7 minute read
Atrium Health and JCSU Form Partnership
Atrium Health and
JCSU Partner to Prepare Students for Health Careers
By Brenda Porter-Rockwell
Ask staff at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) and Atrium Health about the latest iteration of their decade-long partnership and their faces light up with pride. And with good reason. Last fall, as part of Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles’ community-wide Racial Equity initiative, Atrium Health pledged $6.1 million to help transform JCSU into a top-tier, career-focused Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
The new partnership builds on years of successful collaboration and aims to boost JCSU student interest in much-needed front-line medical careers, but also for back-end roles like information technology and engineering.
“It’s been a long-term relationship,” said Atrium Health’s Senior Vice President, Chief Community & Social Impact Officer, Kinneil Coltman. "The relationship is evolving based on where we are excited to go and where we believe JCSU is excited to go as a university.”
Upon hearing about Atrium’s plans, JCSU President Clarence Armbrister described feeling, “excited, humbled and thankful.”
Right time, right goals
Lyles’ initiative focuses on achieving racial equity, social justice, economic opportunity and upward mobility through public-private partnerships in Charlotte’s communities of color. It’s the last two goals that “intersect” with JCSU’s educational focus.
“It was one of those serendipitous moments where process meets preparation,” explained Armbrister. “We’re looking at five areas where we want to double down and produce students that will be employed here … to enhance the upward economic mobility of the region.”
The school’s five strategic goals are intended to graduate job-ready students in biology and health sciences, as well as fields such as general business, retail business, science technology and math, data analytics and computer science.
From Top to Bottom: Kinneil Coltman, Senior Vice President, Chief Community & Social Impact Officer at Atrium Health; President of Johnson C. Smith University, Clarence D. Armbrister; Lois Ingland, Atrium’s Vice President of Community Engagement and Corporate Responsibility; U.S. Representative Alma Adams represents the 12th Congressional District of North Carolina
Jill Lang / Shutterstock.com
– Congresswoman Alma Adams
Creating a health and wellness pipeline
While Atrium’s donation will have a dramatic impact in the short term, all staff are dreaming of what could be. There is hope for a steady stream of pre-med students attending the new medical school planned for Charlotte. Atrium Health has partnered with Wake Forest University School of Medicine to build a regional campus in west Charlotte, part of The Pearl innovation district.
Lois Ingland, Atrium’s vice president of Community Engagement and Corporate Responsibility, said supporting JCSU’s goals makes perfect sense.
“As we become more laser-focused on eliminating health disparities, partnering with JCSU will enable us to address current health needs, but also impact the long-term health goals of students, faculty and staff into the future,” said Ingland.
Congresswoman Alma Adams, a longtime HBCU supporter, applauded Atrium and JCSU’s plans to meet the growing need for health care providers, especially those matriculating at HBCUs.
“As Charlotte continues to add health professionals to our workforce, our region becomes better able to deliver good, affordable care. As the co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus in Congress, I’m specifically interested in JCSU’s ability to train more healthcare professionals who are equipped with the skills to combat the maternal health crisis in the United States,” said Adams.
According to Adams, HBCUs make up only 3 percent of degree-granting undergraduate programs in the U.S. However, approximately 40 percent of African American health professionals practicing in the United States today attended an HBCU.
“Our partnership with JCSU also helps us to impact health inequities and to develop students who are not only welleducated but are also living in optimal health. In looking at our niche and expertise … we want to ensure that our resources are uniquely matched to meet the needs of JCSU and other community partners to provide optimal community benefit,” said Ingland.
In addition to the monetary support, JCSU will rely on Atrium staff’s professional expertise to help improve university resources. An earlier partnership came to fruition at the end of July with Atrium taking over management of JCSU’s on-campus student health center.
Armbrister said Atrium’s management of the health center has far-reaching implications for the care provided to students, faculty and staff.
“We look at it much more broadly in terms of wellness. So, they’re going to be a real significant part of our whole health and wellness operation,” Armbrister said.
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
—Clarence D. Armbrister
Real-world learning experiences
While careers in healthcare are a cornerstone of JCSU’s future educational goals, Armbrister says the university generally seeks to provide students with a combination of classroom theory and real-world application of their chosen profession. Internships, for some careers, begin as early as the end of a student’s sophomore year. He envisions curriculum development where students work side by side with Atrium staff.
In support of the retail business curriculum, Lowe’s home improvement chain, which has a tech hub in Charlotte, gifted $10 million to JCSU. Red Ventures, an Indian Land, South Carolina-based media company, is working with JCSU students on a year-long course, where students spend half a semester in the classroom and half a semester on the Red Ventures campus.
At the conclusion of the first year in the Red Ventures program, Armbrister says the company guarantees students earning at least a ‘B’ average in the class, a full-time position with a starting salary around $65,000. He estimates more than 12 students are currently fully employed at Red Ventures.
Project Destined is a partnership with a local commercial real estate agency structured to increase the number of students entering the field of commercial real estate. Students learn about real estate and participation in the class pays for the cost of their real estate license test. Some students are already interning at area commercial real estate firms.
“It’s these experiential learning opportunities that will allow students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-world jobs. Hopefully, this will culminate in helping them raise their economic mobility profile,” said Armbrister.
Forging new career pipelines
JCSU is building relationships with other local businesses and other HBCUS. The University signed a memorandum of understanding with Howard University College of Pharmacy’s “Three Plus Four program.” Students complete their first three years at JCSU then transfer to Howard University for the final four years with the goal of graduating with a PhD in Pharmacy. JCSU also recently partnered with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) to offer eligible CPCC transfer students an $8,000 renewable scholarship to offset tuition at JCSU.
Armbrister said, “By looking at what educational opportunities we are providing and what we plan to provide, we hope to increase that economic mobility measurement here in Charlotte. We want to prepare our students to want to live, work and thrive here in Charlotte, and be a part of the incredible business community of this region.” P
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