In this month's issue of The Roundup: HBCU Edition, we take a look at the news stories and key moments surrounding Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as all of the ways in which HBCUs have helped shape public discourse over the past few weeks.
August 11 - September 16
Leadership
We shared last month that several institutions will be searching for a new president within the next year, and one outgoing president questions what makes a successful HBCU presidency.
Speaking of retirements, Spelman College President Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell will retire next year.
Partnerships
California Community Colleges (CCC) is getting creative in how it will open up more educational opportunities for students as it partners with HBCUs to increase the number of Black students who graduate from two-year colleges and go on to earn a bachelor’s degree.
But California isn’t the only state considering how to bolster educational attainment and outcomes through community college and HBCU partnerships — St. Augustine’s University is also strengthening its partnerships with two-year institutions.
Funding
Tennessee State University might be one step closer to having decades of underfunding corrected as the Tennessee Higher Education Commission sent lawmakers a memo outlining immediate infrastructure improvements and funding recommendations for the campus.
While Tennessee lawmakers are grappling over what to do with the state’s flagship HBCU, Congress is considering how it will make major investments in HBCUs nationwide.
At the same time, President Joe Biden signed an executive order designed to remove barriers preventing HBCUs from accessing federal funding and to reinforce their capacity to participate in federal programs. It also intends to create private sector, public-private and philanthropic connections for these historic institutions.
Entrepreneurship
More Black college graduates are opting out of the traditional workforce and instead are making their way into entrepreneurship.
To support the number of students interested in business ownership, Benedict College is repurposing its bookstore to allow students to sell their wares.
Sports
Tennessee State and Grambling universities reflected on their football legacies.
While the two schools reminisced about the past, Tennessee State, Jackson State, Mississippi State universities and LeMoyne-Owen College made history in another sport when their logos appeared on NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin's rear bumper during the regular season finale.
This news roundup focuses on the trends impacting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). Each month, we highlight the policy, process and programmatic changes happening nationally and among these institutions and how the colleges and universities are responding to them.
