KAPPA NEWS
Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack: President of Harris-Stowe State University
look at it collectively, our recent graduating class of Harris-Stowe is projected to have a combined lifetime career earnings of $392 million. As I shared, this is significant since many of these graduates are first- generation and low-income. It is estimated that the economic impact of Harris- Stowe to the St. Louis region is $65 million. This is a significant figure considering the institution receives less than $10 million a year in state assistance. The economic return on the state’s investment in Harris-Stowe produces great dividends. Our students overall goals parallel Harris- Stowe’s which is to give back to the community. This can be measured by the number of volunteer hours collected from a variety of community and civic organizations in the greater St. Louis region that our campus serves. Harris- Stowe connects with the St. Louis region in so many meaningful ways. When the Mike Brown tragedy occurred, it was Harris- Stowe that served as the intellectual Think Tank that brought various stakeholders together to discuss and find solutions to the issues confronting the region. Harris-Stowe historically has been in the forefront in educating underrepresented and underserved individuals. We have continued that trajectory under my leadership. In fact, we are witnessing
record applications and enrollment. With the minimum support, we remain one of the fastest growing public universities in the state! of Missouri. Going from a total of 667 applicants in 2013 to 6800 in 2018. This is remarkable! Over an 800% increase in four years. Also under my tenure, we have also witnessed some of the largest graduation classes in school history." In the face of continuous budget cuts, Dr. Warmack placed a premium on fundraising. "It is imperative that as President I am always on the fundraising trail. Without fundraising efforts, the institution would not be able to keep the doors open based on the amount funding we receive from the state. I believe that friendraising is just as critical as fundraising. Building and establishing meaningful relationships is key in making that first ask. I am so passionate about our work that it becomes very necessary for me to reach out to the philanthropic community for support. For instance, the day of Mike Brown’s funeral, while the world was focused on the service, I felt it was important for our male students to be present to welcome the Ferguson elementary school students back to school on their first
Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack serves as the 19 th President of Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU). This past year, Harris-Stowe celebrated 160 years of providing quality education to the St. Louis region. "As the 19 th president, my vision is to continuously expand the footprint of the university and increase HSSU’s visibility regionally as well as nationally. Since 2014, we have grown from 14 degree programs to over 50 and we continue to add quality programs that will prepare our graduates for meaningful careers. A landmark study by The UNCF found that the lifetime career earnings of a Harris-Stowe graduate is $2.5 million, 70% higher
than if they only had a high school diploma. This is amazing considering that many of our graduates are
the first in their family to graduate and they
come from working class environments. This is the most gratifying aspect of my work as president. We change lives and trajectories for families. This success is even more incredible when you consider that over the last four years the state of Missouri has consistently cut our state appropriations yet, we are compelled to operate and provide the same exemplary service to our students. As I mentioned earlier, the financial impact on the individual students is significant, however, if you
Publishing achievement for 105 years
THE JOURNAL 84 TH GRAND CHAPTER MEETING ISSUE | 53
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