Summary of Accomplishments

The following three objectives were developed:

1. Develop an internet clearinghouse of the programs and services that minority     academic institutions, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations can provide to BLM and other federal agencies.
2. Provide a print and CD version of the internet clearinghouse.
3. Host a conference with participants from minority serving academic institutions, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations and representatives from additional federal land management agencies. The purpose of the conference was to identify ways in which minority serving academic institutions, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations could support BLM and other federal land management agencies in the areas of workforce planning, student employment, and workforce diversity. The university will deliver a written conference summary that will include an overview of activities as well as a list of conference participants with contact information for each.

Due to the generous support of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Jackson State University (JSU) and the College of Business Department of Entrepreneurship and Professional Development are pleased to sponsor an Internet Clearinghouse of recruitment sources. This clearinghouse is derived from the Second Annual MSI Conference held at Jackson State University. This portal is designed to allow users to access information regarding career development at the minority serving institutions (MSIs) in the United States. The information will be updated periodically and can be accessed on the Conference website www.jsums.edu/~msi.jsu.

The Clearinghouse has the following three unique offerings:

1. Each institution which serves African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans is highlighted,
2. Institutional information including contact information is available, as well as data on the sitting president, and
3. Clearinghouse data regarding placement and career services at each institution as well as related student-support are provided along with the current contact person and/or director of placement at those institutions.

Hence, a user interested in student recruitment and internship across MSIs has only one site to access. The Clearinghouse is also linked to participants who served in the capacities of presenters, facilitators, moderators and the like at the Second Annual MSI Conference. Additionally, the clearinghouse offers the possibility of easy access to institutions serving over 400,000 students nationwide. Where applicable, valid links have been added which lead directly to the sites of interest. Viewers are invited to use this portal and email suggestions and comments for improvement to the conference director at mary.m.white@jsums.edu.

MSI Conference Placement Opportunities for Students

Graduate and undergraduate students facilitated discussions on a number of topics, featuring entrepreneurship, globalization, outsourcing, collaborative partnerships, and contracting opportunities. Young entrepreneurs provided best practices on venture creation, importing, using global suppliers, and capital acquisition. Merchandising and manufacturing were represented industries. Additionally, more established small business owners interacted with the panelists and provided participants with a comprehensive forum for students interested in developing sustainable businesses.

University-government linkages served as part of the framework for the conference agenda. Jackson State representatives highlighted the role of the university in venture creation in its surrounding community. Also, several panels noting potential contracting opportunities for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) strengthened the partnerships between the university and governmental agencies. Several governmental agencies shared their expertise in the contracting process which included: the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of the Interior, Department of Veteran Affairs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Small Business Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Student participants obtained valuable information about employment opportunities with BLM as well as other agencies. Jackson State graduates have a longstanding relationship with the public and private sectors. Historically, our graduates have been placed with public entities such as Department of Energy, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Veteran Affairs, and the National Council of Negro Women. Within its company index, the JSU Career Counseling and Placement Center is actively linked to both the BLM and DOI websites. In addition, the College of Business maintains a separate placement facility.

Students have secured permanent placement and internships with corporations such as AT&T, Kellogg, Dow Chemical, Connoco, and Eli Lilly. The annual Industry Cluster, hosted by the university, allows organizations to exchange ideas and strategically plan for the present and future workforce as well as forecast diversity goals. Consistently, recruiters view Jackson State as being an instrumental component of their workforce diversity goals, as evidenced by corporate and governmental partnerships at the institution. Thus, Jackson State can play a pivotal role as an intermediary between governmental agencies like BLM and other MSIs, businesses, and not-for-profits.

The conference presenters offered several support mechanisms for sustainability. Workshops focusing on venture capital and grants provided a forum for students and community stakeholders to learn of potential sources of capital. Additional workshops highlighted integrated software programs to assist entrepreneurs in locating funding and contracting opportunities. Integrated software packages such as MOLIS were highlighted as an opportunity to provide a means by which MSIs, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations can share best practices and knowledge specific to their institutions.

Conclusions and Recommendations

To assist Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in increasing their knowledge of Federal Agencies’ technical needs and procurement processes, long term goals include the following:

1. The establishment of expanded networks of MSIs with public and private partners.
2. Increased business opportunities with Federal agencies in the form of                competitive contracts and grant awards.
3. Expansion and implementation of an internet-driven clearinghouse of program and services with sustainability and that continually support student employment and workforce-related training and development in collaboration across academic institutions, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, federal agencies and the greater community at large.

Conference evaluation results provide evidence that this conference was mutually beneficial for all participants—MSI representatives, students, academic and non-academic affiliates, businesses, government, and the community.

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