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Morgan State University’s Center for Career Development Awarded $300K Grant to Strengthen Education-to-Career Pathways

by Morgan State U
February 04, 2025

Strada Education Foundation Funding to Enhance Career Readiness for First-Year, First-Generation Students

 

BALTIMORE —Morgan State University’s Center for Career Development has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Strada Education Foundation in partnership with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). The grant will support efforts to scale innovative career guidance strategies, expand employer connections, and enhance mentorship and leadership development opportunities for first-year, first-generation students.

Morgan, an AASCU member university, is one of only eight institutions selected for this prestigious grant. The funding will also contribute to research and best practices that can be shared with the broader higher education career services community.

Career Center director meeting with 2 female studentsAccording to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), students who engage with career services are significantly more likely to secure full-time employment after graduation. However, studies show that first-generation college students often face greater challenges in accessing these resources. Morgan’s initiative aims to bridge this gap by providing targeted support early in students’ academic journeys.

“This grant will allow us to expand our efforts in ensuring that every Morgan student—especially those who are first in their families to attend college—has access to the career guidance, professional connections, and skill-building experiences that lead to meaningful employment,” said Seana Coulter, executive director of the Center for Career Development at Morgan State University. “By strengthening our partnerships with employers and enhancing mentorship opportunities, we are equipping our students with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving job market.”

The funding is part of Strada’s Innovation in Career Services grant program, designed to help university career services departments implement and evaluate new approaches to career readiness. The initiative is built on five key principles:

  • Centered on education-to-career outcomes
  • Driven by student agency
  • Foundational and universal
  • Rooted in relationships
  • Informed by data and evidence

“These eight institutions are committed to rethinking and reinvigorating their approaches to career services,” said Ruth Watkins, Strada’s President of Postsecondary Education. “Using the education-to-career principles as their guide, they will demonstrate how career advising and guidance can make the difference in improving post-completion outcomes for students, particularly those who have traditionally faced the greatest challenges.”

Housed in the Division of Student Affairs, the Center for Career Development provides comprehensive career planning services, including self-assessment, career exploration, internships, job search assistance, and graduate school preparation. The Center’s mission is to empower students with the skills and resources needed for lifelong career success.

 

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 academic programs leading to baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees, or certificates. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.

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Media Contacts:
Larry Jones or Dell Jackson, for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022