Please consider the following as you begin to think about starting an Umoja Community program on your campus.
1. Program Needs
Identify specific program needs. Partner with the Institutional Research department on your campus to collect data (i.e., retention, GPA’s, and success rates for African American students). Develop a plan for addressing the identified program needs.
2. Build your Team and Gain Support
Develop a plan for addressing the identified program needs which could include a team of Students, Faculty, Classified, Administrators and services/programs supporting Umoja student success. Additional members could serve on the Umoja Community program Advisory Board. Seek to gain support and develop allies during the beginning planning stages for the Umoja Community program. These key constituent groups and individuals, on and off campus, can help promote and support the program.
3. Access Resources and Program Development
Identify and access resources necessary to develop the Umoja Community program (i.e., program coordinator, counselor, instructors, and identified space to create a village for students). Utilize the Umoja Community Executive Summary as a guide and model (i.e., cohort or learning community model) for serving your campus and student needs.
4. Marketing
Develop a Marketing plan (i.e., website, brochures, application, interest cards, and MySpace page) to adequately inform and showcase the Umoja Community program.
5. See steps on how to become an affiliated Umoja Community program
To be affiliated with the statewide Umoja Community, please review Umoja Community Core Requirements and see steps on how to become an affiliated program.