Black Achievement Success and Engagement (BASE)

SUPPORT THE BLACK ACHIEVEMENT SUCCESS AND ENGAGEMENT (BASE) INITIATIVE AT USF!

The Black Achievement, Success and Engagement (BASE) Initiative serves all Black-identified students attending the University of San Francisco and provides a foundation for students to grow, learn, discover and thrive. Through high-impact academic and extracurricular programs that center on the unique and varied experiences of people of African descent, BASE equips students with the knowledge, resources, skills, and support necessary to turn their dreams into reality.

Our community of Black students is growing rapidly and the need is greater than ever to support and empower them. Since 2017, first-year undergraduate applications have increased by 131 percent and the overall population of Black undergraduate and graduate students has grown by 31 percent. Just last fall, USF welcomed 299 new Black undergraduates with a wide array of majors to campus, comprising 16% of the first-year class.

We need your support today to reach our growing student community through our various BASE programs:

The Black Scholars Program is a rigorous and competitive academic program, grounded in Jesuit values, that seeks to provide high achieving Black students with the resources, skills, and support necessary to achieve personal and professional excellence. Students who are selected as Black Scholars receive a four-year full-tuition scholarship, mentorship, networking, and specialized academic coursework.

The Marshall-Riley Living Learning Community creates a fun and engaging learning environment for freshman and sophomore students who share an interest in the historical, intellectual, and political traditions of Black Americans. Students benefit from specialized African American Studies coursework, community-engagement internships with local Bay Area Black community organizations, and a ten-day Black Heritage Immersion trip through the deep South.

The Black Resource Center provides a safe, supportive space for undergraduate and graduate students of African descent to connect with each other to receive academic, spiritual, mentoring, and emotional support services. The Black Resource Center seeks to connect Black students not only to the varied supportive resources USF offers, but to opportunities on and off campus that promote scholarship, foster leadership development, and cultivate meaningful and impactful community engagement.

The Black Leadership Fellowship Program is a critical initiative offered through the Black Resource Center that enriches Black students' understanding and practice of ethical leadership through a year-long program providing fundamental skills, frameworks, and strategies needed to create an equitable and ethical impact as a leader. Black students benefit from a leadership retreat, year-long personal and leadership development workshops, and an 8-12 week summer internship with a Bay Area organization.

BASE Scholarships support Black-identified students who are not part of the Black Scholars Program but participate in our many other BASE programs and workshops. With nearly 700 undergraduates on campus, more scholarships dollars are necessary to support Pell-eligible students as well as students who are not qualified for need-based financial aid.

Established in 2020, the Tomasello-Millard Economic Hardship Fund meets the growing needs of Black-identified students facing economic hardship. Available to all undergraduate and graduate students, the fund provides a safety net to cover necessities such as rent, tuition, and transportation.

By making a gift to programs within the BASE Initiative, you ensure Black-identified students at USF have the resources they need to achieve their educational aspirations.