Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science honored for INSPIRE program

Submitted by Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science has received national recognition for its INSPIRE program, which creates pathways for Latino students interested in graduate education and possible careers in the health and biomedical sciences.

INSPIRE was one of 14 finalists from among 217 competitors for the 2014 Examples of Excelencia award, which recognizes programs from across the nation that increase academic opportunities and achievement for Latino students.

The competition is organized by the Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit Excelencia in Education, which systematically reviews hundreds of programs each year to identify and recognize those that demonstrate, with evidence, improvement in Latino enrollment, performance and graduation rates.

“We are very humbled and honored by this recognition and so proud of our INSPIRE students who are working hard for the opportunity of higher education and access to the health professions,” said Christine M. Lopez, M.Ed., RFUMS, director of community relations and stewardship.

“Excelencia in Education is working to bring awareness and make change.”

INSPIRE, which stands for Influence Student Potential and Increase Representation in Education, is currently offered to high school students in North Chicago and Waukegan. The eight-week mentoring and applied research program, which provides hands-on biomedical research opportunities and mentoring to promising high school and college students, is led by the university's division of institutional advancement.

“We want to increase the number of qualified students from underrepresented populations who complete advanced-degree health programs and serve their community as practicing health professionals,” said Hector Rasgado-Flores, Ph.D., faculty adviser and RFUMS associate professor of physiology.

“INSPIRE is about removing barriers to higher education.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education, just 4 percent of Latinos attain a master's or higher degree.

INSPIRE students conduct original biomedical research under the direction of graduate student mentors and faculty advisers. The program includes weekly presentations on careers in the health sciences as well as mandatory academic and professional enrichment sessions to improve student performance in language arts, mathematics, science, and workplace etiquette.

The ninth annual Examples of Excelencia award announcement, on Tuesday, Sept. 30, coincided with the release of the 2014 edition of “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” a compendium of all 29 recognized programs along with the evidence of their success.

Through this annual process, Excelencia in Education continues to grow America's largest inventory of programs and strategies that education leaders, policymakers, and others tap into to accelerate degree completion among Latinos.

“As one of this year's finalists, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is at the forefront of meeting the challenge of improving higher educational achievement for Latino students,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education.

“No longer should policymakers and institutional leaders ask how to improve college success for Latinos — we have the largest accumulation of proven examples and tested strategies that show them how. Today's question is, do leaders have the will to put these practices into action.”

INSPIRE also earned local recognition for RFUMS, which is engaged in other efforts to build the pipeline to higher learning for underrepresented students. In announcing RFUMS as the recipient of the 2014 Education Leader Award, the Hispanic Business Group and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors last month called the university “a tremendous educational asset to Lake County.”

For more information on INSPIRE, visit www.rosalindfranklin.edu. To download “What Works for Latino Student Success in Higher Education,” visit www.EdExcelencia.org.

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