Minority Serving Institutions
Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) are institutions of higher education unique in their mission to serve minority populations. Through Rackham’s MSI coordinator, the school seeks to promote the strategic development of partnerships between the University of Michigan and MSIs in an effort to attract, recruit, and retain a highly qualified, diverse graduate student community.
Our mission is to engage with Minority Serving Institutions in intellectually, culturally, and morally responsible bidirectional partnerships towards attracting, retaining, and supporting traditionally underrepresented student populations in graduate and professional education through to success at the University of Michigan.
Our vision is to shift mindsets towards more equity-minded policies, processes, and practices that expand access to opportunity to those traditionally underrepresented.
Our Guiding Values
Equity-Mindedness
Shifting from deficit to asset based framing of MSI to U-M pathways, particularly focusing on the role of institutional responsibility.
Double Loop Learning
Examining the challenges and success through processes that go beyond surface assumptions to address structural barriers that contribute inequities. Additionally committing to an ongoing and continuous examination for formative purposes.
Social Justice
Acknowledging the systematic exclusion and discrimination of many underrepresented student populations that contribute to disparities in access to and within graduate and professional education.
Collective Impact
Increasing representation will require all stakeholders to fulfill a specific role within a collaborative and fully engaged manner.