UNCF Expands HBCU Student Coaching Network to Advance College Access and Success
April 27, 2022
UNCF, the nation’s largest and most effective advocate for minority education, today announced an ambitious four-year initiative that will scale one-on-one success coaching and help students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country access and complete college. The project will expand on a year-long collaboration between
UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building and the national student success nonprofit
InsideTrack that focused on supporting former HBCU students during the process of re-enrolling in higher education. The initiative is funded by Strada Education Network, the Macquarie Group Foundation and Blue Meridian Partners.
UNCF and Insidetrack are now in the second year of a multi-year, multi-campus partnership focused on HBCU student enrollment and success. The project began in 2021 as a
yearlong pilot focused on helping former HBCU students to re-enroll in higher education in the wake of a tumultuous year for colleges and their students. Supported by early funding from
Strada Education Network, InsideTrack coaches reached out to more than 4,000 former students and helped nearly 400 return to nine campuses participating in the project
In Fall 2021, the Macquarie Group Foundation funded an expansion of the program to help more former students navigate the complexities of re-enrolling in higher education—and overcome the barriers to successfully resuming their studies that stopped-out students often face. As a result, the re-enrollment program will grow this year to reach an additional 4,000 students.
“We are proud to partner with UNCF to expand its student coaching network across HBCU institutions, increasing access to essential mentoring services that drive student retention and create greater opportunity for students re-entering higher education,” said Shawn Lytle, head of Americas at Australian-based Macquarie Group, and committee member at Australian-based Macquarie Group Foundation.
With generous funding from Blue Meridian Partners and Strada Education Network, UNCF is also launching a third phase focused on scaling the program through 2026. Over the next four years, the program will provide one-on-one success coaching services for 10,000 students seeking an HBCU education, 4,000 HBCU students already in their first or second year of enrollment, and re-enrollment coaching for 3,000 HBCU students who have not completed their degrees.
The institutions participating in the next phase include
Benedict College, Bethune Cookman College, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Dillard University, Florida Memorial University, Jarvis Christian University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lane College, Morehouse College, Philander Smith University, Stillman College, Talladega College, Voorhees College and Wiley College.
“As a proud HBCU alumna, I know firsthand the deep, rewarding and personal connection that so many graduates of these institutions develop,” said Malika Clinkscales, associate vice president for partner success at InsideTrack. “UNCF is creating a unique shared services model that will advance HBCU excellence and success—and build the sector’s capacity to support learners at every stage of the student life cycle
