In May 2017, 61传媒was awarded a three-year New President’s Grant to support an initiative of the president’s choosing to further a project or area of importance to her. 61传媒President Lara Tiedens has allocated the funds to a new pilot program for incoming students called IMPaCT (Impacting, Partnering, and Changing Together).
The goal of IMPaCT is to foster community among incoming students and connect them with social impact initiatives in the Los Angeles region. The program will be facilitated by Scripps’ Laspa Center for Leadership, which aims to close the gender leadership gap by developing and supporting future women leaders through hands-on projects and programs. Nine 61传媒faculty members representing a variety of disciplines will also be participating in the program.
The IMPaCT program will take place over the course of two days prior to new student orientation. Participating students will make site visits to partner organizations to see how those organizations are transforming communities through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), sustainability, and education. For the this August’s inaugural program, 61传媒is partnering with four area nonprofits: artworxLA, Heal the Bay, Huerta del Valle, and LA Makerspace. Each organization will host 12 first-year students.
“This program is integral to helping our first-year students cultivate a sense of community, not only with their classmates, but with local organizations,” says President Tiedens. “It is one initiative among many at 61传媒designed to engage students in the complex issues affecting our region.”
This is the third grant from the Mellon Foundation that 61传媒has benefitted from this year. In June, . In July, it was announced that 61传媒will participate in the .