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Executive Summary
Our goal is to attract and retain more African American and Spanish speaking students to Indiana University South Bend. The facets of the Making the Academic Connection program are designed to accomplish this goal. Presently, Making the Academic Connection has focused on African American students. We are seeking the resources to enhance and strengthen this innovative program. We propose to expand it to be more attractive and effective with Spanish speaking students by hiring a Hispanic enhancement coordinator and recruiter.
Our university is unique among Indiana University campuses as we are the home of the Civil Rights Heritage Center . The work of the Center is based upon the premise that the values and success of the American Civil Rights Movement offer a unique context for connecting academic participation and achievement with personal experience and a commitment to community citizenship. The IUSB Civil Rights Heritage Center and minority enhancement efforts administered through the Office of Student Affairs are at the center of the Making the Academic Connection Program . South Bend faculty and administration believe that the concepts and goals of the Civil Rights Heritage Center offer a truly innovative and “outside the box” approach to minority recruitment and retention. The partnership between the Center and Student Affairs assures a connection between the ideal goals of the Center (improved race relations, minority achievement, and social change in the local community) and the pragmatic goals of Student Affairs for students (enrolling in college, engaging learning, staying in college, and valuing academic achievement). Making the Academic Connection is a program composed of these facets: The Leadership Academy, Academic Cohorts, Step One, and The 21 st Century Scholars.
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