DSU and 27 other historically Black colleges and universities were recently selected to join a partnership with the Strada Education Network.
The initiative will focus on leadership development and provide students with scholarships and financial support to defray some of the costs of participating in internships.
It’ll also help students build professional networks and prepare them to launch careers or explore graduate schools.
DSU Director of Media Relations Steve Newton says Strada - a social impact nonprofit - spent a year putting this together.
“They brought in a consultancy advisory board that was composed of current and former HBCU senior executives,' said Newton. "They spent a year not just talking to HBCUs, but listening to HBCUs about what is the most important thing to help with from an educational perspective.”
Newton adds the initiative reflects an effort to listen to and learn from schools like DSU what they need.
“Chief among those is the creation of the Strada Scholars, which will be essentially a full-ride-plus for up to three students per institution, starting with them from when they were recruited, looking for students in key fields."
Fields could include STEM and management fields; Newton notes that there is no field that is really off the table.
Newton adds that a $25 million grant from Strada is funding the HBCU Initiative.
