Annual Report August 2021 BY THE NUMBERS located across . The Coalition of Urban 39 25 Serving Universities States Universities Enrolling a total of (USU) is a president-led network of 39 1,110,622 public urban research Students universities, located across 25 states, working to drive 44% 54% 19% impact at their institutions Pell Recipients Students of Color Adult Learners and the communities they *Asian, Black, Hispanic/Lantinx, and 2 + (>25) serve. Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) 2021 Annual Report 1 Year In Highlights USU has raised $14,175,705 in multi-year grant funding from seven funding agencies supporting seven current initiatives. • Funders: American Association of Community Colleges (through the support of Ascendium/ECMC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Executive Department of Education, Raikes Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Michael and Summary Susan Dell Foundation • Initiatives:21st Century Workforce, Advancing Racial Justice and Equity, Collaborative Opportunity Grant, Completion Grants, Equity Transfer Initiative, Frontier Set, Despite the challenges of the Partnerships for Adult Learner Success, and Student Experience Project COVID-19 pandemic, The Coalition • Reach: We have worked with more than 29 institutions (74% of our current of Urban Serving Universities (USU) membership) on our six grant-funded initiatives over the last year. has experienced an impactful Drawing on the experience of students, faculty, and public university administrators at five public urban universities during the pandemic, USU released the Food Insecurity at Urban Universities: year. Our projects continued, we Perspectives During the Pandemic examining the magnitude of the pandemic’s impact on food organized consistent presidents/ insecurity on college students and outlining steps institutions can take to better address food insecurity. chancellor calls, and hosted a two-day Aimed at preventing low-income college students nearing graduation from dropping out due to a virtual summer meeting, Harnessing small shortfall in money for tuition, the research team at Temple University along with USU (with the Momentum for Urban support from the U.S. Department of Education Institute for Education Science) published an article, Completion Grants: A Multi-Method Examination of Institutional Practice in the University Transformation and Journal of Student Financial Aid. Racial-Equity Post-Covid-19. USU has officially launched the Advancing Racial Justice and Equity initiative, starting with the Intensive and Pitch Competition Series. Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) 2021 Annual Report 2 USU Leadership 2020-2021 Board of Directors 2021-2022 Board of Directors Michael Rao, Chair Mary Papazian, Chair President, Virginia Commonwealth University President, San Jose State University Mark Rosenberg, Past Chair Michael Rao, Past Chair President, Florida International University President, Virginia Commonwealth University Dianne Harrison, Vice Chair M. Roy Wilson, Vice Chair Former President, California State University, Northridge President, Wayne State University Mark Pagano, Treasurer Wayne J. Riley, Treasurer Former Chancellor, University of Washington, Tacoma President, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University Mary Papazian, Secretary Kim A. Wilcox, Secretary President, San Jose State University President, University of California, Riverside Mark Becker Mark Rosenberg Former President, Georgia State University President, Florida International University Mary Papazian, Ph.D Sharon Gabor Michael Amiridis Incoming Chair Chancellor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago M. Roy Wilson William Covino President, Wayne State University President, California State University, Los Angeles Wayne J. Riley Taylor Eighmy President, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University President, University of Texas at San Antonio Kim A. Wilcox Mark Mone President, University of California, Riverside Chancellor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Michael Amiridis Michelle Marks Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago Chancellor, University of Colorado, Denver Michael Rao, Ph.D William Covino Garnett Stokes Outgoing Chair President, California State University, Los Angeles President, University of New Mexico Taylor Eighmy Neal Smatresk President, University of Texas at San Antonio President, University of North Texas Mark Mone Havidán Rodríguez Chancellor, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee President, The State University of New York at Albany (SUNY) Havidán Rodríguez Photo Credit: SJSU, VCU President, The State University of New York at Albany (SUNY) Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU)2021 Annual Report 3 USU Staff FY 2022 Ashlie Prioleau, Ed.D Christel Perkins, Ed.D Andréa Rodriguez, M.Ed. Jennifer Danek, M.D. Executive Director Deputy Executive Director Director Senior Strategic Advisor [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Samantha Levine, M.A Melissa Rivas, M.A. Mitzy Gonzalez, M.S.W. Matt Renn, M.A. Assistant Director Assistant Director Program Manager Data Analyst [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Ethan Foley, M.A. Winston Savoy Graduate Fellow Program Coordinator Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) 2021 Annual Report 4 [email protected] [email protected] Coalition California State University, Fresno The State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany Membership California State University, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside California State University, Northridge University of Central Florida Cleveland State University University of Cincinnati Florida International University University of Colorado, Denver Georgia State University University of Houston Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis University of Illinois at Chicago Morgan State University University of Massachusetts at Boston Oklahoma State University, Tulsa University of Nevada at Las Vegas Portland State University University of New Mexico Rutgers University – Newark University of New Orleans San Jose State University University of North Carolina at Charlotte SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University University of North Texas Temple University University of Texas at Arlington The Ohio State University University of Texas at El Paso The University of Akron University of Washington, Tacoma The University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee The University of Memphis Virginia Commonwealth University The University of Texas at San Antonio Wayne State University The University of Toledo Photo Credit: VCU Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) 2021 Annual Report 5 WHAT: USU's Advancing Racial Justice WHO: Advancing Racial Justice and Equity and Equity focus area is designed as a multi- convenings, projects, and funding opportunities pronged, multi-year series of engagements aimed are open to all USU members. at increasing university capacity to confront systemic inequities while building more USU's first Intensive and Pitch Competition was equitable spaces for historically marginalized held during USU's 2021 Summer meeting. The students, staff, faculty, and communities to thrive. theme of the competition was "Improving Health Literacy for Equitable Outcomes." Five Advancing HOW: USU will engage members through: Universities entered the competition (the University of Cincinnati, University of Memphis, Racial Justice Intensive and Pitch Competition Series — A University at Albany, Georgia State University, and Equity multi-day, condensed capacity-building, idea- and the University of Texas at Arlington). The sharing, and skill-building convening meant to inaugural winner was the University of Texas at spur innovation and action around racial justice Arlington for their "Community Engagement and equity issues in the university-city ecosystem with a COVID-19 Health Literacy Collection and and a $20,000 mini-grant. Curriculum" project. USU Staff Leads: Summits and Convenings — Targeted UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES: Christel Perkins meetings where leaders discuss critical challenges • September 2021: Thriving Universities and collaborate on strategies/approaches Intensive and Pitch Competition Melissa Rivas concerning racial justice and equity in higher • November 2021: Thriving Communities Mitzy Gonzalez education. Intensive and Pitch Competition • February 2022: Thriving Students Intensive Externally Funded Projects — Projects and Pitch Competition focusing on a particular intervention, lens, or • April 2022: Racial Justice and Equity Scholar approach to mitigate challenges affecting urban Summit universities, minoritized student populations, • Q2 2022: Chief Diversity Officer Summit faculty, and staff, etc. (Example: Partnerships for Adult Learner Success) Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) 2021 Annual Report 6 WHAT: Collaborative Opportunity Grants DISSEMINATION: Project findings were featured in (COG) is a seed fund from the Kresge Feeding America Hunger Free Campuses national Foundation to support university partnerships to summit July 2020. scale innovative practices centering on student/community basic needs. The project A project extension was granted to focus on the concluded in February 2021. impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity at urban universities. The extension resulted in a report Collaborative HOW:The principal goals were: that received national media coverage. Opportunity 1) Identify emerging and/or existing innovative non-educational, non-traditional