Rapid Response: How to lead for enduring impact w/ Spelman’s Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell

Entrepreneurship

The Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Spelman College, launched in collaboration with Morehouse College, addresses the growing interest in entrepreneurship among students. Mary Campbell highlights the underfunding of Black women's businesses and the need for entrepreneurial education. The initiative has attracted significant investments from major organizations like Bank of America and Mastercard, aiming to establish Spelman and Morehouse as central hubs for developing Black entrepreneurs 1.

For the past five or six years at Spelman, what we've been witnessing is a growing interest on the part of our students in entrepreneurship.

--- Mary Campbell

This program is not just an academic endeavor but a startup in itself, fostering connections with institutions like Babson and Brown University to create a nationwide network 1.

   

Community Impact

Spelman's commitment to community service is exemplified by the Spell Reads program, which enhances literacy among local students. Mary Campbell initiated this program by consulting local school principals, resulting in a successful tutorial program that improved reading assessments by up to 21% 2.

We have a specialist in family literacy, doctor Nicole Taylor, and we were able to put together a tutorial program for about 150 students in 5th, 6th, and 7th grades.

--- Mary Campbell

The program attracted over 100 Spelman student volunteers and received federal funding for expansion, demonstrating the college's dedication to leveraging student intelligence and commitment for community benefit 2.

   

Achievements

Under Mary Campbell's leadership, Spelman College has achieved significant milestones, elevating its status nationally. The college's six-year graduation rate of 75% far exceeds the national average for African Americans, and its undergraduate teaching ranks in the top 25 3.

Our endowment has grown just in the time that I've been here. It's grown from $342 million to almost $500 million.

--- Mary Campbell

Additionally, the endowment has increased substantially, enabling the college to fund new academic facilities and programs, including a center for quantum computing and a data science initiative 3.