Swauger and Zarit host the Black Male and Female Summer Leadership Institutes at SRU

Sept. 10, 2024

Melissa Swauger and Matthew Zarit, Slippery Rock University professors of nonprofit management, empowerment and diversity studies, recently hosted the Black Male and Black Female Summer Leadership Institute at SRU.

They hosted 27 high school males and 21 females during two separate weeks in the summer, as students visited the SRU campus for several learning opportunities and exercises. Led by SRU student mentors and supervised by Zarit, the participants engaged in 12 hours of training on topics such as drug abuse, gun violence, youth violence and police brutality. Each group conducted research, developed solutions and presented their findings to peers, families and SRU staff, with additional support from SRU's Office for Community Engagement, the Office for Inclusive Excellence, and the Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, among other departments.

The inaugural female cohort program was supported by a $3,000 grant from Partners for Campus Community Engagement, and organization that convenes, connects and empowers colleges and universities in New York and Pennsylvania to build equitable and just relationships with communities in order to advance a democratic society for the public good.