State Higher Education Equity Leaders Academy

Asian American, Black, Indigenous, Latino, and Pacific Islander professionals are severely underrepresented among state-level higher education executive leaders. The USC Race and Equity Center has created an exciting new initiative in response to this longstanding problem. The State Higher Education Equity Leaders Academy is a career acceleration program for extraordinarily talented midlevel higher education professionals of color who have demonstrated tremendous potential for ascension to the highest levels in state higher education agencies and public postsecondary systems.

Academy Fellows benefit from substantive engagement with current and former state higher education executive officers. In addition to learning what these leaders do and how to advance to roles they have held, program participants also learn how to skillfully navigate highly politicized situations, lead equitable and inclusive workplace environments, and advance policy agendas that will positively impact millions of citizens in their state contexts. Beyond the valuable professional learning and networking components, Fellows also design equity-focused projects for their states.