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A Kearns Center student celebrating at commencement.

Transforming lives through educational opportunity

About Us
Students sitting in an audience and listening to a presenter at a symposium.

Supporting a diverse student body in higher education

About Us
A professor helping students.

Providing guidance, scholarship and support services

About Us

Pre-College

Providing educational resources, training, and support to area high school students.

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Undergraduate

Supporting existing undergraduates in achieving their academic goals.

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Graduate

Growing the academic pipeline and diversifying the academic population.

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Two students smiling at the camera.

Featured Photo

Kicking Off the Fall 2024 Semester

Dozens of students joined us to kick off the semester during the Kearns Kickoff event on September 11. Pictured left to right are Katy Gao, a Kearns Scholar, and Icesis Hinkson-Serrano, a McNair Scholar. The McNair program is currently accepting applications. Check it out! (Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester)

McNair Program
A collage of photos of first generation students at the University of Rochester with 1st as a text overlay.

Student Spotlight

First-generation students find mentors, resources, and niches at Rochester

About 20 percent of Rochester’s undergraduate student body are the first in their family to make the higher education leap.

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Director of Diversity in STEM Danielle Daniels talks student Zerenity Clarke through how to program the CPX microcontroller.

Feature Story

Sparking An Interest in STEM During the University of Rochester’s Upward Bound Summer Program

This summer several students in the University of Rochester TRIO Upward Bound program sparked an interest in STEM, thanks to a coding activity with a creative twist.

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A conference room full of people.

Message from the Director

Unity in Diversity: Promoting Civil Discourse and Inclusive Engagement

I want to take a moment to reflect on the values that guide us as a community and the critical role we play in fostering diversity of people, perspectives, and thought at the University of Rochester. These principles are at the core of the Kearns Center’s mission, and they underpin everything we do—from supporting first-generation and underrepresented students to promoting leadership and academic excellence.

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22full-time employees

The Kearns Center has 22 full-time employees who help run the federally grant funded programs that support individuals pursuing undergraduate, graduate, and professional education.

1500+students served

The Kearns Center supports well over 1,500 students from high school through doctorate annually, with lots of educational experiences, social and emotional support, financial resources, and connections to support their lifelong dreams.

5federal TRIO programs

The Kearns Center administers five federal grant funded programs that help provide educational guidance, scholarships, and support services to students who are low-income, first generation, or from historically racialized backgrounds.

An Upward Bound student working on a robot.Leadership andDiversity
Students signing their name on a poster.Training andResources
A student working in a lab.Services andSupport

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