As one of the “UK’s most socially and culturally diverse institutions”, London Met will collaborate with a number of Historically Black Universities and Colleges, focusing on knowledge exchange, with the aim to improve student and graduate outcomes in both the UK and US.

“We’re delighted to launch these partnerships to further develop our strategies towards removing systemic barriers, integrating anti-racism into our university system, and building a diverse academic pipeline,” said Lynn Dobbs, vice-chancellor and chief executive of London Met.

According to the university, the partnerships will take a holistic approach to improving student outcomes on both sides of the Atlantic. The development of student attainment, continuation rates and graduate outcomes is on the agenda through joint action and research projects.

The UK institution’s demographics align it with other minority serving institutions, the partners said.

“Addressing the attainment gap at London Metropolitan is a major priority for us as part of our wider commitments to social justice, equity and inclusion, and ensuring every student has the chance to reach their full potential,” said Dobbs.

“We’ve made significant headway with this work, with our whole institutional approach recently highlighted as an example of best practice in a new report from Universities UK – but there is still work to be done.”

The program is part of a bigger strategy linked to the Centre for Equity and Inclusion and its Race Equity Strategic Plan.

“HBCUs make up just 3% of the higher education institutions in the US, but graduate a large proportion of the country’s Black students,” Dobbs added.

“Addressing the attainment gap at London Metropolitan is a major priority for us”

Those behind the initiative at London Met want to look outside of their own institution to “see who is getting this right” with the aim of working together, learning and sharing good practices to drive excellence in student outcomes.

“We want to learn from their expertise in achieving high levels of attainment and progression,” said Dobbs.

Morgan State University is the latest partner to join the initiative.

“The leadership of London Met and Morgan State University are excited about this new partnership because it shows their commitment to invest in the core values of both institutions: preparing students to become global citizens who are ready to engage society by making a positive contribution towards a more just and sustainable world,” said Yacob Astatke, assistant vice president for international affairs at Morgan State.