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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
GOAL #4
Economic Development & Community Engagement
Partnerships are critical to our success at Alcorn, and we are deeply grateful to the new and long-standing partners who have put their trust and faith in our mission and future.
DEEPENING CONNECTIONS NEW PARTNERSHIPS
Over 2021–2022 we’ve welcomed a host of new partnerships to support our students and alumni. Through our existing and new partnerships, we have seen $100,000 in grants & scholarships grow to an astounding $2.3 million. This year we’ve secured partnerships with more than 100 impactful organizations.
First-Ever ERDC Day Held at Alcorn State University
Alcorn and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) celebrated its new partnership with its inaugural career day, known as ERDC Day. Alcorn will serve as a keystone in their efforts to collaborate with other HBCUs. ERDC Day featured researchers and other staff, who introduced students to various avenues of employment, from scientific research to communications. They hosted 12 classroom sessions, where students divided into their subjects of interest while also learning more about the offerings and history of ERDC. Strada Education Network Grant to Foster Purposeful Connections Between Education and Work
Twenty-eight Historically Black Colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Alcorn, announced the launch of an ambitious partnership with Strada Education Network, a nonprofit social impact organization dedicated to increasing individuals’ economic mobility by fostering more purposeful connections between education and work. Supported through a $25 million grant from Strada, the initiative reflects a yearlong collaboration designed to listen to, learn from, and support the work of HBCUs in developing the next generation of leaders. Alcorn received $307,000 over four years from the Strada HBCU Initiative.
Alcorn partners with Google, Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s career readiness initiative
Alcorn State University with Google and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is preparing students for future career opportunities. Through a $1 million investment in TMCF, the program provides digital skills workshops in HBCU career centers to help Black students prepare for the workforce. The Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program helps our students continue to develop the critical job skills and confidence necessary to excel in an increasingly digital workplace. The program also provides essential career readiness training designed to give our students opportunities to prepare today for the careers of tomorrow.
CARGILL INVESTS IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ALCORN’S FUTURE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE LEADERS
How Cargill’s THRIVE Program Provides More Opportunities for Alcorn Students
Cargill, a global food corporation, donated $1 million to Alcorn as part of its THRIVE program, and Cargill’s broader commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which is focused on achieving gender parity, advancing underrepresented groups in leadership around the world, and combating anti-Black racism. The program promises a Corporate Champion and named chief operating officer Brian Sikes as Alcorn’s Corporate Champion.
In addition to scholarships, the THRIVE program provides students with mentoring, development programming, and career coaching to help transform their education into meaningful careers. Alcorn appointed a new director to the Cargill THRIVE program, Jabreel Walker, who will lead strategy and execution for this tremendous commitment to the future of our university and the world.
Senior Glennescia Tenner is the first-ever Alcorn student selected as a Cargill Global Scholar
Glennescia Tenner marked her name in Alcorn history when she was selected as a Cargill Global Scholar, making her the first-ever Alcorn student to participate in a leading agriculture agency’s global scholarship program. Tenner is a senior majoring in agribusiness management. The program, held at Cargill’s headquarters in Minneapolis, is a two-year leadership development program that provides financial support, leadership development, and one-on-one mentoring.
Scholarship recipients received an annual scholarship award of $2,500 for up to two years and participation in two fully funded leadership development seminars held during summer 2022 and 2023. Recipients also gain access to a network of fellow scholars from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and Russia, along with one-on-one mentorship from Cargill executives in the U.S. and abroad.
Cargill’s commitment of more than $1 million to Alcorn goes beyond scholarships. This investment provides students with mentoring, development, and career coaching to help them reach meaningful careers.
“Alcorn’s partnership with Cargill reflects the University’s longstanding commitment to our students’ educational and career goals,” said Dr. Nave. “With this exciting new partnership, we can create even more opportunities for our students to excel in and out of the classroom. We have some of the world’s brightest student-scholars at Alcorn, and along with Cargill, we want to help them develop the skills to thrive in diverse environments.”
“To feed a growing world, we need diverse perspectives at the table that drive innovation. The Cargill University THRIVE program invests in the next generation of leaders who will make the future of food and agriculture more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and who we hope will build long-term careers at Cargill,” Myriam Beatove, Cargill’s chief human resources officer.
Cargill has partnered with Alcorn for four years with over 20 students interned or hired. Notable alumni are Demetha Sanders, Cargill Global Talent Management Executive and Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader; and Daryl Hammett, Global Head of Lead Management and Operations, Amazon Web Services.
Alcorn State University recently received a grant for $125,000 from Goldman Sachs to increase college access. In 2021, Goldman Sachs committed $25 million to HBCUs under its initiative to build an “inclusive and dynamic economy and society.” The grant is part of the financial institution’s Market Madness: HBCUs Possibilities Program, created to give insight into careers in finance for freshmen and sophomores attending HBCUs.
Interning at Disney
Alcorn’s Department of Career Services matches students with internships across the world each year. This year, nine Alcorn students had the opportunity to intern at Disney, where they worked side-byside with industry leaders in their fields of study.
HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS
Alcorn is grateful for our continuing work with our higher education partners. Alcorn’s Academic Affairs signed agreements over the past year with Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Alcorn Partners with USM to Ease Pathways to Nursing Degree
To combat a national nursing shortage, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has established partnerships with Alcorn State University, Pearl River Community College, and Jones College that will create easier pathways for students to earn a nursing degree. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the schools was signed during a special ceremony held June 20, 2022, on USM’s Hattiesburg campus.
The unprecedented academic partnerships provide qualified applicants to USM’s pre-licensure Bachelor of Science (BSN) in nursing program (i.e. for those without a nursing licensure) who would otherwise be delayed by an alternative admission pathway to a nursing degree.
Alcorn State and Copiah-Lincoln Community College Announce New Student Transfer Agreement
Alcorn State University and Copiah-Lincoln Community College are partnering to allow students who complete specific associate degree requirements to receive guaranteed admission to Alcorn’s four-year degree programs. The presidents of the two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding May 24, 2022, in the Howell Garner Building on Co-Lin’s campus.
The agreement covers the following majors: nursing, social work, education, chemistry, math, computer science, and business, with an opportunity for future expansion of program offerings.
The 2014 Farm Bill Policy
Authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, The Social Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center (SDFR) was created to be a voice for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and ensure datadriven information is available for Congress and other stakeholders. The 2014 Farm Bill Policy created the SDFR to be a voice for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and to ensure data-driven information is available for Congress and other stakeholders.
The SDFR is national in scope with a strategic focus on the 18 states with 1890 SDFR universities. Alcorn State University is in an outstanding geographical location to collect the data needed for research. Located at our campus in Lorman, Mississippi, in the Biotechnology building, our site is designated as the center’s headquarters, with satellite locations in other areas through partnerships with 1890 universities. Forty percent of the Black farmers in the United States reside in Mississippi and the four adjacent states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee.
Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center Awarded $900K Grant from Walmart
Alcorn State University’s Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center (SDFR) received a $900,000 grant from Walmart through the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity to support its work to reduce the decline of Black farmers.
As part of the grant, the SDFR will collaborate with seven 1890 land grant universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas — states with the largest populations of Black farmers. The universities will assess funding sources available to Black farmers for farm operations. They will also develop policy recommendations to increase access to capital for Black farmers.
Supporting Black farmers is a key part of the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity’s work in finance, which focuses on helping Black businesses in retail strengthen and grow their companies.
“Advancing equity for Black farmers starts with access to capital. We are excited to support SDFR’s work to identify the challenges Black farmers face accessing funding and how policy changes can help level the playing field,” said Monique Carswell, director, Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity. “We believe equitable access to capital can help Black farmers advance their enterprises, as well as their families and communities.”
