FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Nearly five years have passed since Strada embarked on plans for its HBCU Initiative, designed to elevate the best work happening at the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities.

The endeavor began with a series of conversations with HBCU leaders throughout the country about how HBCUs support students and cultivate economic mobility — and what kind of support would help them further their work.

Today 49 institutions are part of the $25 million, eight-year initiative, which includes scholarship, networking, coaching, and internship support for 471 Strada Scholars. By May, more than 100 of those students will have earned their bachelor’s degrees.

In a new interview, Strada Senior Vice President Daryl Graham, who leads the HBCU Initiative, shares how it reduces the financial barriers associated with accessing college but doesn’t stop there.

“This initiative is not just about scholarships,” said Graham, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting at Morgan State University, an HBCU. “It’s about equipping the next generation of leaders with the coaching and internship experiences they need to connect education to career.”

TIGHT COMPETITION FOR INTERNSHIPS

College internships can help students build social capital, explore career options, and — quite possibly — create a pathway to a first job. But a new report from Handshake notes the competition for those coveted internships has become tougher, with internship postings dropping 15 percent between January 2023 and January 2025. Read more.

RESULTS OF MANDATORY FAFSA

A new report finds the seven states that implemented a mandatory FAFSA policy for the Class of 2024 or earlier outperformed the rest of the country in terms of year-over-year change in public high school FAFSA completions for the year examined. In five of the seven states, the FAFSA completion gap between high- and low-income districts narrowed, and in Texas, low-income districts took the lead.​​ Read more.

LESSONS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

In a follow-up to its December report on student supports that promote college access and completion, Brookings Institution senior fellow Sarah Reber shares key lessons that emerged from the report for three essential audiences: researchers, policymakers, and institutions implementing student success programs. Read more.

REGIONAL CONVENING: National University and Strada affiliate CAEL will co-host a convening March 12 in San Diego designed to connect groups throughout the education and employment systems.

RECORDING AVAILABLE: In this webinar, Strada and Trellis Strategies shared how taking part in a new survey can give institutions access to free insights that improve student success and workforce readiness.