Morgan Future-Ready
Non-credit emerging-technology micro-credentials for Morgan State University students — free to enroll, stipended to complete.
Morgan Future-Ready: Non-Credit Emerging-Technology Micro-Credentials for Morgan State University Students
| Applicant | Morgan State University, Division of International Affairs, Morgan Global Leadership & Innovation Institute |
| Principal Investigator | Dr. Yacob Astatke, Assistant Vice President for International Affairs |
| Co-Principal Investigators | [PLACEHOLDER: CIIS Director]; [PLACEHOLDER: Dean, School of Engineering or Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management] |
| Partners | FUSE Institute for Professional Studies (program development and delivery); InnoLearn Systems (EduSuite360 platform); CCPS (certificates); CIIS (faculty integration) |
| Requested amount | $1,250,000 over 36 months |
| Students served | 600 unique students; 900 micro-credential completions |
A skills gap degree curricula can't close fast enough
Employers across every sector now expect graduates to arrive with working knowledge of artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity and cloud tools, regardless of major. Degree curricula cannot change fast enough to keep pace, and the students with the least access to paid boot camps and industry certifications are those from lower-income and first-generation backgrounds who make up a large share of Morgan's student body. Morgan has surpassed its 2030 enrollment goal with more than 10,700 students; the opportunity to equip that population with stackable, industry-recognized skills is correspondingly large.
Morgan-GLII has the partnerships in place to act now: a delivery partner with an existing emerging-technology catalog, an educational technology platform that supports self-paced and cohort delivery at scale, a certificate-issuing unit, and a faculty-development center that can embed the credentials in courses and advising. What is missing is funding to make the training free to students and to build the wraparound support that turns a badge into a job outcome.
600 unique students enroll; 900 micro-credentials completed at ≥ 75% completion rate; 80% of completers demonstrate proficiency on a capstone project.
60% of completers report an internship, job offer, promotion or graduate admission attributable to the credential within 12 months; 40 employer partners participate in projects or hiring events.
30 Morgan faculty trained to embed credentials in courses; the program continues after the grant through Morgan-GLII fee revenue and employer sponsorship.
Two published evaluations and one national conference presentation on non-credit credentials at an HBCU.
Year 1 launch, Years 2–3 expansion
| Micro-credential | Hours | Format | Industry alignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Foundations for Every Major | 30 | Self-paced + weekly live lab | Google AI Essentials; Microsoft AI-900 |
| Applied Data Analytics (Excel, Python, Power BI) | 40 | Cohort, 6 weeks | Google Data Analytics; Microsoft PL-300 |
| Cybersecurity Fundamentals & Boot Camp | 40 | Cohort + virtual lab | CompTIA Security+ pathway; builds on Chesapeake Cyber Institute design |
| Cloud & Enterprise Architecture Basics | 30 | Self-paced + project | AWS Cloud Practitioner; Azure AZ-900 |
| FinTech & Digital Payments | 30 | Cohort, 5 weeks | Builds on Talari Group track |
| Agile Project Management & Product Delivery | 30 | Cohort, 5 weeks | PMI-ACP pathway; SAFe |
| Prompt Engineering & Responsible AI (Yrs 2–3) | 20 | Self-paced | Emerging |
Stipends of $300 per completed credential remove the opportunity cost for working students; badges publish to a digital wallet the student controls.
Wraparound support from enrollment to employment
Instruction
Adapts its catalog to Morgan student needs and delivers instruction with Morgan graduate teaching assistants as lab leads.
Platform
Hosts all courses on EduSuite360 with single sign-on from Morgan accounts, progress dashboards for advisors, and badge issuance.
Certification
Issues certificates of completion; badges are published to a digital wallet the student controls.
Faculty integration
Trains faculty to recognize credentials inside courses (extra credit, project substitution) and to advise students on stacking.
Employer connection
Career Services and employer partners provide project briefs, mentoring and hiring events each semester.
$300 per credential
Stipends per completed credential remove the opportunity cost for working students.
From first cohort to institutional funding
Hire coordinator; adapt six credentials; configure platform; recruit 30 faculty champions; first cohort of 120 students.
Four cohorts per semester; employer projects; first evaluation; add two credentials.
Scale to 200 students per semester; alumni tracking; second evaluation; sustainability plan with Morgan-GLII fee model.
Final cohorts; dissemination; transition to institutional funding.
Mixed-methods, disaggregated, published
An external evaluator [PLACEHOLDER: evaluator name] will conduct a mixed-methods evaluation: platform analytics (enrollment, engagement, completion), pre/post skills assessments, capstone rubric scores, semester employer surveys, and a 12-month graduate follow-up. Outcomes are disaggregated by school, class year, Pell status and first-generation status. Findings inform quarterly course adjustments and two published reports.
Every piece already in place
Morgan State University brings the student population, the Division of International Affairs' management of Morgan-GLII, CCPS's certificate infrastructure and CIIS's faculty-development expertise. FUSE-IPS brings an established professional certificate portfolio and instructors in leadership, agility and emerging technologies. InnoLearn Systems brings EduSuite360, an integrated SIS, LMS, content, CRM and infrastructure platform already designed for multi-modal delivery. Morgan-GLII's 2022 program catalog in cybersecurity and FinTech demonstrates prior work with industry partners.
$1,250,000 direct costs
| Category | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel: Program Coordinator (1.0 FTE), PI/Co-PI effort, GTAs | $165,000 | $170,000 | $175,000 | $510,000 | Salary plus fringe at Morgan rates |
| Partner delivery: FUSE-IPS instruction and course adaptation | $110,000 | $120,000 | $120,000 | $350,000 | Fee per cohort |
| Platform: EduSuite360 student tenant and support | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $105,000 | License |
| Student stipends and certificate fees | $45,000 | $70,000 | $75,000 | $190,000 | $300 per completion plus CCPS fee |
| Faculty development (CIIS) and employer events | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $60,000 | |
| Evaluation | $10,000 | $12,000 | $13,000 | $35,000 | External evaluator |
| Direct costs subtotal | $385,000 | $427,000 | $438,000 | $1,250,000 | |
| Indirect costs | [PLACEHOLDER: Morgan negotiated indirect rate] | Morgan negotiated rate | |||
After the grant, credentials continue on Morgan-GLII's standard model.
Employer sponsorship of student seats, modest student fees offset by Morgan-GLII revenue from international programs, and integration of the credentials into degree pathways where academic units approve. Platform and content costs are already covered by the institute's partner agreements.