IHEP- a DC adventure!

Our time at IHEP was very informative and interesting. During our time there we talked about many of the projects that the Institute is working on. One of the most interesting is the initiative with Wal*Mart. I am still very hesitant about the fact that Wal*Mart is funding this success initiative. The employee over this project said that Wal*Mart approached IHEP and the overall intent is attempting to revamp their image. That's neither here nor there I guess- I am just not a proponent of taking dirty money but I suppose in that point of view almost everything could be traced back to dirty money, but you can always try to do your best!

Enough of my rambling...I think the best aspect about our trip to the Institute for Higher Education was learning about the projects and research that is done to help advance MSI's... very enriching, especially because this semester I feel like we have been asking "What can we do?"- but IHEP IS doing... they are helping MSI's plan programs that increase retention of first-year generations students and help students to gain skills to graduate. I thought it was great hear what the different positions oversaw and all of the aspects that went into making the institute both functional and influential. The most important nugget of knowledge that I took away from our trip is the fact that there are people working towards a better influence for higher education. Sometimes it seems like, having to count on administration is like a promise unfulfilled. But it is reassuring to know that there are people and institutes out there campaigning for underrepresented populations.