Manchester University Executive Summary

Words: 1308
Pages: 6

2016 Hearst narrative (1800 characters)
Purpose of grant/goal (limit to one sentence): Increase retention for returning, undergraduate African-American students through a new Minority Leadership Program that uses a combination of best practices for retention, innovative new strategies for retention, and scholarship support.
I.) Executive Summary
Manchester University, with the support of the Hearst Foundation, will help African American students persist to graduation by engaging them in an innovative, new Minority Leadership Program. Manchester’s diversity in enrollment has grown steadily during the past six years with a 48% increase in students from multicultural backgrounds. According to a study by the Education Trust, 57% of all students
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Manchester College became Manchester University in 2012, but remains a private liberal arts and sciences school in northeast Indiana that welcomes students from all walks of life. Though students now represent many religious traditions, the Brethren values of service, community, social justice and nonviolence still permeate campus culture.
The University’s mission is to “respect the infinite worth of every individual and graduate persons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.” This provides the framework for all institutional decisions and priorities. The University’s stated values are learning, faith, service, integrity, diversity and community. Ultimately, Manchester strives to help each student be his or her best self. Students who attend Manchester find welcome and acceptance, and the University provides a safe haven for students to learn about themselves, learn from each other, and learn about the people they want to become. In this grant proposal, the University seeks to grow programming for students that is guided by the mission and these
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The University’s Fort Wayne Campus plans a Day of Service each year. Students complete over 4,000 hours of community service to over 60 different organizations. In total, Manchester University students, faculty, and staff complete more than 60,000 hours of volunteer service annually. The University has been a member of the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge every year since its inception (about six years), and a member of the Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since its inception (about nine