The United Negro College Fund’s Career Pathways Initiative has announced that 24 historically Black or predominantly Black colleges and universities will receive five-year grants totaling $35.3 million to better prepare their students for careers after college. The grants are made possible through funds from the Lilly Endowment.
The 24 colleges and universities will receive funds for programs to strengthen career advising and mentoring, enhance curriculum focused on career readiness, and to support integrated co-curricular engagement activities. The HBCUs will used the funds to develop a range of academic programs, student internships, industry partnerships, specialty certification programs, and faculty development initiatives.
Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of the UNCF, said that “these colleges and universities show promise in significantly addressing the urgent challenges facing African American college students and graduates. The Career Pathways Initiative will help ensure our graduates are prepared for and are hired into high-paying 21st-century jobs.”
A list of the colleges and universities receiving grants is available here.
Below is a video of Dr. Lomax discussing the Career Pathways Initiative.
https://youtu.be/gv28K8U1-Bg&w=570