CollegeNET has named 12 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Social Mobility Innovators for 2019.
The Social Mobility Index (SMI) ranks nearly 1,400 four-year U.S. colleges and universities according to how successfully they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and graduate them into promising careers. The goal of the SMI -- now in its fifth year -- is to help redirect the attribution of "prestige" in the higher education system toward colleges and universities that are advancing economic mobility, the most pressing civic issue of our time.
The 12 HBCUs named Social Mobility Innovators for 2019 all rank among the top 10 percent of schools on the SMI. The schools are:
- Winston-Salem State University
- Florida A & M University
- North Carolina A & T State University
- North Carolina Central University
- Prairie View A & M University
- Grambling State University
- Elizabeth City State University
- Tennessee State University
- South Carolina State University
- Tuskegee University
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Southern University
“Most higher education rankings evaluate colleges and universities as if comparing brands for consumer purchase,” says Jim Wolfston, CEO of CollegeNET. “The SMI, on the other hand, helps policymakers, students and their families see which colleges and universities are doing the most to drive U.S. economic mobility. We hope the SMI encourages more institutions to embrace and expand their role as conduits for restoring the promise of the American Dream. The first step in doing this is to identify and learn from colleges and universities like these 12 HBCUs.”
For more information about the Social Mobility Index, go to www.socialmobilityindex.org.
