National HBCU Week Focuses on Career Pathways and Economic Development

Ashlei Stevens, Black Enterprise

Career pathways, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and economic development are among key topics to be discussed this week at the 2023 National HBCU Week conference, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s White House Initiative (WHI) on HBCUs.

The largest annual convening of historically Black college and university (HBCU) leaders and stakeholders takes place at a pivotal time, as the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in June and the U.S. Secretaries of Education and Agriculture last week sent a letter to 16 governors to address the $12 billion funding disparity between public, land-grant HBCUs and their non-HBCU land-grant counterparts.

“What we’re saying to our governors is that we’re in a global, competitive world and we need everybody at the table, and we need diversity at the table,” Dr. Deitra Trent, WHI executive director, told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“If we’re going to be able to innovate and compete, we really need you to support your HBCUs so they can be a part of the solutions to some of the challenges we have.”

Themed “Raising the Bar: Forgoing Excellence Through Innovation & Leadership,” the conference takes place Sept. 24-28 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, VA. The WHI expects 3,000 attendees, including 101 of the nation’s 103 WHI HBCU Scholars, and more than 25 participating federal agencies. TV host and HBCU alum Terence J. serves as event emcee and he will host a fireside chat with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Read more about the conference in the original article.

Learn about the importance of HBCUs for the Black community in this Breaking News article.

Find even more Breaking News here.