Staff Report

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – After a six-month planning phase, the United Negro College Fund announced Florida Memorial University (FMU) as one of 24 colleges and universities that will receive five-year grants totaling $35.3 million for the UNCF Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), a transformative effort to design and implement programs to improve employment outcomes for graduates.

“We are excited about the opportunities the CPI grant creates to fund the ongoing transformation of Florida Memorial’s academic programs that ensure complete consistency with industry demands,” said Florida Memorial University President, Dr. Roslyn C. Artis. “This grant award is an extension of our work to increase the capabilities of our students to compete in a global market.”

Made possible through a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., CPI is a unique pilot program for select historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly black institutions (PBIs) to help them enhance career readiness for their 54,000 enrolled students. Many of these students will be the first in their families to earn college degrees. The majority of students are from low-to-moderate income families and must receive federal financial aid to pursue their undergraduate studies.

Florida Memorial University submitted a proposal that reflects a commitment to strengthening career advising and mentoring, enhancing curricula and supporting integrated co-curricular engagement. As part of CPI, the selected institutions will develop a range of academic programs, student internships, industry partnerships, specialty certifications and faculty development as they forge a new model for career readiness.

“These colleges and universities show promise in significantly addressing the urgent challenges facing African American college students and graduates,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. “We heartily congratulate Florida Memorial University and the 23 other institutions chosen to lead this important work.”