CUMU ANCHOR MISSION INITIATIVES
CUMU ANCHOR MISSION INITIATIVES
Higher education institutions are critical local economic engines and mission-driven organizations inextricably linked to the long-term well-being of those we serve—because of this, we as higher education leaders, are uniquely positioned and incentivized to play a more active role in supporting our local economies.
In addition to the 2025 Anchor Learning Network, CUMU members may be interested in joining a CUMU Huddle on key topics related to the anchor mission, including, Strategic Communications and Sustainability and the Anchor Mission.
Anchor Learning Network
We invite CUMU members to apply to participate in this program to build both individual capacity for anchor work and also to connect your campus with this powerful network.
ALN is a cohort-based learning community, offered at no cost to individuals from CUMU member institutions, designed to facilitate effective advancement of the higher education anchor mission. During the nine-month program (March through November), small cohorts of peers selected through an application process engage in a structured set of professional development opportunities for learning, skill-building, and networking in support of their institution’s anchor mission. Participants,
- collaborate with a cohort of peers, meet colleagues working in diverse settings and roles, become familiar with foundational resources, and explore innovative practices.
- represent CUMU members that seek to transform higher education to fully serve its public mission and advance the long-term social, economic, and physical well-being of our campuses and communities.
- work collaboratively to identify resources, opportunities, and challenges, as well as develop new tools for implementing, deepening, and evaluating anchor mission practices.
JOIN THE WAIT LIST
Your application will be added to a waitlist and we’ll contact you if an opportunity opens.
WHY CUMU MEMBERS JOIN ALN
2025 Anchor Learning Network Program Activities
Anchor Learning Network participants engage in a structured set of virtual and in-person activities designed for learning, skill-building, and networking in support of their institution’s anchor mission.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
The Anchor Learning Network welcomes applications from individuals at CUMU member institutions in any role that includes a focus on the anchor mission, regardless of past participation. If more than one person from your campus is interested in joining ALN, each individual must apply separately as cohorts are formed based on individual submissions. ALN members are leaders and drivers of the anchor mission on their respective campuses and come from a variety of functional areas including, but not limited to:
- institutional data
- university economic development
- workforce development centers
- community/civic engagement
- government/community relations
- human resources
- procurement
- diversity and inclusion
- policy and strategic initiatives
- urban and community research centers
- faculty and faculty-administrators
SELECTION PROCESS
Space is limited and selection is based on applications from CUMU member institutions. ALN is not open to non-member campuses at this time. Learn more about CUMU membership.
- ALN Accelerator: For campuses interested in a more intensive, team-building experience, we also recommend the ALN Accelerator program. For an additional fee, up to 10 participants from a single institution can participate in ALN as a cohort with tailored experiences and curriculum. By the end of the nine-month accelerator, your anchor team will have a unified vision of the current state of anchor strategy on your campus and plans for moving forward. Email info@cumuonline.org for more information about forming an ALN Accelerator cohort on your campus.
2025 APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Missed the deadline? Your application will be added to a waitlist. We will contact you if an opportunity opens.
Have questions about ALN?
Email us. We’re here to help.
About higher education’s anchor mission
CUMU member institutions committed to an anchor mission intentionally apply their economic power and human capital in a long-term partnership with their local communities to improve mutual well-being. ALN challenges us to imagine the potential impact if economic assets—hiring, purchasing, and investing power—were better aligned with educational missions to equitably benefit the local economies our universities call home.
Understanding that all communities have different contexts and histories, ALN members explore opportunities for advancing anchor mission strategies grounded in the Anchor Mission Framework that centers community wealth building and explores strategies around our core economic assets of purchasing, hiring, and investment, while gaining an understanding of how to advance racial equity through anchor work.
Anchor Learning Network participants
In February 2018, CUMU member institutions joined in a pilot year called the Higher Education Anchor Mission Initiative. This pilot led to the creation of the Anchor Learning Network, which includes participants from the United States, Canada, England, and South Africa.