BALTIMORE,Md. — UNCF® Career Pathways Initiative to Prepare Students for 21st Century Career Paths, Promote Employability and Improve Quality of Life
After a six-month planning phase, Morgan State University announces the award of a five-year, $2-million grant from UNCF (United Negro College Fund) for the implementation of the UNCF® Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), a transformative effort to design and implement programs to improve employment outcomes for graduates. Morgan is one of 24 colleges and universities awarded grants totaling $35.3 million, and the university will work collaboratively as a cluster with Norfolk State University and Tennessee State University to improve graduates’ career outcomes.
“We are very pleased to have Morgan included as one of the select universities to participate in the implementation of the UNCF® Career Pathways Initiative, further expanding our value proposition as an institution dedicated not only to graduating our students with a high-quality education but also assisting their transition into sustainable careers afterwards,” said Morgan President David Wilson. “The resources made available as a result of this grant will provide much-needed support in our ongoing efforts to prepare students to meet the growing needs of employers, particularly in high-demand career areas, while increasing their likelihood of future success beyond degree attainment.”
Morgan State University
Morgan Receives $2M UNCF Grant To Help Graduates Secure Careers (Photo courtesy: Morgan State University)
Made possible through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., the UNCF® Career Pathways Initiative is a unique pilot program for select historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly black institutions (PBIs) that is helping them enhance career readiness for their 54,000 enrolled students. Many of these students will be the first in their families to earn college degrees. The majority of students are from low-to-moderate–income families and must receive federal financial aid to pursue their undergraduate studies.
Morgan’s vision for the initiative is for students to attain academic success, complete degrees on time and be prepared to meet the needs of highly sought-after career opportunities, earning salaries commensurate with their knowledge, skills and abilities. Morgan aspires to enhance student success outcomes while expanding students’ access to quality career guidance, connecting growing numbers of students to experiential/career opportunities, managing the University’s workforce/community relationships, tracking its students involved in experiential learning, measuring career-related learning outcomes in enhanced curriculum and being informed by data on student outcomes.