National Louis to Join Nationwide Collaboration to Improve Student Support and Retainment

NLU will join a distinguished cohort of 27 higher education institutions selected by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice to share resources and data for improving student retainment during the COVID-19 pandemic. NLU is the only Illinois university participating in the initiative.

“This is an honor and an exciting opportunity to work with our peers to better serve the learners who need it the most,” said Aurélio Valente, Vice President of Student Affairs at NLU. “We will look forward to collaborating with the rest of the cohort to share best practices and build the resources that will help higher ed as a whole respond to the evolving needs of today’s current and aspiring college students,” he added.

National Louis is a member of the Hope Center’s first #RealCollege Institutional Capacity-Building Cohort (ICBC), which is reserved primarily for open-access, minority-serving institutions (MSI’s). Its main goals will be to develop new solutions for vulnerable students’ basic security needs as these continue to evolve in a rapidly shifting public health and economic environment.

“We are very excited to be participating in this essential project,” said Danielle Laban, Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator at NLU. “This is shaping up to be another unusual school year, so we will do our part to share information and best practices that help ensure every student has what they need to succeed.”

The challenges of the pandemic have highlighted the critical role colleges play in meeting the basic needs of at-risk students, from food to shelter to safety. This has necessitated breaking through the bureaucratic silos separating colleges from other social support systems that must work together to better support and lift up today’s students. The #RealCollege Institutional Capacity–Building Cohort will increase the organizational and programmatic capacity of colleges and universities so they can strengthen and build integrated, collaborative ecosystems to meet students’ changing needs.

The ICBC will run through May 2022. By sharing insights and working together, the ICBC can turn a time of challenges into a fortuitous opportunity to develop actionable plans that can, in the end, make the dream of a college degree more attainable than ever.

The full text of the Hope Center’s release is included below.

The Hope Center Announces its New National Cohort of Higher Education Institutions Focused on Resolving Challenges Faced by #RealCollege students

September 15, 2021

PHILADELPHIA - The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice today is proud to announce its first #RealCollege Institutional Capacity-Building Cohort (ICBC), composed of 27 higher education institutions spanning the nation from Washington to New York.

The program is designed to assist colleges and universities in retaining students who need food and housing supports and who were made more vulnerable because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cohort will utilize data from The Hope Center’s evidence-based research studies to empower institutions in assisting #RealCollege students. The Cohort will create an ecosystem for developing solutions to complex problems, to empower leaders to impact organizational change, and to build connections with other colleges. Member institutions will build their capacity for assessment, analysis, and social support systems for students.

“The ICBC Cohort will provide new and lasting connections for all member institutions as we explore the best practices for assisting students with food, housing, and the hidden challenges of degree completion during the pandemic,” said Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, President and Founder of The Hope Center. “This national cohort will move our research into action, building a diverse exchange of ideas and cohesion in our efforts.”

The cohort begins this month and runs through May 2022, with learning modules focused on assessment, support, driving state and federal policy and advocacy, and supporting the basic needs ecosystem. Each member institution will be represented by leaders including administrators, staff, faculty, and students. Sessions will offer deep analysis of The Hope Center’s research and annual surveys, which are the nation’s largest and longest-standing rigorous assessment of students’ basic needs.

This project is made possible by its member institutions as well as grants from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and ECMC Foundation. 

Participating institutions are listed below: 

1. Central Lakes College, MN 
2. Roane State Community College, TN
3. Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State), MN
4. University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI
5. Rowan College of South Jersey, NJ
6. Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, NJ
7. Mott Community College, MI
8. Grand Rapids Community College, MI
9. National Louis University, IL
10. William Paterson University, NJ
11. Portland State University, OR
12. Presentation College, SD
13. Massasoit Community College, MA
14. The Evergreen State College, WA 
15. Madison Area Technical College, WA
16. Lane Community College, OR 
17. University of Michigan-Dearborn, MI 
18. Mt. Hood Community College, OR
19. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA
20. Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, WI
21. Greenville Technical College, SC
22. Pierce College, WA
23. The University of Texas at Dallas, TX
24. University of North Carolina Greensboro, NC
25. University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC
26. Nassau Community College, NY
27. Mercy College, NY