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.
Key conference topics include:
One of those campuses is Bowie State University, which has a state-of-the-art, tech-infused, 176,000-square-foot Entrepreneurship Living and Learning Community, a real-world innovation hub with student housing, retail space, and small business incubator. In collaboration with National HBCU Week, Bowie State is hosting the third annual HBCU+ Entrepreneurship Conference Sept. 27 from 8 a.m.- 7 p.m. The free hybrid conference takes place on Bowie’s campus in Bowie, MD and also online.
Johnetta Hardy, executive director of Bowie’s Entrepreneurship Innovation Center, said the conference drew 1,000 virtual attendees last year from 179 universities including Ivy Leagues and colleges outside the U.S.
“We added the plus symbol to make it more inclusive,” Hardy told BE of the HBCU+ Entrepreneurship Conference.
“We’re bringing in other universities and industry partners because it takes a village to make this happen. We want a conference with outcomes.”
Dr. Trent echoed this sentiment for the larger HBCU Week Conference, which features a free career and recruitment fair on Thurs., Sept. 28 for recent HBCU graduates as well as members of the public. Last year, Dr. Trent said 200 people walked away with jobs after the career fair.
“That’s what this conference is really about: I want my universities to walk away from this conference with something tangible in hand. I want my students to walk away with an internship or a job,” Dr. Trent said, “but I don’t want anyone to walk away from this conference empty handed.”
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