Marian University is launching a new program to provide support, scholarships and career opportunities through the Black Leadership Initiative.
An inaugural class of 25 students will begin in 2025. Each student in the Black Leadership Initiative will receive a full-tuition scholarship to the westside Catholic university.
The university implemented a similar program for Latino students, called the Latino Leadership Initiative, in 2019.
John Turner, an Indianapolis native and graduate of Indiana State University and IU Indianapolis, will be the Black Leadership Initiative’s inaugural director. In his over 13 years of working in higher ed, Turner said he’s often seen Black students feel unsupported and unwelcome on campus.
“We just want to see these Black students succeed in every way possible,” Turner said.
Mirror Indy sat down with Turner to chat about his vision for the program. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Supporting the city of Indianapolis
I’m curious why you feel like this program is needed at Marian or in the city?
This is one of very few programs in the nation that looks at Black students and how to better serve and support them. With Marian University just recently getting that grant coming from the Lilly Endowment, that is us saying we want to help with that northwest corridor over here and saying we want to help this part of the city in a major way. Unfortunately, this part of the city has some of the lowest reading scores, has some of the lowest salaries, has some of the lowest success rates when it comes to going through high school and graduating through college.
Here at Marian University, we want to be of assistance to the city, especially this side of the city where we’re serving our students, and helping with those reading scores and help with creating more teacher opportunities. Our Klipsch Educators College is really excited to be able to use some of those funds from that grant that we got from the Lilly Endowment to be able to reach out and help this city.
Creating a support network
Tell me a little bit more about what the program will actually do for Black students.
The biggest thing is our 25 scholarships that we’re looking to give to those first-year, first-time students. As soon as we get that particular group on campus, those are going to be our BLI scholars. Those BLI scholars are going to have the opportunity to work with myself, work with the amazing faculty and staff that’s here at Marian University. We’re going to bring in community members who are going to assist them as well to get those job opportunities, internship opportunities, those career opportunities that a lot of times Black students don’t get because of what happens in our world.
We want to make sure we’re letting them know, if you come to Marian, you get one of these great scholarships, you become a BLI scholar, we want to be able to give you all the support that’s needed. We have our Unity Center on campus, and we want people to be able to get involved in our programming. We want (Black) students to know they can come here, they can be successful and we’re creating that sense of belonging and that support to help them be successful in every way possible.
What does a Black Leadership Initiative student look like for you? What type of student are you looking to accept into the program?
The very first thing is always going to be a student that wants to be at Marian University. They understand our Catholic Fransiscan values. They understand that we are an institution that’s small, but they want to get that 13:1 student to faculty interaction. They want to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is a place where I can see myself growing, and I know I have the support that I’m growing as well.’
We’re going to be looking at the city of Indianapolis in a major way. We want to make sure we’re looking at IPS. We want to make sure we’re looking at charter schools right here in Central Indiana. And we understand that we have some great Black students that are in our surrounding counties, and want to make sure we’re reaching out to them as well. We want to see those grades very high, as high as possible, and we want these students to be active in their schools, doing those different types of things, because we know they’re going to bring all those great things over to Marian University.
We want the brightest, we want the best. We just want Black students, especially in the city of Indianapolis, to know that Marian is a great option for you.
Something that I think about and hear is that people feel intimidated by private colleges. They just assume they’re going to be more expensive and less diverse. I’m curious what your response to that would be, and if you feel like this program will help dispel that perception.
We’re trying to give away 25 scholarships that are full tuition, so we’re trying to help out with the cost. And that’s a big thing a lot of times when it comes to Black families.
The other is that sense of belonging, like, ‘Do I belong there? Do I have a space there?’ And that’s what we’re trying to make sure, not only in creating an initiative like this, but as soon as they get on campus, they know who to talk to. They know where they can go to get assistance. Too many times when you have students that come to colleges just like Marian, those private institutions, it is that looking around, ‘Who can I go to for help? Or are there people that look like me?’
Making an impact
What would success for this program look like for you?
It’s that success of why they’re on campus, doing the great work, getting involved and being a great representative of Marian University while you’re here in school. It’s graduating from Marion University and being able to take that degree and do something that’s really, really important, giving back to our community.
We want to see these students strive, and as graduates, we want to see them go that extra mile. We want people to know when they get a degree from Marian University, especially a Black student, that they have something special. They’re carrying the faith of God with them. They’re carrying this legacy that is Marian University with them, and then what they’ve established themselves.
We’re creating Black leaders. That’s what we want to do.
For more information
Turner said that students should apply to Marian first. After applying, students who qualify will be invited to apply to the Black Leadership Initiative.
You can apply to Marian University online.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire at claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org or on social media @clairerafford.
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