Overview

The David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity at the University of Rochester strives to expand the educational pipeline through the doctoral degree for low-income, first-generation college, and underrepresented minority students. The center focuses on the creation of replicable and scalable educational models that will increase the number of low-income and historically underrepresented individuals pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.

The center provides educational guidance, scholarships, and support services to students who:

  • Come from low-income families
  • Will be, or already are, the first person in their family to earn a college degree
  • Come from racial groups identified by the federal government as underrepresented in higher education: African American, Native American, or Hispanic

We also help develop and guide the University’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

The center partners with the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Education and a host of private donors to promote the successful engagement of a diverse student body in higher education.