The Tallahassee Democrat April 26, 2017 Florida A&M gets Ivy League invite to help diversify corporate workforce Columbia is awarding 20 HBCU grads a chance to earn a free master's degree - and a job Florida A&M University is one of 10 historically black institutions chosen by Columbia University in an effort increase diversity at Fortune 500 companies. In conjunction with Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, two students each from 10 HBCUs will be selected for enrollment this fall in an intensive, one-year master's degree program in concentrations corporations say they struggle to fill with minority candidates. Students will receive free tuition, housing, internships and mentoring during the year. The Ivy League degree is valued at $100,000. It's not an easy entrance. Jason Wingard, the dean of Columbia's School of Professional Studies, said each applicant will endure the same rigorous scrutiny as any other master's degree candidate. A committee at Columba will be looking at grade point averages, Graduate Record Exam scores, community involvement and character. David Jackson, an associate provost at FAMU and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, said five students are applying for the scholarship. "We believe that our students will benefit greatly from this experience at Columbia by taking advantage of the graduate programs, internships and professional development opportunities the school has to offer," Jackson said. "I am honored to add Columbia University to our list of Graduate Feeder Partners." Jackson said the partnership also will help FAMU in meeting the Board of Governor's performance metric on the number of graduates entering the workforce and/or attending graduate school. "Through our efforts with this program we can achieve both," he said. Data provided by Columbia University, shows 12.4 percent of black college graduates between the ages of 22-27 are unemployed compared to 5.6 percent of all graduates SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/