The initiative will focus on knowledge exchange with HBCUs to improve student and graduate outcomes on both sides of the Atlantic.
Date: 18 October 2022
London Met's Vice Chancellor, Professor Lynn Dobbs, has announced a new initiative which will see the University partner with a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the US.
The exciting plans were announced in a conversation with Ian Wilhelm, Assistant Managing Editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The partnerships take a holistic approach to improving student outcomes across the entire student bodies of both London Met and its partners, and come as part of a long-term strategy to invest in student success.
Professional services staff and academic faculty from both sides of the Atlantic will work together to develop interventions to support student attainment, continuation rates and graduate outcomes through joint action and research projects.
Knowledge exchange initiatives will see London Met and its HBCU partners benefit from the specialist expertise of the respective institutions in advancing student success. Students will also have the opportunity to develop these projects for the benefit of themselves and their peers.
Professor Dobbs said, "Addressing the attainment gap at London Met is a major priority for us as part of our wider commitments to social justice, equity and inclusion, and ensuring every student has the chance to reach their full potential.
"We've made significant headway with this work, with our whole institutional approach recently highlighted as an example of best practice in a new report from Universities UK (UUK) - but there is still work to be done.
"HBCUs make up just 3% of the higher education institutions in the US, but graduate a large proportion of the country's Black students. We want to learn from their expertise in achieving high levels of attainment and progression.
"We're delighted to launch these partnerships to further develop our strategies towards removing systemic barriers, integrating anti-racism into our university system, and building a diverse academic pipeline."
One new partner is Morgan State University, an eminent public research university based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr Yacob Astatke, Assistant VP for International Affairs at Morgan State University said: "The leadership of London Met and Morgan State University are excited about this new partnership because it shows their commitment to invest in the core values of both institutions: preparing students to become global citizens who are ready to engage society by making a positive contribution towards a more just and sustainable world.
