Last year, a consortium of six historically Black colleges and universities launched eHBCU, an online platform to remove barriers to higher education and expand access to the educational opportunities of HBCUs. Now, eHBCU has formed a new partnership with Acadeum, the largest course sharing platform in the nation, that will significantly expand eHBCU’s academic offerings and enhance collaboration between the consortium’s member institutions: Delaware State University, Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Southern University at Shreveport, Southern University at New Orleans, Alabama State University, and Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design in Detroit.
Through the Acadeum partnership, students enrolled at an eHBCU member institution can pursue approved degree and certificate pathways at one of the six participating HBCUs, while benefiting from expanded access to courses and programs across the consortium.
“Course sharing is a powerful tool to expand access while increasing completion. This initiative is about expanding the powerful opportunity of HBCUs and helping them serve more learners,” said Richard Keaveney, Acadeum’s CEO. “We are proud to support eHBCU in building a scalable, student-centered model for collaboration.”
The online platform seeks to create a more flexible student experience through increased course availability, multiple start dates throughout the year, and scheduling options that better serve adult learners and students balancing work, family, or geographic constraints. The approved eHBCU courses are designed to apply toward students’ academic programs at their home institutions.
“One of the biggest barriers to HBCU completion has been course availability. A student shouldn’t have to leave their institution because a required class wasn’t offered that semester,” said Terry Jeffries, assistant vice president for strategic enrollment management at Delaware State University and executive director of eHBCU. “This partnership with Acadeum changes that. For the first time, our students can access courses across six HBCUs without losing a single credit, changing their enrollment status, or compromising the HBCU experience they chose.”
