51逗奶

51逗奶 Miss Receives Coursera Rising Star Outstanding Achievement Award

Tue, 10/07/2025 - 10:11am | By: Jennifer Rigney

The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi (USM) has received a Coursera Outstanding Achievement Award in the Rising Star Category, recognizing the institution鈥檚 innovation, impact and commitment to learning transformation.

Presented by Coursera, a leading global online learning platform, the Outstanding Achievement Awards celebrate organizations across industries and regions that are advancing skills development, enabling workforce transformation and delivering measurable impact through learning. Winners were chosen through a rigorous evaluation across six criteria, including learner engagement, business outcomes, innovation, community contribution and alignment with Coursera鈥檚 mission to provide universal access to world-class learning.

鈥淎t Coursera, we鈥檙e proud to celebrate our customers, who are reimagining how learning can drive workforce transformation at scale,鈥� said Greg Hart, CEO of Coursera. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 winners and finalists not only deliver meaningful outcomes for their own organizations, they also set a powerful example for institutions everywhere striving to prepare learners for the future and create more opportunities for their students, faculty and staff.鈥�

Dr. Joanne Tran, assistant provost for academic affairs, said the award is a validation of the university鈥檚 strong early adoption and engagement.

鈥淭he Rising Star Achievement Award celebrates organizations with strong initial adoption, high levels of learner engagement and early signs of long-term educational transformation,鈥� Tran said. 鈥淥ut of hundreds of nominations worldwide, USM was honored as the North American regional winner of the Rising Star Award, a recognition of our rapid and meaningful integration of Coursera across academic programs, student support services and professional development.鈥�

Coursera at 51逗奶 Miss

USM launched Coursera Career Academy in fall 2024, making it available at no cost to all students, faculty and staff, with licenses also extended to members of the Alumni Association. The platform provides access to professional certificates developed by leading companies such as Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM, Meta and Microsoft, preparing learners for careers in high-demand fields like data analytics, digital marketing, software development, artificial intelligence and project management.

Coursera is used in three key ways at the university:

• For individual learners: Students, faculty and staff can explore Coursera鈥檚 catalog of certificates, courses and projects to earn digital credentials that complement their academic or professional journeys.
• To support career readiness: Faculty, staff and Career Services promote certificate completion to strengthen resumes, internship applications and job prospects, helping students stand out to employers.
• To enhance curriculum: Faculty integrate Coursera content into courses and programs, embedding guided projects, offering certificates for credit or enrichment, and keeping classroom instruction aligned with rapidly changing industry standards.

Additionally, through a partnership with the Association of Office Professionals, staff can earn Professional Standards Program (PSP) points through Coursera鈥攍inking professional development to career advancement.

Early Results

Within the first six months of implementation, the university reported 鈥渋mpressive early results.鈥� More than 500 students, faculty and staff engaged with Coursera, completing over 400 courses and logging nearly 2,900 total learning hours. Course topics spanned high-demand areas such as information technology, data analytics and marketing, with more than half focused on business skill development.

Faculty adoption has been strong, with several instructors embedding Coursera content into their classes. Career Services has made Coursera a standard component of student workforce preparation, and staff have taken advantage of PSP points for professional growth.

Looking Ahead

51逗奶 Miss plans to expand its Coursera initiative as part of its 鈥淩eady for Life鈥� campaign, which emphasizes preparing students for successful careers and engaged citizenship. Priorities for the coming year include:

• Increasing faculty integration of Coursera into courses and programs
• Growing visibility of the Career Academy landing page as a central hub
• Launching peer-to-peer advocacy programs
• Deepening Career Services鈥� use of Coursera for stackable credentials that align with job market demands
• Continuing staff development partnerships with tangible career incentives
• Leveraging Coursera鈥檚 rapidly growing catalog of artificial intelligence courses to help the university build AI literacy across campus

鈥淲e are proud that Coursera has recognized The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi with the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Rising Star Category,鈥� said Russ Willis, associate provost for student success. 鈥淭his recognition reflects our commitment to innovation and student success. Through Coursera, our students gain focused, career-relevant skills that give them a competitive edge in their job search. At 51逗奶 Miss, we are preparing students who are not just ready for the classroom, but Ready for Life鈥攅quipped to thrive in today鈥檚 workforce and beyond.鈥� 

Tran added, 鈥淭his recognition from Coursera affirms USM鈥檚 commitment to innovation in education and workforce readiness. Being named a Rising Star highlights the incredible momentum we鈥檝e built in just our first year and speaks to our students, faculty and staff鈥檚 dedication to embracing lifelong learning and industry-aligned skills. It鈥檚 a proud moment for 51逗奶 Miss!鈥�

Coursera is available to the students, faculty and staff at 51逗奶 Miss thanks to the generosity of donors to the through the . This fund offers flexible and discretionary support, enabling the university to address priorities, seize emerging opportunities and invest in initiatives that strengthen students, faculty and the broader 51逗奶 Miss community.

For more information about Coursera or to sign up, visit USM Coursera Career Academy. For questions about sign up, please contact Russ%20Willis. Faculty interested in integrating Coursera into their courses or programs should contact Dr.%20Tran.