Why We Joined the Yes We Must Coalition

Every university president should feel a deep commitment to affordable higher education for any student who has the drive and ability to pursue a college degree. Active membership in Yes We Must underscores our belief in access to affordable education and brings together like-minded educators who willingly share strategies and innovations for making higher education available to students who desire to learn at the highest levels and continue to seek knowledge throughout their lives.

Quint Thurman, Past President, University of the Southwest / Dean, School of Business, Hallmark University

Averett University’s YWMC membership has been an invaluable resource for us. From the joint grant opportunities to the networking with members of other institutions and learning about their strategies, successes, and challenges, our programming in both student life and in the academic sphere is stronger as a result. We made the decision to join the Yes We Must Coalition because the mission of the Coalition aligns with our institution’s core values. We are fortunate to have the opportunity through the organization to share experiences and access to resources developed by like-minded institutions to serve students with unique challenges.

Tiffany M. Franks, President, Averett University

Blackburn joined YWM because our mission, like those of our YWM partners, is to help all students, especially the disadvantaged, to reach their full potential. YWM provides an opportunity for Blackburn to learn best practices from our peers while sharing our successes and failures. In addition, the opportunity to participate in consortial grants allows us to strengthen our student support more rapidly than we would otherwise be able to do.

John McClusky, Former Provost, Blackburn College 

Saint Elizabeth University continues its membership in YWM because of the wonderful opportunities it affords our students, faculty and staff. As members we have been able to provide our students with wonderful domestic exchanges so that they can experience life on a partner campus. Also, our faculty have had exceptional experiences working with YWM colleagues to develop programs and write grants. We are privileged to have received an NSF grant as a result of our collaboration with YWM partner schools. I am not the president who was in place when YWM began. My assumption would be that we joined because no other group was focused on the needs of first-generation, low-income students. We stay because we have found tremendous value in working with other institutions to gain access to resources that we would not otherwise have access to. We find great work being done jointly between our institutions to advance the completion agenda and access to funds, particularly, that we would not have been able to secure alone. I am also very grateful for the work that YOU do regularly on our behalf.

Helen J. Streubert, President Emerita, Saint Elizabeth University

I have belonged to a number of professional associations and organizations over the course of my career. While I’ve found all of them to be worthwhile, I can think of no other membership that proved as valuable as my association with Yes We Must during my years of service as president of Calumet College of St. Joseph.

Yes We Must is a coalition of smaller institutions of higher learning that focuses in a particular way on the needs of at-risk and underprepared students, most of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds of one kind or another. Engagement with Yes We Must colleagues is invariably student-focused, hands-on, and collaborative. I found the relationships shared with other members to be highly satisfying and most productive. Most importantly, Yes We Must members don’t just talk! They collaborate to ensure their students’ success. They walk the talk!

I could not recommend Yes We Must more highly to institutions that are dedicated first and foremost to providing a high quality and affordable education for those students who are so often left on the outside looking in.

Yes We Must! It’s a great organization. Consider making it your higher education affiliation of choice!

Daniel Lowery, Past President, Calumet College of St. Joseph

Heritage joined Yes We Must because this was the only organization (with success potential) focused specifically on institutions provably dedicated to the neediest ambitious students. Stayed in because progress was demonstrated and foundations and government were listening.

John Bassett, Past President, Heritage University

We joined because:

1. We strongly believe in the need for advocacy by private non-profit institutions serving large numbers of low-income students. I do not think we are well served by only being part of the network of private non-profit institutions.

2. Often, not always, our institutions have limited resources, and faculty become isolated as they do not participate in professional networks due to lack of funding. Even when they do participate, they meet colleagues from different types of institutions. I believe YWM has a great opportunity to be a place to provide faculty development and inter-change among our institutions.

Andrew Sund, President, Heritage University

Membership in YWM is a natural fit for Union College and a unique voice for institutions like ours that serve students from low socio-economic backgrounds. I have continually lamented legislators’ and reporters’ lack of focus on our missions, our support of students, our retention efforts, our low student debt rates, our success stories, our expertise in those areas in which they express such concern. Other organizations, for instance, NAICU and CIC, are strong voices for private higher education, but only YWM speaks to the specific needs of the Union College population. I am excited about the opportunity YWM offers to collaborate with other like institutions and to have a voice in collaborations that isn’t overshadowed by larger, more exclusive, less tuition-driven institutions. We, members of YWM, have the flexibility, the desire, and the motivation to provide to our particular student demographic a rigorous academic experience in the most effective, efficient manner possible.

Marcia Hawkins, President, Union College – Kentucky

We joined because YWM offered an avenue to speak to the foundation community as part of a coalition with common interests, at a time when it had become evident that there would be little or no funding forthcoming for stand-alone small institutions, no matter how interesting their initiatives. It also offered the prospect of a community of discourse for staff and faculty outside our narrow institutional boundaries, again with institutions that share common challenges and commitments. We remain because we have seen tangible progress in meeting these goals and see prospects for continuing progress.

Vinton Thompson, President Emeritus, Metropolitan College of New York

I have recently arrived at Mercy College and am still trying to understand all of the relationships and their benefits. When I arrived, the partnership was already in place, so I could not tell you why the partnership was formed. However, from what I know, Mercy College is collaborating with YWMC on an NSF S-STEM grant and we certainly value the relationships and ideas that these types of partnerships bring to the College.

Jose Herrera, Former Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Mercy College

The organizing work Gloria and her team have done made it clear to me and my team at College Unbound that we are not alone in this work, that we have to keep learning from one another, and that another, truer, higher education is possible to build together.

Adam Bush, President, College Unbound

Colleagues from academic affairs, student affairs, the registrar/financial aid team, and enrollment management all indicated that they found value in talking with similarly positioned colleagues and sharing tips and strategies for navigating challenges. . . .

Alyson Lowe, Former Vice President, Academic Affairs, Trocaire College

YWM is unique in providing a platform for independent colleges and universities to share common experiences, identify common needs, and create partnerships that will support our goals for students with financial needs to learn and to thrive.

Nancy Evangelista, Former Provost, Muskingum University

Because of Yes We Must, CCSJ has been able to apply for National Science Foundation funding to support STEM education that we could nat have hoped to receive on our own. We have become part of a national conversation about policing and community service. And we have been able to compare our performance in educating underserved populations with that of other similar institution, providing a guide for improvement.

Ginger Rodriguez, Executive Director, Grants and Strategic Initiatives,
Calumet College of St. Joseph

John McClusky, Former Provost, Blackburn College 

YWM is an essential peer network that facilitates shared best practices . . . YWM is absolutely critical for small colleges.

Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO, Benedict College

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