandez
• Gema Ludisaca
• Carla Martinez
• Brian Mercado
• Yaquelin Morales
• Hermes Rocha
• Eryn Talevich 

Florida International University

• Maria Ahumada
• Gabriela Diaz
• Jason Fontana
• Michael Garcia
• Amanda Gonzalez
• Stephanie Janania
• Francisco Lopez
• Faraji Miller
• Janie Raghundan
• Valeria Salerno

University of Texas at El Paso

• Carla Aldrete
• Star Flagel
• Jasmin Flores
• Nerea Hernandez
• Victor Hurtado
• Johanna Lopez
• Alejandra Lozano
• Lyandra Sanchez
• Mario Sanchez
• Elizabeth Vigil

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn 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 Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions is part of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. For further information about CMSI, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi.
 
About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
 Founded in 1969, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation endeavors to strengthen, promote, and, where necessary, defend the contributions of the humanities and the arts to human flourishing and to the well-being of diverse and democratic societies by supporting exemplary institutions of higher education and culture as they renew and provide access to an invaluable heritage of ambitious, path-breaking work. For more information, please visit https://mellon.org. 

Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 14, 2016—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) announced today that it has been awarded over $745,000 in grants from ECMC Foundation and the Kresge Foundation to host a new program called "MSI Aspiring Leaders." The program will bring together prominent Minority Serving Institutions' (MSI) leaders to engage with mid-career aspiring leaders from the education, non-profit, and business sectors in an effort to prepare the next generation of MSI presidents.

"The leaders at Minority Serving Institutions are some of the most innovative and dedicated educators in the nation—they have to be because they're at institutions that educate students who are historically underserved," said Marybeth Gasman, professor and director of CMSI. "Strengthening leadership pathways for these colleges and universities is one way to ensure institutional commitment to diversity and equity in higher education."

MSI Aspiring Leaders includes both a leadership forum and mentorship program and has been designed to help promote diversity among higher education leadership, where nearly 60% of sitting university presidents are over the age of 60 and where many see a lack of opportunity for women and people of color. By providing professional development workshops focused on 21st-century skills as well as two years of post-forum mentorship, MSI Aspiring Leaders hopes to cultivate future MSI presidents by strengthening pathways to leadership and building connections between peers with similar aspirations and abilities.

"ECMC Foundation supports the MSI Aspiring Leaders forum and mentorship program because it will enable MSI leaders to coach, mentor, and transfer knowledge and skills to the next generation of leaders," said Sarah Kirschenbaum, Program Director, College Success at ECMC Foundation. "The program plays an important role in enabling future leaders to implement tools and techniques that improve college success among underserved students."

The forum will include discussions and workshops on topics such as the presidential nomination process, managing relationships with faculty, using data to make decisions, fiscal management, strategic fundraising, assessing student learning, and navigating the media. After the forum, mentors and their mentees will participate in a one-on-one mentoring relationship through in-person meetings, conference calls, and email over two years. CMSI will facilitate these relationships and provide benchmarks to be completed at various points throughout the two years, with the hope that these relationships may be part of a future longitudinal study to measure the influence of such mentorship on mentees’ career trajectories.

“Kresge is proud to help launch this Forum because we want to see a stronger pipeline of leaders of color in higher education,” said Caroline Altman Smith, Kresge’s deputy director, Education Program. “Leading a university is a challenging job, and that can be especially true at Minority Serving Institutions. Given how many presidents will be retiring in the current years, and how important Minority Serving Institutions are to the nation’s college completion agenda, we believed it was critical to invest in the professional development of those who will lead MSIs in the next decade and beyond.”

The first forum is anticipated to be held over a three-day period in Nov. 2017 and will be provided without program fees to all invited participants. The nomination and application process will open soon and will be shared widely.

Future updates about the forum will be announced on CMSI's website.
 

Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 22, 2016—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has released a new report that examines ten Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as models of success in STEM education. The report, Historically Black Colleges and Universities as Leaders in STEM, has been produced in conjunction with CMSI’s upcoming “National Convening on HBCUs as Leaders in STEM” that takes place Sept. 23–25 in Philadelphia.
 
Both the report and the convening are the culmination of a multi-year research project funded by The Leona M. & Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The report outlines case studies of each of the ten HBCUs to determine how they have become significant contributors to our nation’s expanding need for a more STEM-literate workforce. In addition, it brings together national data to paint a broader picture of HBCUs’ contributions to STEM.
 
HBCUs have been crucial agents in educating Black students in STEM and other fields. Not only do HBCUs graduate 20% of all Black undergraduates in the United States, but eight HBCUs were among the top 20 institutions to award the most Science & Engineering bachelor’s degrees to Black graduates from 2008-2012. Their disproportionate success in this area is what led CMSI researchers to pursue this research in the first place.
 
“Data clearly show that HBCUs are leaders in STEM education but this fact has gone underreported in STEM-related research,” said Thai-Huy Nguyen, co-author of the report and an Assistant Professor of Education at Seattle University. “This report represents an opportunity for those working in STEM education to see HBCUs as innovators and, hopefully, to follow their lead.”
 
Some of the reasons HBCUs experience success in STEM, the report explains, are because they build on past legacies of achievement, promote a sense of family among students and faculty, adopt a culture of institutional responsibility, prioritize student learning over faculty needs, and provide students with same-gender and same-race faculty role models.
 
The ten HBCUs highlighted in the report include Xavier University of Louisiana, Dillard University, Morgan State University, Delaware State University, North Carolina Central University, Claflin University, Prairie View A&M University, Huston-Tillotson University, Lincoln University, and Cheyney University. As part of CMSI’s Helmsley-funded research, these institutions each received a $50,000 capacity building grant to expand their STEM programs.
 
“The success of STEM education at HBCUs is even more remarkable when you take into account the fact that they often have far fewer resources than majority institutions,” said Marybeth Gasman, co-author of the report, professor, and Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “As the economy tightens for all institutions of higher education, we need to look toward HBCUs for proven solutions that will help students nationwide.”
 
A more in-depth account of the report’s results as well as an exploration of the HBCUs’ innovative success models will be presented at CMSI’s convening later this week. The convening will feature CMSI researchers as well as leading scholars in the field of HBCU STEM research, public and private funders of STEM education, and representatives (students, administrators, and faculty) of the grant-funded HBCUs.
 
Full copies of the report are freely available at CMSI’s website.
 

Tackling the opportunity gap in study abroad, CIEE and CMSI sponsor faculty members at International Faculty Development Seminar in the Dominican Republic.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – August 8, 2016 – This week, CIEE: Council for International Education and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) are hosting 15 faculty members from Minority Serving Institutions across the nation in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at an International Faculty Development Seminar (IFDS). Faculty members will gain expertise in facilitating faculty-led study abroad experiences for their students.

The Dominican Republic was chosen purposefully as the location for the seminar for several reasons. The history of race relations in the Dominican Republic provides an interesting backdrop to explore issues of identity. The country has a rich cultural heritage that can be seen through the Congos of Villa Mella, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which faculty members will be visiting. And finally, the Dominican Republic allows for an in-depth exploration of the African Diaspora.

Throughout the seminar, faculty members will model activities for intercultural development that can be used with their students. In addition, they will learn hands-on program planning aimed at understanding how to overcome the barriers and challenges they may face throughout the process of planning a study abroad program.

Participants were each nominated by their campus president based on their exemplary leadership, research, and teaching. They include William Arce and Jes Therkelson of California State University, Fresno; Samuel Roberson of Claflin University; Novell Tani and Evelyn Tyler of Florida A&M University; Nicole Yarling of Florida Memorial University; Melvenia Martin of Grambling State University; Bahiyyah Muhammad and GiShawn Mance of Howard University; Ervin James III and Mariola Rosario of Paul Quinn College; Erin Barnes and Joseph Rodriguez of the University of Texas, El Paso; and James Pope of Winston-Salem State University.

Facilitators for IFDS include Quinton Redcliffe, CIEE Cape Town, South Africa; Erin Santana, CIEE Portland, ME; Julio González-Ruiz, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; and Marybeth Gasman and Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, Philadelphia, PA.

According to Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions, “IFDS is important to diversify study abroad opportunities for students at Minority Serving Institutions as faculty members need the tools in order to plan successful study abroad experiences.”

James Pellow, President of CIEE, added, “IFDS complements the other components of the CIEE/CMSI partnership, which includes engaging presidential leadership in advocating for study abroad; the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship program, which supports MSI students to travel to London, Cape Town, or Seoul; and our passport caravan, which is focused on giving free passports to students throughout the nation.”

About CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange

Founded in 1947, CIEE is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, serving more than 340 U.S. colleges and universities, 1,000 U.S. high schools, and more than 40,000 international exchange students each year. CIEE serves as a leading sponsor for the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program (the J-1 visa program), supporting exchanges with over 90 countries. In addition, CIEE operates 67 study centers in 45 countries, sponsors international faculty training programs, teach abroad programs, and various specialty and custom programs for secondary, post-secondary, and international students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Tackling the racial gap, Penn's CMSI and CIEE commit to faculty training and development, workshops for presidents, and student scholarships for MSIs

Philadelphia, PA – March 1, 2016 – Today the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange announce a three-year comprehensive strategy to increase study abroad at minority serving institutions (MSIs), including workshops for college presidents, faculty training programs, and student scholarships.

Research shows that students who study abroad have higher GPAs, are more likely to graduate on time, and are more attractive to employers that seek to hire candidates with intercultural competencies. However, there is a significant gap in the profile of those who study abroad versus the overall population of U.S. undergraduates. While students of color represent almost 40 percent of all undergraduates, they represent only 26 percent of those students who study abroad, including just 8.3 percent who are Hispanic and 5.6 percent who are black.

Recognizing the importance of senior leadership in addressing these gaps, in November 2015 CIEE and CMSI gathered 10 presidents of leading minority serving institutions in Berlin, Germany, for an inaugural Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions to discuss the importance of exposing more students from MSIs to international education opportunities. Workshop participants agreed that study abroad must be adapted as part of a school’s overall culture in order to succeed in engaging more students of color in the practice. Such culture change, they determined, requires a multipronged effort that relies on engaging faculty, known to be key influencers in mentoring and guiding students.

After the strong endorsement on the impact of the workshop from the MSI presidents, CIEE and CMSI have agreed to expand their partnership for three more years of programming, signing a memorandum of understanding to produce integrated training and support programs for key constituents at MSIs.

"Our partnership with CIEE is an unprecedented effort to move the needle in a serious way around study abroad for students of color, and especially students at minority serving institutions,” said Marybeth Gasman, professor and director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “Through a comprehensive plan that engages MSI leaders, faculty, and students in the planning and facilitation of study abroad, we can bring vast learning opportunities to students who have longed to experience a larger world and enhance their learning.”

The partnership will include:

1. President Workshops on International Education – CIEE and CMSI will produce the Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions for two more years. The workshops will coincide with the 2016 and 2017 CIEE Annual Conferences in Los Angeles, California; and Austin, Texas.
2. Faculty Training and Development Programs on International Education–CMSI and CIEE will co-sponsor the ELEVATE conference, an annual program that brings together early career MSI faculty to further equip them with support, training, and an opportunity to create a close-knit network of peers. In addition, CIEE and CMSI will co-sponsor MSI faculty to attend a special CIEE International Faculty Development Seminar in summer 2016, which will provide additional training and an introduction to best practices. 
3. Student Scholarships for Study Abroad – CIEE will donate all proceeds from its Annual Conference vendor fees to a scholarship fund that will be administered by CMSI.  Each year, CMSI will award scholarships totaling at least $50,000 to students from MSIs who would not otherwise be able to study abroad.

“Expanding opportunities for global education is an imperative for university leaders across the country.  Our experience indicates that the most successful colleges are those that have strong leadership advocating for international education, engaged faculty shaping programs that are appropriate for each institution, and students that have the support they need to participate,” said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., president and chief executive officer of CIEE and a Penn Graduate School of Education alumnus. “The opportunity to work with the nation’s leader in promoting best practices for education at MSIs is both a privilege and a powerful way to affect change.”

MSI presidents who attended the study abroad workshop in Berlin and who are working on this next phase of faculty engagement include: Wayne Frederick (Howard University), Joseph I. Castro (California State University-Fresno), Mildred Garcia (California State University-Fullerton), Henry Tisdale (Claflin University), Elmira Magnum (Florida A&M University), Vinton Thompson (Metropolitan College of New York), David Wilson (Morgan State University), George Wright (Prairie View A&M University), Michael J. Sorrell (Paul Quinn College), and Willie Larkin (Grambling State University).

Said Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College, “As the world has become a more interconnected and smaller place, students from under resourced communities cannot afford to be left on the sidelines and marginalized in this new world order. The work that CIEE does in expanding the cultural and educational opportunities for all students is critically important and tremendously under appreciated. The Paul Quinn College community is extremely grateful for CIEE’s and CMSI’s investment in our students and our faculty.”

About CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange

Founded in 1947, CIEE is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization, serving more than 340 U.S. colleges and universities, 1,000 U.S. high schools, and more than 40,000 international exchange students each year. CIEE serves as a leading sponsor for the U.S. Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program (the J-1 visa program), supporting exchanges with over 90 countries.  In addition, CIEE operates 67 study centers in 45 countries, sponsors international faculty training programs, teach abroad programs, and various specialty and custom programs for secondary, post-secondary, and international students. Visit www.ciee.org.

Philadelphia, February 29, 2016—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new toolkit to help presidents of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) strengthen their leadership skills. Titled Effective Leadership: A Toolkit for the 21st-Century Historically Black College and University President, the toolkit examines how HBCU presidents can engage with common educational leadership chal­lenges as well as challenges exclusive to HBCUs.

 “HBCUs serve an important role in American higher education and in order to maintain their viability, we need presidents who possess the skills and abilities that will allow them to lead effectively,” said Levon T. Esters, lead author of the toolkit and an Associate Professor of Education at Purdue University. “Our goal of this report is to highlight the leadership skills and expertise required of HBCU presidents to address the complexities facing their institutions in the 21st century.”

The toolkit methodically explores a wide-ranging list of skills that have become required for effective leadership, from policy-making expertise to stakeholder engagement to funding strategies. The toolkit explains why such skills are important in the 21st-century higher education landscape and offers in-depth suggestions about how HBCU presidents may develop them.

One particularly salient recommendation pertains to the advancement of social media and the increasingly important role it plays in communicating messages to students, alumni, and the general public. The toolkit notes that most HBCU presidents do not have an active social media presence, and their use falls well below the national average when compared to other college presidents. The toolkit suggests that HBCU presidents should become the “living logo” of their respective institutions and use social media to raise visibility, increase fundraising success, speak out on key higher education issues, and communicate the ethos of their HBCUs to the public.

“For better or worse, modern technology means that colleges and their actions have become much more visible to the discerning public. HBCU presidents should take advantage of this to help advocate for their institutions, especially at a time when HBCUs face more and more scrutiny,” said Amanda Washington, co-author of the toolkit, Spelman College graduate, and a Ph.D. research student at CMSI.

Published at a time when HBCUs constitute only 3% of the nation’s colleges and universities yet graduate over 20% of all African-American students in the U.S., the toolkit hopes to accelerate the cultivation of leadership at institutions that need it most. The toolkit joins other efforts of CMSI to promote equity in higher education.

Full copies of report are freely available at CMSI’s website.

Pathways to the Professoriate is supported with a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

 
Philadelphia, January 28, 2016 — The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) is launching an unprecedented program to increase the number of Latino professors working in the humanities at U.S. colleges and universities.

Pathways to the Professoriate, supported by a $5.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, will prepare 90 students from Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for Ph.D. programs over a five-year period.

This program comes as colleges and universities across the United States are trying, and often struggling, to develop a faculty that reflects the nation’s growing ethnic and cultural diversity. The scarcity of Latino professors is especially stark, as Latinos make up only 4.1 percent of the professoriate in the United States, but 20 percent of the population aged 18-44.

“This is not a problem that can be fixed overnight,” says Marybeth Gasman, director of the Center for MSIs. “We see this program as a way to begin a fundamental change. We hope this creates a strong pathway to graduate school for Latino students that will grow over time, with these students supporting one another, and one day becoming mentors themselves.”

“As the demographic profile of the US changes, the country has a compelling interest in obtaining the full participation of previously underrepresented communities,” said Mariët Westermann, Vice President at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. “The past decade has seen considerable gains in doctoral degree attainment for Latinos, yet these gains have not kept up with the growth of the US Hispanic population. We have every confidence that this program will build on the successful pipeline programs piloted by the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”

During the five-year program, the Center for MSIs will partner with three Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) — Florida International University; the University of Texas El Paso; and California State University, Northridge — and five majority research institutions — New York University; University of California, Berkeley; University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University; and University of California, Davis.

Selected HSI undergraduate students will take part in intensive summer research programs and cross-institutional conferences, while also receiving mentoring, and support for applying to and enrolling in graduate school.

It will take years for these scholars to move into the professoriate, and many will be hired at schools other than the five participating research institutions. Still U.C. Davis Provost Ralph Hexter believes his campus will benefit from the partnership immediately.

“We’ve been making slow progress on our own stated need — to have a diversified faculty that reflects our student body, to have research conducted by as diverse a group as possible — but we need to accelerate that progress,” Hexter says. “Having our faculty work with scholars from a broad array of institutions can change how hiring decisions are made.”

“There is tremendous talent in so many places,” Hexter says. “We need to enhance our ability to recognize and appreciate it.”

Florida International University is 64 percent Latino, and every country in Latin America and the Caribbean is represented in the school’s student body. “We feel like we represent the future of what academia could look like,” says Elizabeth Bejar, FIU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. Currently, FIU does not have a Ph.D. program in many humanities subjects.

“We know we have students here who have the quality and caliber to be Ph.D. students at nationally renowned research institutions,” Bejar says. “Pathways to the Professoriate will give these students needed support to make sure that can happen.”

Throughout the grant, the Penn Center for MSIs will be conducting assessments of how selected students are progressing. In doing so, Gasman hopes to “find the leaks in the pipeline” — the challenges that are most likely to halt a Latino scholar’s path to a Ph.D.

December 3, 2015 — Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) educate 26 percent of the nation’s college students. Like all colleges and universities, MSIs are trying to quantify the Return on Investment (ROI) they offer students. But the calculations can be different for MSIs, which serve large percentages of first generation, low-income students of color.

Four new research papers give fresh insights into MSIs’ expanding role in American education:   

1. The monetary and non-monetary ROI for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including annual earnings, job satisfaction, and socialization to higher-status occupations, among other factors.
2. An examination of labor market returns for graduates of Hispanic Serving Institutions.
3. A look at new ways to more accurately measure ROI for students at Tribal Colleges and Universities.
4. A study of how students in federally funded learning communities at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions adjusted to college-level work and graduated at higher rates than their peers. 

“Understanding the complex and unique return on investment for MSIs is essential as these institutions serve the new majority in higher education. There is much that we can all learn from their impact and approaches to student learning and community uplift,” said Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions.

This new research is being released in conjunction with the National Minority Serving Institutions Return on Investment Convening, which takes placeDecember 3-4 in Princeton, NJ. The convening, sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, will serve as a call for further research on the work of MSIs.

“As MSIs continue to expand their share of enrolled postsecondary students, they will be expected to produce increasing amounts of high-quality data and information on institutional effectiveness,” said ETS Senior Vice President Michael Nettles. “This includes evidence about MSI graduates’ learning, preparation for the workforce, attractiveness to employers, and successful pursuit of post-baccalaureate degrees.”

About the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions

 The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions 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. The Center’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. For further information about the Center, please visitwww.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi

About the Graduate School of Education (GSE) at the University of Pennsylvania

 Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research education schools. No other education school enjoys a university environment as supportive of practical knowledge building as the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals, unique partnerships with local educators, and the first-ever business plan competition devoted exclusively to educational products and programs. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu.

About Educational Testing Service (ETS)

At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

Philadelphia, November 20, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a new report on Native American Serving, Non-Tribal Institutions (NASIs). The report, Fostering Empowerment: Supporting Student Success at Native American Serving, Non-Tribal Institutions, provides one of the very first overviews of these institutions, which were only recently recognized as an official minority serving designation in 2008 by the US Department of Education.

There are currently 18 NASIs located in rural areas that serve over 13,500 American Indian Alaska Native (AIAN) students. The report gives detailed statistics about each of the 18 NASIs and their students and offers analysis that situates the institutions within the wider context of higher education public policy.

 “I hope that this report serves as a means to recognize the important and critical role that Native American Serving, Non-Tribal Institutions are making within the higher education minority serving institutions umbrella,” said Angela Rochat, author of the report and CMSI Fellow.

In addition to increasing the exposure of these institutions, the report also offers policy recommendations to help strengthen NASIs’ ability to serve their predominantly underrepresented and low-income students. For example, the report contends that data collection measures must be improved for AIAN students and also calls for revised language in federal policies to clarify ambiguity regarding Native education. 

Despite serving similar student populations and having comparable ties to Native communities, NASIs differ from Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) because they are mainly public institutions that enroll at least 10 percent Native American undergraduate students. TCUs, on the other hand, are reservation based and tribally controlled with a mission to preserve tribal languages and cultures. The report suggests that clarifying the language in federal policies would help improve collaboration between NASIs and TCUs.

The report adds that nearly 100 additional institutions may be eligible for NASI designation. Further investment in and advocacy for these institutions would help address urgent AIAN education needs in areas such as capital financing, master’s degree development, STEM articulation and programs, minority research training grants, and minority science and engineering programs.

Full copies of report are freely available at CMSI’s website.

Philadelphia, October 2, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange have partnered to help Minority Serving Institution (MSI) presidents expand study abroad at their respective institutions. The Center and CIEE will host MSI presidents at a full-day leadership workshop on Nov. 4 in Berlin, Germany that coincides with CIEE’s 2015 Annual Conference, The Reinvention of Study Abroad: Setting the Course for 2020. The conference itself will run from Nov. 4–7.

The Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions will lead forward-looking MSI presidents through an examination of the importance of exposing MSI students to global education opportunities. In addition, the workshop will provide guidance on overcoming the barriers of cost, curriculum, and culture and help develop ideas for expanding access to study abroad for all students, regardless of background or academic major.

“Our goal at the Center is to make MSIs global leaders in education: what better way than promoting study abroad? The benefits of studying abroad are undeniable—it’s just a matter of making it a reality for all students,” said Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, assistant director for programming at CMSI.

According to a 2014 report by the Institute of International Education, less than 10% of undergraduates study abroad before graduating. Of that already small portion, over 75% are White, while only 7.6% are Hispanic, 7.3% are Asian, and 5.3% are Black. Yet experts agree that international experience has become vital to global competition for jobs, not to mention cultural understanding. Expanding study abroad at MSIs can help bring equity to these statistics.

“As the globe becomes increasingly connected, exposure to other cultures and ideas should become a cornerstone of our students’ education,” said Marybeth Gasman, director of CMSI and professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania. “MSIs already celebrate diversity, so not only does study abroad make sense for them, but they also have a lot to offer in that area as well.”

Confirmed attendees of the CIEE and CMSI workshop include Wayne Frederick (Howard University), Joseph I. Castro (California State University-Fresno), Mildred Garcia (California State University-Fullerton), Henry Tisdale (Claflin University), Elmira Magnum (Florida A&M University), Vinton Thompson (Metropolitan College of New York), David Wilson (Morgan State University), Roderick L. Smothers (Philander Smith College), George Wright (Prairie View A&M University), and Penn Graduate School of Education alumnus, Michael J. Sorrell (Paul Quinn College). All invited MSI presidents will also be given the opportunity to attend the full CIEE Annual Conference.

“The importance of study abroad for every student today is well established, yet we know that many institutions are finding it difficult to create a robust set of international programs for students and faculty. We heard from all of our member schools that the importance of having support from top university leaders cannot be overstated,” explained James P. Pellow, president and chief executive officer of CIEE and Penn Graduate School of Education alumnus. “With the Penn Center for MSIs being the leader in championing high-quality programs for Minority Serving Institutions, this partnership to sponsor the first Study Abroad Leadership Workshop for Minority Serving Institutions is an important contribution to the field and to shaping the lives of many students from MSIs.”

Visit CIEE’s website for more information on their 2015 Annual Conference.

Earlier this year, we received a very generous grant from The Kresge Foundation to help us fund our day-to-day operations as we support Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) across the country. The Kresge Foundation has challenged us to find matching funding from other donors. That is why we are excited to announce this year's Annual Giving campaign, #MeetTheMatch.

During the month of October, we will be asking you and our other supporters to #MeetTheMatch and help us continue to create new and innovative ways to support MSIs and the tremendous work they do. Your contribution will help us unlock The Kresge Foundation's challenge grant, which will ensure theCenter will continue to operate for years to come. Your continued support and collaboration are essential to achieving our mission. 

We are incredibly grateful for all the donations we received last year. Will you consider donating this year?

Your generosity has allowed us to launch many new programs, such as our inaugural faculty-development program, ELEVATE, which equipped early-career faculty from MSIs with training and support to help them lead successful careers as MSI educators. Your support has also allowed us to expand our staff and hire many talented new individuals. Finally, your donations have allowed us to continue to produce in-depth reports, offer research fellowships, and even create a guide to graduate school for MSI students. 

As the Center grows in both size and scope, we take this as a sign that we're doing valuable and important work. This is why #MeetTheMatch is about more than fundraising—it is about collectively demonstrating our commitment to lifting MSIs, students of color, and the diversity of our nation.

We can't do it without you! While we have been awarded generous research grants tied to our major MSI capacity-building projects, we simply cannot fund the Center's daily operations without your donations. Without donations like yours, we wouldn't be able to provide as much support for MSIs; we wouldn't be able to train as many faculty of color; we wouldn't be able to help as many MSI students pursue postsecondary degrees. Your gift is therefore critical for us to unlock The Kresge Foundation's challenge grant and maintain the excellence of our research and practice with MSIs across the nation.

We're all in this together. That's why we will be featuring 31 personal #MeetTheMatch stories—one for each day in October—of students, faculty, alumni, and staff whose lives have been improved by their respective MSIs. Please add us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or visit our website to be part of these beautiful MSI stories. We also invite you to post your own #MeetTheMatch photo in support of our cause. 

It is our hope that you will join us in our work here at the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions by donating today. Giving is very simple; just follow the #MeetTheMatch button below. Thank you.

All my best,

Marybeth Gasman

Professor & Director of CMSI

This report recognizes the achievements of Tribal Colleges and Universities and explains the value and impact these institutions have within their local communities.                     

Philadelphia, August 28, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published an informative new report about Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The report, Redefining Success: How Tribal Colleges and Universities Build Nations, Strengthen Sovereignty, and Persevere Through Challenges, explores the unique ways in which TCUs preserve Indigenous culture and educate students in the face of economic and federal funding challenges.

“The Penn Center for MSIs presents the important story of the Tribal Colleges . . . [and] educational access and achievement among the least-served peoples of the United States: its first citizens, the American Indian and Alaska Native people,” said Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. “Tribal Colleges matter and this report shares why supporting them is critical to the prosperity and well-being of Tribal nations.”

The report explains that there are 37 TCUs currently serving students across the U.S., 34 of which are accredited by mainstream accrediting bodies. These colleges and universities serve a relatively small population of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students, but this demographic is growing rapidly, with an increase of over 25% in the past 10 years.

“TCUs are certainly accomplishing their mission to grow and preserve Tribal culture,” said Ginger Stull, lead author of the report and a CMSI affiliate. “While most colleges and universities have been facing an enrollment crisis, TCUs instead experienced enrollment growth, and many of them are among the fastest growing colleges in the country.”

Complicating their rapid growth, however, is the fact that TCUs face chronic underfunding. While TCUs have found some fiscal stability through persistent coalition building and other efforts, the report explains that more needs to be done on the federal level. For instance, the report recommends that TCUs should not be measured with the same criteria as other institutions because they were created for the main purpose of Tribal Nation-building. In accordance, they should have their own accrediting body that focuses on Indigenous values and ways of knowing.

“How can Tribal colleges and universities successfully preserve Tribal culture if they are judged by the same mainstream institutional powers that have historically subjugated them? They can’t, at least not fully; accreditation standards need to be culturally appropriate,” said Marybeth Gasman, co-author of the report and director of CMSI.

Indeed, TCUs are more than just institutions of learning and research; they are often deeply embedded in communities and play an influential role in local economic development. Many TCUs contribute to increasing job creation through workforce training in their entrepreneurial and small business programs. In Wisconsin, for example, the College of Menominee Nation added $37 million to the local economy in 2011 alone by adding jobs and tax revenues.

“TCUs face more challenges than almost any other institution of higher education, but just ask the students they serve, and they’ll tell you that they’re just as or even more important because of their deep ties to local communities,” said Andrés Castro Samayoa, co-author of the report and a Ph.D. research student at CMSI.

Full copies of report are freely available at CMSI’s website.
 
About The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions
The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions 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. The Center’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. For further information about the Center, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/cmsi
 
About the Graduate School of Education (GSE) at the University of Pennsylvania
Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research education schools. No other education school enjoys a university environment as supportive of practical knowledge building as the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals, unique partnerships with local educators, and the first-ever business plan competition devoted exclusively to educational products and programs. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu.

This guide to graduate school for students at minority serving institutions provides meaningful insights about the process of applying to, attending, and succeeding in graduate school.

Philadelphia, June 25, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published an informative new guide for undergraduate students who are considering graduate school. The comprehensive manual, Building on a Solid Foundation: A Guide to Graduate School for Students at Minority Serving Institutions, is freely available and provides meaningful insights about the process of applying to, attending, and succeeding in graduate school.

“MSIs provide undergraduates with a strong educational foundation for future endeavors and graduate school has become an attractive option in recent years,” said Francisco Ramos, co-author of the manual and a CMSI affiliate. “However, a lot of thought should go into the process, and this manual explains everything one needs to know.”

The manual addresses master’s degree and doctoral programs at all stages: the preliminary decision-making process, the application process, cost considerations, the graduate school experience, and the transition to a post-degree career. Written in accessible and encouraging language, the manual reframes the conversation and is helpful not only for students at MSIs but also for students at any institution.

While a person with a master’s degree will typically earn $400,000 more over their lifetime than someone with only a bachelor’s degree, the report explains, figuring out the logistics of paying for graduate school is a task unto itself. According to the New America Foundation, the average college graduate borrowed $57,600 for a graduate degree in 2012. Timing when to attend can be the difference between struggling and excelling.

“It’s a big decision,” notes Felecia Commodore, co-author of the manual and a CMSI affiliate. “And it’s not for everyone. All of us who wrote the manual have successfully finished grad school and we’ve included all the trial-by-fire information we wish we would’ve known beforehand.”

The manual includes a timeline to help prospective students plan ahead and breaks down the laborious process of applying by providing insider tips and tools that can help candidates succeed. Much of the guide anticipates the common challenges students may face and asks its readers to be very self-reflective and honest about their reasons for considering graduate school.

“Those who read the manual and are undeterred from its pragmatic account of graduate school will undoubtedly be in a better position not only to get in but to thrive,” added Fernando Coello, co-author of the report.

The manual also includes external resources for students who have finished graduate school and are looking for employment. Transforming the skills and knowledge learned in graduate school into professional success is the last step of the process, and the manual offers an initial springboard for those having difficulty in this area.

Full copies of the digital manual are freely available at CMSI’s website.

Our innovative faculty-development program, ELEVATE, helps early-career faculty working at or for MSIs. Completely free of charge, the program supports MSI Fellows from around the country.

Philadelphia, June 17, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions’ (CMSI) inaugural faculty-development program, ELEVATE, launches today and will support early-career faculty members working at MSIs. Offered free of charge to invited fellows, the 3-day program will provide a full array of workshops, seminars, and resources to its participants.

Led by CMSI researchers and senior faculty mentors who have firsthand experience working at or with MSIs, ELEVATE will present its 18 fellows a rare and valuable opportunity to network with experts in the field. Speakers will discuss topics that include grant writing, publishing, teaching and research practices, how to advance in the academy, design thinking, op-ed writing, work-life balance, and fundraising.

“Our fellows will have the distinct advantage of learning from faculty of color who have achieved tenure and found professional success on the other side,” said Paola ‘Lola’ Esmieu, ELEVATE’s lead organizer and Assistant Director for Programming at CMSI. “This is especially important for those who don’t have the same access to resources or support as faculty at majority institutions.”

The program will also supply its fellows with inventive alternatives to supplement traditional models of academic success. For example, ELEVATE’s “Design Thinking” workshop seeks to empower fellows to become more innovative and impactful educators. The workshop is based on Design Thinking for Educators, a toolkit developed by the award-winning global design firm IDEO.

“Design Thinking is about adapting complex challenges into productive conversations and discovering unexpected solutions,” said Andrés Castro Samayoa, a Ph.D. research student at CMSI who will lead the session. “It injects new life into old problems because it is fundamentally creative and collaborative,” he added.

Indeed, one of ELEVATE’s primary goals is to facilitate collaboration among its participants and, by extension, their home institutions. Participants come from a diversity of MSIs such as Fayetteville State University (an HBCU), Diné College (a Tribal College), and California State University, Fresno (both an AANAPISI and HSI).

“By elevating these faculty, we’re also elevating their ability to have an impact on their home institutions and students. We’re preparing them for a lifetime of service at MSIs,” said Marybeth Gasman, director of CMSI and one of ELEVATE’s speakers. “Fostering faculty collaboration between various MSIs is one pathway to mutual success, and ELEVATE will unlock that door.”

In addition to its workshops, ELEVATE includes a variety of networking luncheons and dinners where faculty will have ample opportunity to form partnerships and forge friendships. Working together, these faculty will have the chance to fulfill ELEVATE’s goals to Enrich Learning, Enhance Visibility, And Train Educators.

“At the end of the day, it’s about ensuring a level playing field for these faculty and making sure they leave equipped with a full toolbox to be excellent researchers and teachers,” added Esmieu, who hopes to build ELEVATE into a flagship program for years to come.

Visit CMSI’s website for a full program description and list of fellows’ profiles.

A team of researchers at CMSI take an in-depth look at HSI initiatives, federal funding challenges, and enrollment statistics, and offer recommendations for their continued growth.

Philadelphia, May 21, 2015—The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) has published a report detailing new statistics regarding Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The report, An Examination of Existing and Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ Latino Initiatives and Culture, looks at both established and emerging HSIs to review how they have developed initiatives that benefit Latino students, who comprise one of the fastest-growing student populations in the nation.

“With the number of HSIs growing dramatically, it is important to explore the targeted programs they offer their Latina/o students,” said Daniel Corral, co-author of the report and an Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis PhD student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “These institutions have the tools to provide access and success to students who might not otherwise attend college and/or acclimate them to new environments.”

HSI became an official federal designation in 1992 and refers to institutions whose enrollments are at least 25% Hispanic full-time equivalent (FTE). The report notes that 409 colleges currently meet this requirement. However, there exist 296 “Emerging HSIs” that enroll between 15-24% Hispanic FTE but do not yet qualify for Title III or V federal funding despite serving an ever-growing population of Hispanic students.

“As greater numbers of Latino students pursue higher education, it is important now more than ever to examine how HSIs may best serve their students,” suggested Marybeth Gasman, director of CMSI and a member of the report’s research team. “Part of that is ensuring federal funding can be acquired by the institutions that deserve it.”

While HSIs represent only 11% of all colleges and universities in the US, they enroll over 59% of the nation’s Hispanic postsecondary students and therefore play a the vital role in educating the burgeoning US Latino population.

Selecting five emerging HSIs as case studies, the report explains that even in lieu of federal funding, emerging HSIs have a variety of academic programs and initiatives specifically targeted at Hispanics. For example, Laney College in Oakland, CA (16% Hispanic FTE) has launched the “Puente Project,” which prepares Hispanic students by offering them English composition classes, counseling, and mentorship opportunities. This initiative and others like it aim to support Hispanic students, increase their enrollment, and expand their opportunities.

Already on the cusp of qualifying for Title III and V federal funding, many emerging HSIs will promote further initiatives to increase enrollment from Latino students, the report suggests. West Texas A&M University, for instance, stands at 23% Hispanic FTE and could very well qualify for official HSI status in the next few years.

The report also examines a sample of five existing HSIs with enrollments of 60% Hispanic FTE or greater, observing that many of these HSIs have already leveraged their federal funding to develop successful initiatives directed at Latino students. For example, the University of Texas – Pan American (UTPA) has more than 90% Hispanic FTE and proposes to use its Title V funding to increase experiential learning, research and study abroad opportunities, and senior internships and capstone classes.

Despite focusing on how HSIs have strengthened their institutional initiatives for Hispanic students, the report concludes that not enough is being done. The report urges HSIs to reflect on how to best serve their Hispanic students and focus their initiatives to make that service more apparent. In particular, the report offers five policy recommendations, suggesting for example that emerging HSIs should consider partnering with established HSIs to create a “mentorship” program to promote pertinent initiatives and Latino culture at their respective institutions.

“Coalition-building is the future of HSIs’ visibility and sustainability,” said Andrés Castro Samayoa, co-author of the report and a PhD research student at CMSI. “By highlighting the specific strategies used in our HSI case studies, we hope that other institutions can continue sharing their knowledge with each other.”

View the full report here.

Written by Penn education graduate students, the book seeks to provide a deeper understanding of major issues in higher education while focusing on the context and commitment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Philadelphia, Feb. 18, 2015 – As the nation’s demographics change, and as policy makers and thought leaders turn their focus increasingly on the importance of higher education in American society, the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) comes into a sharper focus.

While HBCUs represent only 3 percent of all colleges and universities in the United States, they enroll 8 percent of African American students. Moreover, minority-serving institutions, such as HBCUs, enroll a disproportionately large number of low-income students who are more apt to come from high-stress and under-resourced communities, and yet many are the first in their families to attend college.

Until now, the scholarship on HBCUs has been limited to a few areas. A new book, “Opportunities and Challenges of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” seeks to shed light on several key roles HBCUs play.

Each chapter was written by a graduate student in a seminar on Black Colleges, taught by Marybeth Gasman, a professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions, a research center in Penn’s Graduate School of Education (GSE). 

“The students worked hard to understand the issues surrounding Black colleges and to create new knowledge,” said Gasman, who co-edited the book along with Felecia Commodore, a Ph.D. candidate at GSE and a research assistant at the Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “With this book, we seek to bolster the literature by presenting new research that spans the landscape of HBCUs and informs new areas of interest and research,” said Gasman. 

Some of the book’s topics include the role HBCUs play in populating and creating pipelines for faculty of color, college administrators of color, and graduate students of color, as well as the ways in which HBCUs can address the areas of retention, alumni giving, and media relations. Additional topics pertinent to HBCUs and explored in the book include diversity on campuses, class and elitism issues, and study-abroad and honors programs.

“We hope this book will create conversation and serve as the impetus for better practices at HBCUs and for more rigorous research,” noted Commodore.

The book, Opportunities and Challenges of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, published by Palgrave Macmillan, is available now. For a 30% discount on the book, please click here.  

The grant will support the expansion of Center operations and programs that elevate Minority Serving Institutions, as well as scholars interested in research related to these vital institutions.

Philadelphia, Jan. 11, 2015 – The Kresge Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to support the work of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI). The grant will fund Center operations and programs during a four-year period and further its goals to increase rigorous scholarship related to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs); inform and shape practice at MSIs; and advance effective policies that have a positive impact on MSIs, their students, staff and faculty. 

“We are delighted to support the Penn Center for MSIs with several years of general operating support,” said Caroline Altman Smith, Senior Program Officer at The Kresge Foundation. “MSIs are playing a critical role in helping our nation meet its college-attainment goals, and they serve a disproportionate number of the students the Foundation is most committed to serving:  low-income students, first-generation students and students of color.  The Center is well-positioned to contribute research and thought leadership and convening power to strengthen the MSI field, and we are proud to be able to provide it with core support.” 

Structured as a challenge grant, The Kresge Foundation hopes to galvanize additional foundation and individual donor support for core Center operations, activities, and programs.  During the course of the four-year grant period, Marybeth Gasman, Director of CMSI, and her team will pursue matching funds to complete the grant challenge and build upon the Center’s existing work, including research related to student success, teacher education and STEM, as well as forthcoming programs related to strengthening MSIs. 

“We are honored to be supported by The Kresge Foundation,” said Gasman.  “This funding will allow us to substantially increase our capacity to serve MSIs and expand programs supporting scholars interested in researching MSIs.  We look forward to building our programs on MSI leadership, MSI fundraising, and providing research and programmatic support to those working at MSIs.”

Minority Serving Institutions enroll more than 3.2 million undergraduate students per year—20 percent of all undergraduate students enrolled in higher education—and no less significant, a disproportionate percentage of students of color. Because MSIs enroll a substantial share of minority students, many of whom might not otherwise attend college, the success of these institutions is critical for realizing our nation’s higher education and workforce goals, and for the benefit of American society.

About The Kresge Foundation

The Kresge Foundation is a $3 billion private, national foundation headquartered in Metropolitan Detroit, in the suburb community of Troy, that works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, community development and our place-based efforts in Detroit. For more than 85 years, The Kresge Foundation has helped build the nation’s nonprofit infrastructure—libraries, hospitals, schools, museums, community centers and other facilities. Historically, the challenge grant was used to help nonprofit organizations advance their capital campaigns and meet their fundraising goals for new facility construction or renovation. Today, The Kresge Foundation engages in strategic philanthropy using an array of grantmaking and investing tools. Read more here. 

Louis W. Sullivan M.D. talks about a Life Dedicated to Diversity in Medicine.

To see the conversation, click here.

October 13, 2014 ­— Across the world, colleges and universities with a mission to serve traditionally marginalized populations are facing similar questions about student access, affirmative action, financial stability, and culturally relevant curricula. These institutions rarely collaborate across countries and continents on the answers.

In response, the Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education is partnering with Salzburg Global Seminar and Educational Testing Service to host the first meeting to address these issues on an international scale. “Students at the Margins and the Institutions that Serve Them: A Global Perspective,” a five-day seminar beginning October 11 in Salzburg, Austria, is designed to jump-start a worldwide conversation on the ways schools, governments, and societies can work together to solve problems of access, stability, and opportunity.

“We are hoping to begin a conversation and do some hands-on work across various institutions and countries to strengthen the colleges and universities that do the important work of educating marginalized students,” said Dr. Marybeth Gasman, Director of the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. “We have much to learn from one another.”

The goals of this partnership include:

• Creating a global network of individuals and institutions interested in understanding the unique challenges and opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).
• Developing a database for MSIs across the globe, so these institutions can have a common reference point for generating and sharing knowledge and research ideas.
• Finding strategies that have been successful for MSIs around the world, and looking for ways these best practices can be replicated.
• Examining the effect on higher education of unprecedented shifts in patterns of immigration and migration that are making countries much more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and religion.

Media members will have multiple avenues to report on the changing landscape for MSIs around the world.

• Marybeth Gasman, the foremost U.S. expert on Minority Serving Institutions, and researchers from the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions will be available for interviews before and after the conference.
• Press interested in attending the conference in Salzburg or in conducting telephone interviews with any of the faculty for the session, should contact Louise Hallman with Salzburg Global Seminar at lhallman@salzburgglobal.org.

To see all 717 MSIs around the world, please visit: http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/cmsi/MSIs_Location_Map.pdf

Located at the University of Pennsylvania ‘s Graduate School of Education, and under the direction of Professor Marybeth Gasman, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions’ goals are to elevate the educational contributions of MSIs, ensuring their participation in national conversations; increase rigorous scholarship on MSIs; connect MSI academic and administrative leadership to leading reform initiatives in the United States; inform administrative, instructional and philanthropic practices at MSIs; advance effective policies that have a positive impact on strengthening MSIs, the development and support of their students and faculty, and the quality of the elementary and secondary schools within their communities; bring together MSIs around their common interests, strengths, and challenges to increase efficiency and optimize resources; and enhance the efforts of MSIs to close educational achievement gaps and assessment performance of disadvantaged communities. For further information about the Center for Minority Serving Institutions, please visit cmsi.gse.upenn.edu.

The mission of Salzburg Global Seminar is to challenge current and future leaders to solve issues of global concern. To do this it designs, facilitates and hosts international strategic convening and multi-year programs to tackle systems challenges critical for the next generation. Originally founded in 1947 to encourage the revival of intellectual dialogue in post-war Europe, Salzburg Global is a game-changing catalyst for global engagement on critical issues in education, health, environment, economics, governance, peace-building and more. Salzburg Global connects the most talented people and the most innovative ideas, challenging governments, institutions and individuals at all stages of development and all sectors to rethink their relationships and identify shared interests and goals. For more information, please visit, www.salzburgglobal.org.

About ETS-- At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, and by conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL^® and TOEIC ^® tests, the GRE ^® tests and The Praxis Series ^® assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

A new report finds the Obama Administration’s College Scorecard under-values Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other institutions serving underrepresented students 

Philadelphia, Sept. 4, 2014 — A report issued today by Penn Graduate School of Education’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions finds that current metrics used by President Obama’s Plan to Make College Affordable are unable to illustrate the critical role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in educating traditionally underrepresented students. The report, Ranking and Rewarding Access: An Alternative College Scorecard, considers how HBCUs fare on two aspects of the Obama plan: the online College Scorecard and the proposed college ratings system. Identifying shortcomings in both evaluation mechanisms, the report's authors, Penn GSE master’s students, recommend specific changes that would convey the strengths of HBCUs and other institutions that serve underrepresented, first-generation, and/or low-income students.

By making information about college readily accessible to the public using transparent and easily comparable metrics—including average college costs, graduation rates, loan default rates, and median borrowing rates—the Obama Administration aims to help students and their families make more-informed decisions about which college to attend. But in its current form, the report says, the White House Plan inadvertently punishes institutions that serve students who often need the most support by oversimplifying the measures. For example:

The Scorecard does not account for nontraditional student pathways to success: HBCUs serve a number of part-time students and students who may not be consistently enrolled throughout their college careers. In addition, a large number of students transfer into and out of HBCUs. But the Scorecard graduation rate metric does not accommodate this flexibility, meaning that a large number of the students educated by HBCUs are not properly accounted for. Graduation rates that fail to fully capture all student data can negatively affect the perception of the institution by prospective students.

The Scorecard does not differentiate performance based on student characteristics: For example, Black men represent only 12% of the total male enrollment in higher education and have a graduation rate among the lowest of all racial and ethnic groups. At many HBCUs, however, Black men make up a significant portion of the student population. The Scorecard provides no mechanisms that reflect the outsized role that HBCUs play in providing access to higher education for this underserved population.

Heather Collins,  co-author of the report and assistant director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions, said: “An objective, impartial tool for comparison during the college search for prospective students is important. Adapting metrics to individual students is a more appropriate method of comparison than using average rates for an entire institution.”

Among the recommendations suggested by Collins and co-authors Shawn M. Jenkins and Nika Strzelecka, are:

Align metrics with student priorities: The metrics used by the College Scorecard do not necessarily align with the factors cited by HBCU freshmen as among the most important. For example, while the College Scorecard emphasizes graduation rates, HBCU students report that financial assistance, the cost of attending college, and getting good jobs are more important factors influencing college choice.

Create customizable features: College isn’t one-size-fits-all—different institutions are better equipped to serve different students’ needs. Evaluation mechanisms should reflect this diversity by producing personalized information based on specific student characteristics. For example, personalized graduation rates for low-income students and Black men may indicate that HBCUs are a better value than other institutions that lack established, well-integrated support systems for these students.

Develop a rating system that considers preparation: Customized metrics can be used to reward institutions that graduate underrepresented students. By offering larger amounts of performance-based funding to institutions that enroll and graduate large populations of traditionally underserved students, institutions will be incentivized to focus on developing support services to enroll, retain, and graduate these students. This strategy avoids penalizing HBCUs and other institutions that educate these students.

Marybeth Gasman, director of the Center for Minority Serving Institutions and a member of the report’s research team, said that “while President Obama’s plan is well intentioned, facets of it offer 20th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. Today’s college-going population is far more diverse than in the past. We need evaluation mechanisms that embrace that diversity and that recognize the unique needs of low-income, first-generation, and historically underrepresented students. America’s future prosperity depends on these students’ success.”

To download the report, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/cmsi/alternative_college_scorecard.pdf

Through the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, this project examines teacher education efforts at Minority Serving Institutions. Institutions of higher education play a vital role in K-12 education by inspiring, instructing, and certifying the future teachers and leaders/administrators of the nation's schools and school systems. As the demographic composition of the K-12 public schools continues to reflect the nation's racially diverse population, examining and strengthening the role that MSIs play in producing the future minority teachers of our nation becomes an increasing national imperative. We will answer the following questions through this research project: What is the current landscape of teacher education at MSIs? Where do teachers emerging from MSIs serve? How can MSIs tailor their curricula to prepare future teachers for new state standards?

To review the Request for Proposals, please click here.

Contact: Kat Stein, Exec. Director of Communications
katstein@gse.upenn.edu / (215) 898-9642

The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the Center for Minority Serving Institutions Announce the publication of America’s Public HBCUs: A Four State Comparison of Institutional Capacity and State Funding Priorities

This report unveils the historical and current racial disparities in state funding allocations to HBCUs and offers strategies to obtain more equitable state allocations.

Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2014 – Despite educating traditionally underserved students—including large swaths of Black students, a disproportionate number of first generation students, and a rapidly increasing number of Latino students—Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are under siege in many southern states. State policy makers are moving toward funding mechanisms that disproportionately disadvantage HBCUs, and many policy makers and pundits have called for the elimination of these schools altogether.

In a report released today, America’s Public HBCUs: A Four State Comparison of Institutional Capacity and State Funding Priorities, William Casey Boland and Marybeth Gasman present a case study of these institutions in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina, and call for thoughtful reform in state funding and policy to better support their missions. The report, which builds on a pre-recession study by James T. Minor, has been issued from Center for Minority Serving Institutions at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

The report considers several critical areas at public HBCUs:

• Diversity: African Americans continue to make up the majority at all HBCUs, but these institutions are becoming more diverse. Latino enrollment more than doubled in every state in the study, while White enrollment has declined; enrollment numbers for a combined category that includes Asian Americans and American Indians varies by state, with sharp increases in Mississippi and North Carolina and declines in Alabama and Louisiana.
• State funding: Although some HBCUs, especially in North Carolina, have seen a boost in state allocations, on average HBCUs continue to be funded at lower levels than PWIs. This is particularly troubling given that HBCUs serve predominantly low-income students, whose families have fewer resources to pay for education.
  • Louisiana severely cut funding to all public 4-year institutions, but HBCUs were hit the hardest. For example, in 2012 Grambling State University and Southern University at New Orleans, both HBCUs, received 36% and 35% less funding, respectively, than they did in 2007. The only PWI in Louisiana that experienced a decrease as substantial is the University of New Orleans, which saw a drop of 32%.
  • Legal decisions concerning racial discrimination in Mississippi and Alabama had a beneficial effect on state funding of HBCUs in these states.
  • North Carolina HBCUs benefitted from increased state appropriations, especially North Carolina A&T State University (20%) and North Carolina Central University (28%).
• Advanced degree programs: With the current higher education barometer heavily favoring efficiency, many policymakers and higher education leaders are proposing to eliminate what they view as unnecessary duplicate programs. Such proposals tend to disproportionately affect HBCUs—for example, the governors of Louisiana and North Carolina recently attempted to close programs at HBCUs or merge them with PWIs.

America’s Public HBCUs also compares the degree attainment of the states’ HBCUs with the total number of degrees conferred to African Americans statewide in 2011. HBCUs continue to play a crucial role in successfully graduating underrepresented students, and they continue to evolve with changing populations and needs. Moving forward, Boland and Gasman offer recommendations and action plans for state governments and HBCUs for increasing state support to strengthen these historical educational institutions. A theme throughout the recommendations is for state policy makers to temper calls for efficiency—including performance-based funding initiatives and program duplication assessments—so that they don’t come at the expense of students served by HBCUs.

For the complete report go to: http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/cmsi/four_state_comparison.pdf

Dr. Gasman is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek, and on CNN and National Public Radio.

Penn GSE is one of the nation’s premier research education schools. A small percentage of education programs in the U.S. offer doctoral degrees, a tiny fraction are located at flagship research universities, and no other education school enjoys a university environment as supportive of practical knowledge building as the University of Pennsylvania. The School is notably entrepreneurial, launching innovative degree programs for practicing professionals and unique partnerships with local educators, not to mention the first-ever business plan competition launched exclusively in education. For further information about Penn GSE, please visit www.gse.upenn.edu/.

The Center for Minority Serving Institutions brings together researchers and practitioners from across the spectrum of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to harness the collective strengths of the these institutions and to solve the challenges they face. An integral part of American higher education, MSIs include Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Tribal Colleges and Universities; Hispanic Serving Institutions; and Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. Among the Center’s goals are to elevate the educational contributions of MSIs, ensuring their participation in national conversations; to increase rigorous scholarship on MSIs; and to bolster the efforts of MSIs to close educational achievement gaps and assessment performance of disadvantaged communities. The Center for Minority Serving Institutions is located at the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Professor Marybeth Gasman. #CenterforMSIs

With funding from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the Center for MSIs at Penn GSE is launching a new initative to elevate the role and approach of HBCUs in STEM education. We will uncover the approaches to learning that put HBCUs out in front with regard to STEM education so that all colleges and universities can use these approaches.  We will also establish HBCUs as leaders in STEM on a national scale.  More specifically, our objectives are to:

1. Identify, document, and communicate efficient, effective, and scalable models of success in STEM education at HBCUs;
2. Improve the capacity of HBCUs to strengthen current models of success in STEM education and to develop additional approaches;
3. Strategically disseminate the findings not only to HBCUs, but also to all colleges and universities, funders, media outlets, scholars and policymakers; and
4. Build alliances across HBCUs and majority institutions to improve STEM capacity among African Americans and other under represented students.

To view the Request for Proposals for this project, click here. 

October 16,  2013 - Marybeth Gasman (University of Pennsylvania) and Clifton F. Conrad (University of Wisconsin, Madison) announce the release of a new and comprehensive report on MSIs. The report,  Minority Serving Institutions: Educating All Students, reviews colleges and universities across the country that serve minority students and details what we can learn from MSIs about cultivating student success. See the full report here. 

Philadelphia, PA, August 31, 2013 - A new infographic, based on the research undertaken by CMSIs director, Professor Marybeth Gasman, and Advisory Board member Nelson Bowman II depicts the changing landscape of American higher education and its impact on fundraising and philanthropy within the college and university setting.  The infographic draws from the recently-published Engaging Diverse College Alumni: The Essential Guide to Fundraising (Routledge, 2013).  You can view the infographic here.

Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2013 – The nation’s 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are impressive centers of diversity, educating students across the ethnic and socioeconomic spectrum. And yet, these institutions have languished at the margins of most meaningful conversations about higher education, with many facing serious financial crises and often subject to criticism for their low retention and graduation rates. In a report released today, The Changing Face of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Dr. Marybeth Gasman, one of the country’s leading authorities on HBCUs, sets the record straight. The publication details the disproportionately large role that these colleges and universities play in educating historically underserved populations and considers many of the challenges and opportunities they face. (Read More)