BALTIMORE (July 22, 2011) –Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and INROADS, the nation’s largest non-profit source of salaried corporate internships for outstanding diverse students, will announce the launch of a partnership to develop a nationwide collegiate pilot program to provide outreach, recruitment, professional mentorship, coaching, training and career development for underserved youth during the Fraternity’s 33rd National Conclave in Boston.
The pilot program will launch from Chi Chapter (University of Massachusetts – Boston) this fall to advance the careers of underserved youth, primarily from urban areas, with limited or no access to career exploration in corporate America. Corporate partners supporting this effort include UTC and Liberty Mutual.
“Our partnership with INROADS will provide many great opportunities for our brothers to help them prepare for leadership opportunities within corporate America and beyond,” 20th International Grand Polaris Karl Price said. “For Iota, the development and perpetuation of leadership is something that should happen within and outside our Fraternity. This is a great opportunity for our members.”
The INROADS-Iota partnership was born out of a shared community service vision: INROADS with developing and placing talented underserved youth in business and industry and preparing them for corporate and community leadership and Iota’s dedication to the development and perpetuation of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity and brotherhood among all men. Both organizations’ founders were inspired by the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. After witnessing Dr. King’s speech, INROADS Founder Frank C. Carr quit his executive job in corporate America and pledged to create an organization that would uplift black, Hispanic and American Indian youth from the barrios to the ghettos and give them the education, training and skills needed to succeed in corporate America.
INROADS, now in its 41st year, has graduated over 24,000 leaders in business and industry, including many vice-presidents, presidents and CEOs.
INROADS CEO Forest T. Harper, Jr., a Morgan State alumnus, will officially announce the partnership during tonight’s Conclave Awards Gala.
About Iota Phi Theta
In less than 50 years, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. has grown into a viable force within the African-American community. Founded during the height of the Civil Rights Movement at Morgan State University, Iota has quickly developed into one of the largest African-American fraternities in the world with over 30,000 members and 230 chapters. All Iota Men abide by the principles of Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Fidelity and Brotherhood. Go to www.iotaphitheta.org to learn what fraternity is truly about.