ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Elizabethtown College was recently awarded a $125,000 grant to promote justice, diversity, and career building on campus. Funded by the Lancaster County Community Foundation’s BB&T now Truist Economic Growth Fund, the grant will support Pathways to Progress: Promoting Justice, Diversity, and Career Building. This project will strengthen programs to support underrepresented and first-generation students on Etown’s campus by: intentionally growing ties to the College’s diverse alumni community; creating academic opportunities for students to work with community partners on issues surrounding social, racial and criminal justice; and strengthening career-based learning opportunities for underrepresented minorities and first-generation students.
“We are pleased to receive this grant to enhance our programs in support of underrepresented students at Elizabethtown College,” Elizabethtown College President Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D. said. “This is a priority area for our institution, and this commitment will help many students excel in their academic and social experiences on our campus.”
Programs within the Pathways to Progress project capitalize on an interdisciplinary collaboration between experts across Etown’s campus to improve services and ensure access for underrepresented minorities and first-generation students. Opportunities include internships, mentoring and networking, and a summer engineering experience for high school students from underrepresented communities. Additionally, the project will enrich the campus experience and emphasize cultural studies through workshops, speakers, podcasts, and courses exploring contemporary issues in racial and social justice. Another component of the program, the JUSTICE initiative, will provide certificate programs in conflict transformation and cultural competency.
“The Pathways Grant is representative of the growing commitment to supporting students of color on our campus and will provide rich opportunities for all members of the community to further their knowledge and skills around racial and social justice, said Shannon Haley-Mize, Interim Director of Etown’s Center for Global Peacemaking and Understanding. “This work is essential to creating a vibrant campus community that is not only accessible and supportive for students of color, but actively engages in the critical work of challenging oppressive systems.”
The three-year project, housed in the Center for Global Peacemaking and Understanding, is a partnership between the School of Arts and Humanities; School of Public Service; the Office of Career Services; the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Title IX; the Momentum program; the Elizabethtown College Alumni Association’s Nexus group; the office of the Associate Provost for Academics and Faculty Affairs; and the High Center for Family Business. Learn more at etown.edu