The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) awarded their inaugural Collaborative Opportunity Grants to the University of New Orleans, the University of Memphis, and Cal State LA. The grants support partnerships between these public universities and local community organizations or businesses that equip students for career success after graduation.
“We know the pandemic has only accelerated demand for 21st Century skills,” said Dr. Christel Perkins, deputy executive director of USU and assistant vice president at APLU. “We’re excited to support three institutions with leading-edge efforts to pilot and scale efforts to create stronger pathways between college coursework and career pathways.”
Each institution will receive $50,000 to improve its 21st Century skills curricula, particularly to prepare low-income, first time in college students. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation provided financial support for this work.