Virginia Union University in Richmond has announced the establishment of the Center for the Study of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. According to Virginia Union, the new center is the only one of its kind in the country dedicated to focusing on HBCUs.
The Center for the Study of HBCUs will be a national research center, whose vision is to become the country’s preeminent institute for the advancement of relevant scholars and scholarship. The Center has a discovery agenda that ranges from foundational inquiry to translational science and disruptive, transformational innovation that ensure the sustainability of Black colleges. Center staff and affiliates will conduct rigorous, evidence-based research that aims to advance the research agenda, expand institutional capacities, transform institutions, eradicate institutional inequities, and ensure the future of HBCUs in the nation and beyond.
The new center has four stated goals:
- Conduct research and scholarship.
- Convene the HBCU scholarly community and constituents.
- Mobilize resources in support of advancing HBCU research.
- Disseminate research and scholarship broadly.
Hakim J. Lucas, president of Virginia Union University, will serve as the executive director and Terrell Strayhorn, senior vice president and provost, will serve as director.
It’s about time HBCU community. While the ole saying “better late than never”! Now, the Center for the Study of Historically Black Colleges and Universities will be competing against the well financed The Rutgers Center for MSIs and heavely loaded so-called Black faculty and all others. Thereby, Virginia Union University, how will you intellectually separate and surpass what the quasi-HBCU experts at Rutgers (e.g., Gasman and her cronies) are doing? In sum, I expect to see a fully functional and professional website, deliverable products (e.g., quantitative and qualitative, MM), and opportunties for publishing opportunities for faculty from the HBCU community. Last, where will the lions share of the funding for this center will originate? How many full time staff will you have? How much permanent space will be earmarked for the Center?