About Minority Access, Inc.
Minority Access is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to increasing diversity, decreasing disparities, and reducing incidences of environmental injustices. Our mission is to assist colleges and universities, the Federal Government, and agencies of other governments and corporations in implementing programs and providing services to recruit, enhance and retain underserved and underrepresented populations. Minority Access has received national acclaim for its successful track record in advancing educational, research, and employment opportunities through the National Role Models Project, National Role Models Conference, student internship programs, college readiness, access programs, and other enriching programs.
Minority Access was incorporated in January 1995 in Washington, DC, and later moved its headquarters to its stately building in Hyattsville, Maryland, a building designated as a historic landmark. Andrea D. Mickle, a former university administrator and education association administrator, is President and CEO of Minority Access. Late Dr. Samuel L. Myers, former education association president, former college president, and an internationally renowned educator, was the Chairman of and Senior Education Advisor to Minority Access, Inc.
By establishing a successful track record in implementing programs to improve the diversity in higher education, and the professional and managerial employment of minorities, Minority Access has built a constituency of colleges and universities as diverse as the faces of America. Through its cooperative agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Minority Access has forged partnerships among 170 diverse institutions. Representatives of professional schools, major research universities, prestigious small colleges, and leading community colleges have all coalesced under the leadership of Minority Access to share experiences and strategies for recruiting, retaining, enhancing, and graduating minority researchers.
Minority Access' success in effecting interaction and mutual exchange among diverse types of minority-serving institutions has not gone unnoticed by those committed to diversity. Many Federal agencies have participated in the Minority Access Internship Program, where paid students gain professional and research experiences.
Although Minority Access takes immense pride in providing a venue that is one of the most prestigious of its kind, the National Role Models Conference publicizes and honors role models. We believe that our success in identifying and recognizing high achievers, with the assistance of our network of colleges and universities, has a broad impact. By expanding the pool of research and technology talent from underrepresented groups, we contribute to the nation's strength.
The National Role Model Project has serendipitously helped colleges and universities: increased competitiveness in proposal writing resulting from direct interaction with funders at the National Role Models Conference; enhanced student recruitment of the best and brightest students from a diverse pool; and increased loyalty of heretofore unrecognized alumni.
Minority Access honors its national conference institutions committed to diversity. We provide the opportunity for representatives from our Premier Associate institutions to travel to foreign countries, including China and Brazil, to observe firsthand diversity practices. We publish model diversity plans for others to emulate. We contemplate expanding these venues in future years.