This report describes some campus-community partnerships established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These partnerships between minority-serving institutions and their communities typically take place in small cities and in rural areas. In recent years, these areas have become home to large minority populations. The partnerships described are spearheaded by smaller schools, many of them community and technical colleges. In site of small size and limited budgets, these colleges and universities wield power in their communities that is rooted in a long history of involvement in local neighborhoods. This report celebrates the accomplishments of the minority-serving institutions that participate in four HUD grant programs: (1) the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) program; (2) the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities program; (3) the Tribal Colleges and Universities program; and (4) the Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting Communities program. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 describes how the grant programs were organized and whom they serve. Chapter 3 offers a glimpse of the kind of work the 26 grantees and their community partners are carrying out to revitalize neighborhoods, assist businesses, bridge the digital divide, and provide social and supportive services and programs that help residents create a healthier present and ensure a brighter future. Appended are: (1) Map: Office of University Partnerships Grantees, 1994-2002; and (2) OUP (Office of University Partnerships) List of Grantees, 1994-2002. (SLD).

Explores the particulars of minority-serving institutions while also highlighting their interconnectedness.

Focuses on community colleges that are responding to the academic, financial, and cultural needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Programs and services are profiled that improve access, retention, and overall academic success. At the heart of this volume are best practices that rely upon the experience and successes of Minority Serving Institutions and that offer direction to mainstream community colleges seeking to meet the needs of their increasingly diverse student bodies. This is the 127th volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education series New Directions for Community Colleges.

There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.