With a commitment to preparing its students to be fully engaged and active in our state, nation and world, the University of Minnesota Rochester’s community partnerships are addressing future health challenges while investing in local outcomes.

Collaboration with the Mayo Clinic led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic Invest in Success Scholars (MCIISS) program, which provides annual four-year scholarships to a recruited cohort of 15 Rochester students who demonstrate financial need. These scholarships support their journeys toward health science degrees and prepare them to address the rapidly evolving world of healthcare.

The Rochester campus worked with Mayo Clinic to develop eligibility and work-based learning components to support scholars in finding success in healthcare careers.

“When we have industry partners in the city investing in students, it builds students’ sense of belonging and stake in the community,” says Bridget Tetteh-Batsa, director of community engagement and career development at the Rochester campus. “Both of these can increase their likelihood of staying in Rochester and Mayo Clinic sees that return on investment.”

“Seventy-four percent of students who have graduated since the program launched in 2020 held part-time positions until graduation and are pursuing further employment or education at Mayo Clinic or another professional school outside of Mayo Clinic,” says Jess Anderson, Mayo Clinic program manager and senior education specialist. “Of the 37 students participating in the program in 2024-2025, 65% of students hold or held part-time positions at Mayo Clinic, filling critical-need positions, primarily in patient care.”

High-impact learning

In the first year, scholars complete an informational interview; job shadow or volunteer in the second year; and participate in an internship, off-campus research or work-study employment in the third and fourth years. Finally, all graduating scholars are required to present posters highlighting outcomes from their participation in the MCIISS program at Rochester’s annual Research and Education Symposium. 

“For our students, we benefit if we can offer them high-impact learning experiences,” says Tetteh-Batsa. ”This four-year trajectory supports career exploration, meaningful engagement and career decision-making. We only admit first-year students because we want to support that process.”

Program alumni rave about the value of the mentorship component in MCIISS as it matches scholars with a Mayo Clinic professional who works in their area of interest. Mentors can provide feedback on market trends, outcomes from that career goal, connect them to other networks at Mayo Clinic, provide consistent feedback, review resumes and more.

Scholars also meet regularly with Rochester student success coaches to not only check in on their progress in the program, but also to support mental and financial wellbeing.

“Rochester is a good model for an all-campus approach for supporting student career goals, with a special focus on faculty support,” says Tetteh-Batsa. “It’s a credit that we have all of these community partners willing to support students.”

Learn more about the Mayo Clinic Invest in Success Scholars program.