National News - Page 14

President Biden announces $1.3 billion investment into HBCUs during Philadelphia visit

By Eva Andersen President Biden announced an additional $1.3 billion investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) during his speech at the 2024 HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia. Hundreds of attendees cheered as Mr. Biden took the stage at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where he highlighted his administration’s efforts to support HBCUs. “In just four years, working with HBCU leaders, we’re making the most significant investment in Black America ever in American history,” Mr. Biden said. The announcement came shortly after the White House revealed the new funding, adding to the $16 billion already committed since 2021. “HBCUs have received $17

ASU’s Dr. Petty Presents at National HBCU Week Conference

By Kenneth Mullinax Dr. Tanjula Petty, Alabama State University’s vice president for Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Initiatives, and Transformation, has been tapped for the prestigious honor of being a leader at the annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Week Conference, sponsored by the White House Initiative on HBCUs and the President’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs. The conference’s theme is “Raise the Bar: Where Excellence and Opportunity Meet.” The event began Sept. 16 in Philadelphia. Dr. Petty’s role is to preside over the session, titled “Advancing Strategic Engagement of Institutional and Economic Development Opportunities.” The session’s topic aligns directly with Dr. Petty’s

Harris and Trump both claim broad HBCU support.

By Bianca Quilantan Leaders of the nation’s historically Black colleges aren’t sold on either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, even though both candidates tout their support on the campaign trail. School presidents — usually key in galvanizing local communities to vote — have stayed uncharacteristically quiet this election due in part to the candidates’ thin policy agendas and concerns about how their historically underfunded institutions will benefit. Their silence risks the loss of an influential force in Black communities just two months before the election. “As a president, we should say who is speaking to our issues, and then we

NABJ journalists press Harris for policy details on Gaza and reparations

By Curtis Bunn Vice President Kamala Harris took questions from a panel of members of the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday, with some moments turning tense as she outlined her vision for her administration if she wins the election in November. Over 45 minutes, Harris spoke about a number of policies, including her economic plan, which includes spurring new housing construction through tax credits and offering financial assistance for first-time homebuyers and expanding the child tax credit. She also spoke forcefully about abortion access in states like Georgia and the sudden scrutiny of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, who

Success Program Launch: Talent Pipeline for Black Engineering, Comp Sci Students

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By Ashley Mowreader For many college students, identifying a career path and establishing the skills they need to land their first postgraduate job can be a challenge. A 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed, conducted by Generation Lab, found 68 percent of students are at least somewhat stressed thinking about and preparing for their life after college. A cohort of students at Howard and Prairie View A&M Universities have one less thing to be stressed about, as they are participating in a guaranteed-job program through the industrial software company AVEVA, which supports students’ financial wellness in college and equips them for

New Covid Shots May Be Hard to Come by for Uninsured Georgians

By Rebecca Grapevine Updated COVID vaccines, slated to hit shelves this week, could come with serious sticker shock for more than a million Georgians who don’t have health insurance. The shots will cost around $201.99 for uninsured patients paying out of pocket at CVS, spokesperson Amy Thibault said. The newly approved COVID vaccines should provide “great coverage” for current versions of the virus and will be effective in preventing serious hospitalizations and death, Emory University epidemiologist Jodie Guest said. But doctors and public health practitioners are concerned about vaccine access and equity as Georgia is seeing “very high” rates of

The Aftermath of the Supreme Court Ruling Outlawing Race-Sensitive Admissions

On June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court ruled in  6-3 decision that colleges and universities can no longer use race as a specific basis for granting admission. Doing so would, according to the Court, be a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ruling was in cases brought against the University of North Carolina and Harvard University. The Court stated that the admissions programs at the universities discriminated against White and Asian American applicants by using race-conscious admissions policies. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said “eliminating racial

Decades of Enrollment Declines for Black Men at HBCUs

By Sara Weissman Black male enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities has fallen precipitously over the last 50 years, according to a recent report from the American Institute for Boys and Men, a research and policy advocacy center focused on men’s issues. Released late last month, the report, which draws on enrollment data from the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, found that Black men made up only 26 percent of HBCU students in 2022, down from 31 percent in 2005 and 38 percent in 1976. Black women, meanwhile, have continued to make up roughly half of HBCU enrollments. And growing non-Black

Department of State Honors 19 Colleges and Universities as Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders

The Department of State recognizes 19 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as “Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders” for their noteworthy engagement with the Fulbright Program during the 2023-2024 academic year.  The Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders initiative celebrates the partnership with Fulbright on campus and highlights HBCUs as a destination for international students and scholars. The 19 HBCU Institutional Leaders are: Alcorn State University, MS; Bennett College, NC; Fayetteville State University, NC; Florida A&M University, FL; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; Huston-Tillotson University, TX; Jackson State University, MS; Jarvis Christian University, Texas; LeMoyne-Owen College, TN; Lincoln University, PA; Mississippi Valley State University,

PepsiCo Launches “Taste of Tomorrow” Initiative to Boost Representation in STEM Fields

By Ashley Brown PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation have announced the launch of the “Taste of Tomorrow” initiative, aimed at increasing Black representation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. Despite the rapid growth of STEM jobs, Black professionals currently represent only 9% of the workforce. To address this disparity, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation are investing $350,000 in financial support and additional resources to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), particularly for students pursuing careers in food science and technology. Kent Montgomery, senior vice president of industry relations and multicultural development at PepsiCo, emphasized the vital role of

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