UMSL and Coro Leadership Training Program Announce Partnership
ST. LOUIS, MO (November 10, 2020) – The St. Louis Coro Fellows Program has a nearly 50-year history of developing graduates who make an impact throughout the region, country and world.
A new partnership with the University of Missouri–St. Louis will help reestablish that tradition as the program restarts with a new Fellows class in the fall of 2021 at UMSL. The St. Louis Coro Fellows program also announced the beginning of a $350,000 fundraising campaign to support its on-going efforts.
"We are thrilled to be involved with the relaunch of the St. Louis Coro Fellowship ,” UMSL Chancellor Kristin Sobolik said. “The program is consistent with our mission and vision to develop future leaders in the St. Louis region and beyond who will help move us forward and foster inclusive prosperity.”
“UMSL’s prominence in the region and mission as a land-grant institution provides the ideal home for the St. Louis Coro Fellows Program, allowing it to grow its impact on the St. Louis region while preserving its independence and neutrality,” said Ellen Alper, CEO, the National Council of Jewish Women - STL, a Fellows graduate (‘83) and the chair of the Coro relaunch committee. “UMSL’s public and internal commitment to diversity and inclusion matches the Coro Fellows Program’s initial commitments when it began in St. Louis 47 years ago.”
The Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs was brought to St. Louis in 1973 with the support of the Danforth Foundation that believed in the program's unique ability to advance the region. Since then, the Coro Fellowship has been critical to St. Louis's ability to attract and develop talent. Fellows graduates can be found in every sector of the St. Louis economy - from building the BioTech industry to holding elected office to representing leaders in economic development and criminal justice reform, Coro Fellow graduates are difference makers.
The restart of the Coro Fellows program, which experienced a two-year hiatus, in part due to the pandemic, comes at an important time. As the St. Louis region combats the COVID-19 public health crisis, as well as it’s subsequent economic fallout, the Coro Fellows Program attracts and trains top talent from around the country to drive tangible results to move the region forward. Each year, participants work full-time, committing a collective 12,000 hours completing high-impact projects in dozens of organizations. In a region with many competing priorities, a Community Advisory Board will inform which issues Fellows will work to address over the course of the program year.
“The Coro Fellows program prepares high caliber young people to lead in ways that strengthen democracy,” said Paul Sorenson, co-director of UMSL’s Community Innovation and Action Center (CIAC), the department where the Coro Fellows Program will be housed. “To have a strong and vibrant region, all voices are heard. The racial inequities in St. Louis are well documented. Investing in the Coro Fellows program is investing in a future St. Louis that is equitable, resilient, and thriving.”
The Coro Fellows program is launching a fundraising campaign to ensure its sustainability for years to come. Already, Coro Fellows alumni and other donors have contributed over $35,000 to the restart. The team leading the restart is actively seeking the financial support required to relaunch Coro. Donations may be made at the following link: www.corostl.org
The St. Louis Coro Fellows program is one of five Coro Fellows in Public Affairs programs that operate in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and New York City. Specifically, the program will be operated out of UMSL’s Community Innovation and Action Center (CIAC), a nonacademic department that envisions a region that creates whole communities for all. CIAC works towards this mission by building powerful leaders, fostering effective nonprofits and governments, supporting strong community partnerships, and developing shared infrastructure and public policy.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Steve Walentik, (314) 516-6690, walentiks@umsl.edu
Allison Hawk, (314) 458-7668, Allison@ahconsulting.com
