Tennessee State University May Be the First HBCU to Have an Ice Hockey Team
A feasibility study is underway that will answer questions about how viable is hockey at Tennessee State, and what needs to happen to put teams on the ice. The proposed program would be the first at a historically Black university and also the first college ice hockey program in the state of Tennessee.
HBCUs Receive a Major Commitment From Networking Giant Cisco
Starting with a $50 million anchor investment from Cisco, the Student Freedom Initiative is hoping to reach its goal of $450 million. When funded, this endowment will support 4,500 HBCU students in perpetuity. In addition, Cisco is donating $100 million in hardware and software to improve technology infrastructure at HBCUs.
Edward Waters College to Launch a New Institute on Law, Race, Social Justice and...
Edward Waters College, the historically Black educational institution in Jacksonville, Florida, has announced that it will establish the A. Philip Randolph Institute for Law, Race, Social Justice and Economic Policy. The new institute is made possible by a grant from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund.
College of DuPage in Illinois Partners With Two Historically Black Universities
The college has entered into a partnership with historically Black Florida A&M University and historically Black Kentucky State University, that will create a pathway for the community college students who earn an associate's degree to seamlessly transfer to the HBCUs to pursue a bachelor's degree.
Virginia State University to Pay Full Tuition of Local Pell Grant-Eligible Students
To qualify, students must be Pell Grant eligible, meet the university admission requirements, and live within a 25-mile radius of campus. This initiative provides qualified students, who have limited financial resources, the option to attend a four-year university directly out of high school.
Alabama A&M University Gets in the Beer Business
Alabama A&M University officials have announced an innovative collaboration with a Huntsville-based brewery that will allow students in the university's food science program to create a new beer. MBA students will help market the new brew.
Alcorn State University in Mississippi Graduates Its First Class of Doctoral Students
Six family nurse practitioners recently became the inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice class at the Cora S. Balmat School of Nursing at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. All six of the graduates had earlier received a master’s degree in nursing from the university.
Proposed Legislation Aims to Boost Infrastructure at HBCUs
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, and U.S. Representative Alma Adams of North Carolina are co-sponsoring the Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education (IGNITE) HBCU Excellence Act.
Fort Valley State University Enters Partnership With Grand Valley State University
Historically Black Fort Valley State University in Georgia announced a partnership with Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. The agreement will create a pathway for FVSU students to earn a master’s degree in electronic engineering technology or computer science in as little as five years.
Grambling State University Enters Partnership With Northshore Technical Community College
This pathway provides community college students with a transparent and systematic outline for successfully completing a baccalaureate degree from Grambling State University in accounting, computer information systems, management, or marketing.
North Carolina A&T State University’s Record-Setting Fundraising Campaign
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University raised a record $181.4 million in its recently completed eight-year capital campaign. The campaign total is believed to be the largest ever raised by a public, historically Black university.
Free Master’s Degrees for Students Who Agree to Teach in High-Need Public Schools
Albany State University, the historically Black educational institution in Georgia, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, has established the Robert Noyce Teachers Scholarship. Under the program, 12 students will be able to earn a graduate degree from Albany State at no cost to them.
Central State University in Ohio Offers Students Tuition Breaks and New Scholarship Assistance
All new and returning students who are in good academic standing with the university will receive a 10 percent tuition reduction and a 30 percent reduction of housing fees for the fall 2021 and spring 2022 semesters. Students with high grade point averages will receive additional bonuses.
Target to Provide Scholarships for 1,000 Black Students at HBCUs Through the UNCF
Target, the retail giant, will make higher education more affordable this fall for 1,000 first-year Black students at more than a dozen public and private historically Black colleges and universities through need-based scholarships of up to $5,000.
Elizabeth City State University Closes Campus Due to Ongoing Protests Over Nearby Police Shooting
As a result of the ongoing protests after the killing of Andrew Brown Jr. by sheriff's deputies on April 21, the city's mayor has declared a state of emergency. The university closed residence halls and told students to pack their things as if they were not to return to campus for the remainder of the semester.
New HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Founded at Clark Atlanta University
the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University aims to serve as an incubator for recruiting and developing the future presidents of the more than 100 historically Black colleges and universities in the United States.
North Carolina A&T State University Wins the Honda Campus All Star Challenage
The winning team was coached by Professor Byron Turman and includes team captain Malkam Hawkins, Frances Kendrick, Mitchell Wilson, and Samara Daniels, a junior majoring in criminal justice.
Coppin State University to Launch an Accelerated Path to a Doctor of Nursing Practice...
Prospective students who are interested in pursuing a doctoral degree for the role of a family nurse practitioner can combine the graduate and doctoral coursework over a three-year period into one seamless terminal degree.
Meharry Medical College Launches Its School of Applied Computational Sciences
The School of Applied Computational Sciences will be focused on creating impactful academic research programming that will enhance health care and technology communities and solve complex problems in health care — especially those that impact underserved populations. The first students are expected to enroll this fall.
Xavier University of Louisiana Offers Pathway for Students to Earn Master’s Degrees in Management
Historically Black Xavier University in New Orleans has entered into a partnership with Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that will enable students to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in management in five years.
Johnson C. Smith University Enters Partnership With Central Piedmont Community College
Under the JCSU Connect program, students will complete an associate degree in psychology at Central Piedmont and a bachelor’s degree at JCSU. Students who remain eligible during their time at Central Piedmont and successfully submit their applications to Johnson C. Smith University will receive an $8,000 annual scholarship
A Potential Financial Windfall for Historically Black Tennessee State University
In 1913, the state legislature stipulated that Tennessee State should receive 25 percent of the federal land grant funds allocated to the state. But from 1957 to 2007, the historically Black university did not receive land grant allocations. A state legislative committee said that Tennessee State is entitled to between $150 million and $544 million.
Three HBCUs Partner With United Airlines to Increase the Pipeline of Black Commercial Pilots
Flight education students at the three HBCUs will have the opportunity to interview with admission officials of United Airlines’ Aviate Academy. If selected, they will be among the thousands of pilots United will train over the next decade. These Aviate Academy students will also be guaranteed a job with United.
Education Department Wipes Out $1.6 Billion in HBCU Debt
Since 1994, the HBCU Capital Financing Program has provided HBCUs with access to capital financing or refinancing for the repair, renovation, and construction of classrooms, libraries, laboratories, dormitories, instructional equipment, and research instrumentation. Debts incurred under the program have now been forgiven.
Delaware State to Launch a Doctoral Program in Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences
One aspect of the interdisciplinary nature of this program is that each student will be mentored by two advisors, each of whom will be from different but related science disciplines. Students will be required to do an internship outside of their dissertation research.
Fisk University to Offer a Bonus Master’s Degree Program to Students Who Graduate in...
Historically Black Fisk University in Nashville has announced a new program in which students will graduate in four years and be automatically admitted to a master's degree program at the university. Tuition for their master's degree studies will be at half price.
Xavier University to Establish Graduate Programs in Genetic Counseling and Health Informatics
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for genetic counselors is projected to increase 21 percent over the next decade, much faster than the average of other occupations. Recent studies reveal only 2 percent of genetic counselors currently identify as Black or African American.
Prairie View A&M University in Texas Creates the Toni Morrison Writing Program
The new Writing Program - supported by a $3 million donation from philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott - will include a Toni Morrison Writer-in-Residence. Appointed annually, a different writer each year will have a one-year visiting appointment at Prairie View, where that individual will offer a seminar in writing.
Leaders Propose a New “Strategic Direction” for Historically Black Bennett College
Leaders at Bennett College, a historically Black liberal arts education institution for women in Greensboro, North Carolina, have issued a blueprint for a new strategic direction for the college that emphasizes a holistic approach to support Bennett’s student body, focusing on physical, emotional, social, economic, and spiritual well-being.
A New Women’s Business Center Established on the Campus of Virginia Union University
The center will serve as a resource to provide business counseling, training, technical assistance and networking for entrepreneurs in the Richmond market. The program is made possible by a grant-funded through the Small Business Administration.
Howard University Looks to Expand Opportunities in Investment Banking for African Americans
Howard University recently announced that it has received a $10 million gift from HPS Investment Partners and The Kapnick Foundation. The gift will be used to create the HPS Center for Financial Excellence at the School of Business. The center will focus on helping students better prepare for careers in private investment and investment banking.
Goldman Sachs to Partner With HBCUs With the Aim to Help One Million Black...
Goldman Sachs is partnering with Hope Enterprise Corporation, mayors, and HBCUs – organizations with significant ties to the communities in which they operate – across the American South to distribute and lend capital to Black women.
A Long Overdue Honor for the Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers were established in 1871 and have traveled the world raising money for the historically Black university, But until now the group had never won a Grammy Award. But this year they won Best Roots Gospel Album for "Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album)."
Howard and Columbia Universities to Collaborate on Black Studies Book Series
An editorial board of eight faculty – four each from Howard University and Columbia University – will oversee the new series. Acquisitions for two to three publications per year in the new series will begin immediately. Funding is currently being sought to expand the program to publish up to 20 titles per year.
The Center for Black Entrepreneurship Established at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges in Atlanta
Co-located on the Morehouse and Spelman campuses, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship is powered by $10 million in funding from Bank of America, which will support the development of an academic curriculum, faculty recruitment, co-curricular programming, and the development of new physical space.
Texas Southern University to Establish a Future Bankers Leadership Program
The program will start in the Fall 2021 semester. The commercial banking concentration will be at the undergraduate level, offering foundational knowledge and the critical skills necessary for students looking to enter the financial services sector.
