NCCU Selected as 2026 Community Collaboration Challenge Awardee

North Carolina Central University's (NCCU) Department of Student Access and Success Programswithin the Division of Student Affairshas been selected as a 2026 Community Collaboration Challenge awardee, receiving a $10,000 grant.

Through this award, NCCU's Department of Student Access and Success Programs will launch Project Pre-College Access in AI, a pilot initiative serving students in grades 9-11 at Person High Schoolin Person County and Graham High Schoolin Alamance County.

The initiative will provide tutoring, mentoring and student success coaching while creating career-connected learning opportunities for high school seniors and NCCU students trained as near-peer mentors. Participants will support younger students with academic skill development, study strategies, goal setting and early postsecondary planning.

"This award allows NCCU and the Department of Student Access & Success Programs to deepen our commitment to community engagement and college access by strengthening academic supports at a critical point in students' educational journeys," said Dekendrick Murray, executive director for Student Access and Success. "By combining evidence-based tutoring with near-peer mentoring and career-connected learning, we are creating pathways that benefit both K-12 students and future educators and leaders."

In addition to direct student support, the project will culminate in a publicly available Near-Peer Coaching and AI-Supported Tutoring Implementation Guide, enabling other communities to replicate and adapt the model.

The Community Collaboration Challenge prioritizes collaborative approaches that improve academic outcomes while strengthening partnerships among schools, higher education institutions, nonprofits and community stakeholders. Awardees will implement, evaluate and share their learnings to help expand effective student support models nationwide.

The Community Collaboration Challenge is supported by the Leon Lowenstein Foundation and administered by the Partnership for Student Success(PSS) at the Johns Hopkins University Everyone Graduates Center.

The Department of Student Access and Success Programs at NCCU supports access, transition, retention and graduation initiatives for first-generation and low-income students, as well as students with disabilities. To learn more, visit the official website.