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ADELPHI, Md. (October 9, 2024)—University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) this fall will put into place a two-pronged strategy that could serve as a national model for closing the higher education opportunity gap that has held back generations of talented individuals from underserved communities.

The initiative is funded by a $4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the foundation’s National Scale Enterprise.

UMGC has been a trailblazer in lifting barriers that block students from enrolling in degree programs or, later, derail their academic journeys prior to graduation. In Maryland, it is a state leader in graduating Black students in computer science. The aim of the four-year grant from the Gates Foundation is to develop evidence-based success strategies that can be replicated across higher education.

“Our university has been systematically tearing down obstacles that hold students back. We have addressed the price tag on a college education, especially among underserved students who face other financial pressures, by offering affordable degree programs. We make it easy for transfer students to continue their studies. We have in place a dynamic network of academic advisors and success coaches,” said UMGC President Gregory Fowler. “Still, income, race, and ethnic background too often remain predictors of academic success. This grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allows us to take the next steps in finding solutions to an urgent challenge in higher education.”

UMGC will use the grant to create Voice of the Student—a pipeline for collecting qualitative and quantitative data about students—and to accelerate professional development programs that better prepare faculty to engage with and support a diverse student body. Voice of the Student will tap surveys, interviews, behavioral data and other information to dig deep into the student experience at �Ҹ������� and identify potential stumbling blocks.  

The aim of the two-pronged strategy is to deepen understanding of the learner journey and identify areas where interventions or other support could improve student outcomes. The funding for the project comes on the heels of a $462,000 grant the university received from the Gates Foundation in 2023.

UMGC is the largest university in Maryland, with more than 90,000 students, and the only state university with a mission to specifically target adult and nontraditional learners. It is also the only predominantly online university within the University System of Maryland. For more than 75 years it has been a leader in educating military servicemembers and veterans, including in combat zones and at military installations around the globe.

UMGC’s mission is anchored in the tenet that higher education should be an engine of social mobility. Because of its size, reach, and reputation, it is well positioned to develop solutions that can be replicated and scaled up around the world. 

Since launching its first online classes in 1994, UMGC has pioneered data-driven solutions that make college degrees more affordable and accessible. It has won numerous awards for its groundbreaking work in developing fully online degree programs, including in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, business, data analytics, health care and education. It was an early adopter of online learning materials to replace expensive textbooks. It has forged alliances with community colleges across the country in order to widen access to four-year degree programs.

It has also adopted learner-centric support resources and services aimed at ensuring academic achievement, among them a success coaching model and a required Program and Career Exploration (PACE) course for all incoming students.