December 3, 2015
Representatives
from two-year minority serving institutions (MSIs) attended a two-day convening
at the invitation of the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education
(OCTAE) in November. There they engaged with representatives of several federal
agencies, congressional staff, philanthropic organizations, academics, and each
other to discuss the roles and prospects for MSIs in the years ahead. The large turnout and the enthusiasm and interest
of the MSI representatives made the convening a great success.
The
first morning began with a kickoff discussion on the importance of two-year
MSIs with OCTAE Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Mitsui, OCTAE’s Deputy
Assistant Secretary Johan Uvin and Under Secretary Ted Mitchell, and Michael D.
Smith, director of the White House My Brother’s Keeper initiative. This was followed by a session with updates by
each of the White House initiatives (the White House Initiative on HBCU’s, the
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, the White
House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, the White House
Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and the White House
Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education). A third plenary
session featured researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the Community
College Research Center, MDRC and the Department of Education discussing new
developments and future directions in research on MSIs. The second and third sessions set the stage
for subsequent discussions by highlighting the current successes of MSIs as
well as areas that need to be strengthened.
After
lunch, attendees from the MSIs were offered the opportunity to talk with
representatives of more than 13 federal departments and agencies about
opportunities available to MSIs through the initiatives and programs of those
agencies.
The
first day’s activities culminated with presentations by six impressive students
from two-year MSIs. The students discussed
the barriers they faced initially, both during and after enrolling in college,
and focused on the importance of mentors, teachers, and support structures to
their success. The students also explained
the importance they place on serving as mentors to their fellow students.
On
the second day of the convening, MSI representatives engaged in discussions
about philanthropic support for MSIs with representatives of the Helmsley
Trust, the Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation, the Kresge Foundation, the
Lumina Foundation, and USA Funds. Many MSIs
have benefitted from philanthropic support, but it became clear from the
discussion that many more opportunities for collaboration are available.
The
afternoon of the second day began with a discussion among MSI representatives
of the First in the World: An
Introduction to Evidence Based Grants program.
The purpose of this program is to test promising interventions with
rigorous evaluation and, once the initiatives demonstrate success, to
disseminate them to multiple institutions and diverse student populations. The discussion emphasized the need for
successful interventions that can be taken to scale.
The
convening was capped off with a conversation about the need to build on
existing communities of practice, to develop new and more communities of
practice around particular areas of interest and concern, and to take the
initial steps to inaugurate a new, national community that encompasses all
MSIs.
Throughout
the two days, the MSI attendees had the opportunity to participate in a variety
of small breakout sessions designed to address particular issues and areas of
interest and need.
The
convening was an obvious success, evidenced by the call of the MSI attendees for
future annual convenings, and all walked away with a better vision of the
future of MSIs in preparing the nation’s students. As a result, OCTAE plans to hold additional two-year
MSI convenings. We expect these future
convenings to draw larger audiences and to enlist the participation of even
more two-year MSIs as we work jointly to better serve students by improving the
reach and the capabilities of these institutions.
For additional information on the convening,
see the blog written by Mark Mitsui, OCTAE's Deputy Assistance
Secretary for Community College, or email him
at mark.mitsui@ed.gov. You may also email Mark if you are interested in joining an
MSI community of practice. Also, while many of the topics discussed in the
communities of practice will pertain to minority serving institutions, your
college does not have to be a minority serving institution in order to
participate. And participation is free, so sign up soon!
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