Minority Serving Institutions
Community of Partners Council
Community of Partners
MSI-COPC
The concept of “community of partners”
refers to the process of social learning that
occurs when people with a common
interest in a subject or a problem,
collaborate over an extended period of
time to share ideas, find solutions, and
build innovations.
Goal
MSI-COPC
Create and combine efforts among
federal agencies to assist Minority
Serving Institutions (MSIs) with
contract and grant opportunities, local
economic development, and
preparation of students for federal
employment.
Objectives
Train MSIs to work with government
agencies (networking)
Sponsor interagency training programs
Co-sponsor conferences and team with
external conferences
Advocate for MSIs from within the federal
government
Collaborate, partnership, sharecommunity of partners
Develop a website for depository of information
Provide a forum for federal agencies to exchange
information pertinent to MSIs
Provide a dedicated team of federal agencies to
enhance the awareness of MSIs
Conduct a government-wide annual MSI conference
Collaborate, partnership, share-community of partners
Collaborative efforts among agencies “working together and sharing information”
Central depository for MSIs such as
- capacity building conferences
- funding 0pportunities
- grant preparation resources
- new initiatives
Listing funding sources by agency
Collaborate, partnership, share-community of partners
Collaborative efforts – sponsor an
annual interagency capacity building
workshop for MSIs
Assist MSIs in developing and maintaining an
infrastructure system for performance-based results
Prepare an annual MSI report to include:

MSIs by type

funding amount

type of effort
Create a resources directory
Minority Serving Institutions
Legislation
White
House Initiative for Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
White
House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and
Universities (TCUs)
White
House Initiative for Educational
Excellence For Hispanic Americans (HSIs)
White
House Initiative for Asian American
Native American Pacific Islanders
(AANAPISIs)
Minority Serving Institutions
Program (MSIP)
Executive Orders
 EO 13515, October 14, 2009: Asian American
Native American Pacific Islander Serving
Institutions
 EO 13532, February 26, 2010: White House
Initiative on Historically Black Colleges &
Universities
 EO 13555, October 19, 2010: White House
Initiative on Hispanic Serving Institutions
 EO 13270, December 2, 2011: White House
Initiative on Tribal Colleges & Universities
Why This Program?
Many Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) were created to
provide postsecondary educational opportunities to students who
previously were denied access to a quality education.
Today, the colleges continue that tradition while also making
educational opportunities possible for Americans from diverse
economic, ethnic, and social backgrounds. By making a significant
difference in the lives of the students they educate and the
communities they serve, MSIs are contributing to the nation’s
economic and social growth and global competitiveness.
Minority Serving Institutions
Technical Assistance – Capacity Building
Conference
The MSI Conference
The purpose of the conference is to
inform MSIs about partnerships with
Federal agencies, and to provide
technical assistance, and capacity
building workshops.
MSI Technical Assistance and Capacity
Building Conference Focus Areas
• Outreach and Customer Relations
• Technical Assistance/Capacity Building
• Economic and Community Development
• Collaborative Research
• Recruitment
Outreach and Customer Relations
Agencies educate the MSIs
about their missions and
mission requirements.
In addition, Federal agencies work with MSI
communities to create innovative, effective,
and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Technical Assistance and
Capacity Building
Agencies provide assistance to MSIs to enable them to:
- navigate the federal system
-apply for Federal funding
- enter into partnership agreements
- establish channels for internships and
- employment for minority undergraduate and
graduate students
- enhance STEM programs
Economic and Community
Development
Agencies foster economic and community
development through collaborative partnership
between the MSIs and the community on
economic development and sustainability
initiatives.
•Business Consulting Service
•Entrepreneurship Support
•Commercial and Residential Development
Collaborative Research and
Joint Program Implementation
Collaboration is the touchstone of
scientific and technological
advancement. Scientists, students,
faculty, professionals, and
participating institutions advance
their goals and exposure through
Federal agencies’ MSI programs.
Recruitment
Agencies recruit and hire through a
variety of resources such as:
 career fairs
 trade magazines
 internship programs
 student employment programs
 informational sessions at student
organizations
The MSI Conference
The conference is a platform for:
 - information sharing




- facilitating partnerships among the MSIs
- providing networking opportunities
- enhancing grant writing skills
- communicating techniques to maneuver within the
Federal Government
The conference was created to provide the academic
institutions with a wealth of information for
competing and winning BIG!
CONTACT
Senora Coggs
scoggs@doc.gov
or
(202) 482-8190
http://www.msi-copc.org