Fulfilling Institutional Aspirations at a Service-focused University

East Carolina University (ECU) aspires to be a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation. In the ECU College of Education, the Rural Education Institute (REI) pursues that goal with a specific focus on rural schools and communities. As one of the flagship programs in the REI, the GRAD Partnership provides a model and mechanism for meeting our goals and fulfilling our aspirations to the benefit of students, families, and communities in rural eastern North Carolina. Notably, we’re talking here about more than simple alignment (i.e., the idea that the structure and content of the GRAD Partnership matches up with the purpose and mission of REI). Our experience suggests that the partnership has elevated our work’s relevance and impact.

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Where Personal Experience Meets Professional Purpose: Our Journey with GRAD Partnership

When we signed on as an Intermediary partner with the GRAD Partnership - an initiative housed in Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center - my professional excitement was matched only by my personal investment in this work. As President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, I've spent years witnessing the power of collective impact to transform systems. As the grandmother and guardian of two teenage boys navigating high school in a post-pandemic world, I've experienced firsthand the urgent need for that transformation in schools.

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Building School Connectedness for Student Success at Tulelake Basin High

Recently, the Rural Schools Collaborative Team, along with GRAD Partnership Intermediary North State Together (NST) had the opportunity to meet members of the leadership team working to improve student success and connectedness at Tulelake Basin High School in Tulelake, CA. Their efforts were led by Tara Wright-Baley, the school counselor and a former graduate of Tulelake herself.

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