$5 Million Donation to the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development Helps Women Succeed at 国产AV
December 17, 2020
This pledge is the largest gift received by 国产AV in 2020.
The Stryker Institute for Leadership Development at the University of Northern Colorado, a participation-based scholarship program that serves women from underrepresented groups, such as transgender women and women of color, has received a $5 million donation to support the program over the next five years.
Top:The 2020-21 cohort of students who are part of the Stryker Institute. The images of the students were taken over Zoom.
This year鈥檚 cohort is made up of a total of 80 students, 37 of whom graduated in 2020 from numerous areas of study. The institute has served and supported a total of 476 undergraduate and graduate women since its creation in 2001 thanks to private philanthropy. Eighty-one percent of all students served by the institute graduate within three years of entering the program, and 94% graduate within four years of entering the program.
The program provides access to educational opportunities focused on identity development, social justice, leadership and mentorship; cultivating a sense of belonging through connectedness and community; empowering women through encouragement and facilitation of personal growth; and establishing a network of support through collaboration with campus and community partners.
国产AV President Andy Feinstein said, 鈥淪uch generosity from 国产AV graduates like Ronda
Stryker enables students to be more successful in their academic careers at 国产AV and
beyond. We are very grateful for our donors as their investments allow 国产AV to offer
impactful programs like the Stryker Institute which have a significant impact on our
students.鈥�
The program prepares students to develop a leadership identity that enables them to create positive social change and advocate with purpose.
Participants in the institute also receive a $7,500 annual educational scholarship that covers their tuition and is renewable for up to four academic years with maintained eligibility in fall and spring semesters.
鈥淎s a very recent graduate, I鈥檝e learned so much through the Stryker Institute: new concepts and ideas about justice and inclusiveness. The workshops have helped me grow as a person and dive deeper into my identities,鈥� said Rosemarie Alarcon, a 2020 国产AV graduate in Human Services with a minor in Criminal Justice. 鈥淭his program has given me a sense of comfort and community over the last three years, and I鈥檝e made lifelong friends and mentors that I will forever cherish.鈥�
Yvette Lucero-Nguyen, the director of the institute, said that students value the experience they receive through the institute where they develop leadership skills and form a community with other members.
鈥淚n addition to the financial award, one of the things participants value the most
about this experience is the sense of community they build with one another,鈥� said
Lucero-Nguyen. 鈥淏ecause the program runs on a cohort model, student scholars who have
four years at 国产AV also have four years of being involved with other women in the institute
who have both similar and different identities and experiences in which they can build
on and overcome challenges together.鈥�
Students are required to take workshops through the institute on a variety of leadership and identity-based topics. During their first year, students explore identity and social justice; their second year involves understanding intersectionality and framing their leadership identity while integrating their social justice experience; their third year involves practicing their leadership through a mentorship program with local underrepresented youth; and their fourth and final year involves engaging in a leadership capstone.
鈥淥ne of the greatest values of our program is that our students have the opportunity to build community and support one another and maintain those relationships even after graduating from 国产AV. Building and understanding the identities that we hold as well as our connections to social justice are all integrated into leadership,鈥� said Lucero-Nguyen. 鈥淭hey build that awareness together, which is one of the most important aspects of the program that our students receive.鈥�
The institute鈥檚 benefactor, Ronda Stryker, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, received her bachelor鈥檚 degrees in Special Education and Sociology at 国产AV in 1976. She founded and has supported the Stryker Institute since its creation in 2001. She envisioned her philanthropy to enable and empower women from underrepresented groups who would benefit from additional opportunities and resources.
Learn more about the Stryker Institute for Leadership Development at 国产AV.
鈥擶ritten by Katie Corder
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