Growing the bench of organizations focused on post-secondary efforts at the state and local level continues to be a priority. One of the most glaring strategic gaps among southern states is bringing the voices of those populations we seek to benefit – students of color, low-income students, first-generation students, and working adults – to the table to shape the state’s agenda and to engage a broader base of constituents in actively working to change higher education so that it may be more responsive to the shifting and unique needs of its student body. The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) aims to deepen relationships and identify synergy among civil rights and equity organizations toward the broader goal of making higher education increasingly responsive to the needs of its student body.
The project objectives are:
- Engage with equity-centered organizations to advocate for first-generation college goers, students of color, low-income students, and adult learners in post-secondary education to develop state goals for disenfranchised students in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas.
- Develop strategies and policies that will no longer serve as barriers to disenfranchised populations.
- Influence stakeholders regarding the importance of disenfranchised populations’ success in post-secondary education.
