UNCF

Howard University is launching a new program that is the first doctoral program of its kind in the country. The program will offer a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies (HELPS). The goal of the program is to prepare students to serve as the staffing, administration and management positions at minority-serving Institutions.  The program gives students an opportunity to learn about not only the obstacles that these schools face, but also about the rich history of the schools. The program, which has a research heavy base, is four years and includes the opportunity for students to take courses in the evening. Dr. Robert T. Palmer is the brains behind the programs as he serves as its program coordinator. “This program really fills a niche,” Palmer said. “We really want to admit people who have a passion for research.” Palmer has worked to create partnerships with American Council on Education, Excelencia in Education, United Negro College Fund and The Education Trust. Howard, along with these partners, will provide the students with graduate assistantships. Coursework will center around the responsibilities that come along with college and university presidency, fundraising in higher education, board and community relations, accreditation, contemporary issues in higher education and ethics in decision-making. So far they have received endorsements from the U.S Department of Education, The United Negro College Fund, the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities,  the American Council on Education, American Public-Land Grant Universities, National Association for Equity Opportunity in Higher Education and Excelencia. This program sounds promising and is sure to create advocates and change agents for minority serving institutions. Stay connected to all things Black Twitter, news and the best content on the Internet by signing up for Blavity's...

Over the past decade, the lure of finding success in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has skyrocketed as many of the nation’s most popular tech companies have pushed scientific innovation to the forefront. Also, well-sought after brands such as Google, Apple, and Facebook—as well as hundreds of startups—have placed their roots in the country’s biggest market for tech, Silicon Valley.For years, this region of California’s Bay area has produced thousands of jobs and opportunities for ambitious, innovative dreamers who desire to climb the ranks as the new frontier in tech continues to rise.While a plethora of organizations in the valley promote diversity to the masses, there has been a glaring disparity in how they have practiced it, as the representation of blacks and minorities in tech stands vastly underwhelming. Although many may be quick to attack the source and fault the companies at hand, leading groups like the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) have taken the other route to recognize that the problem lies in the lack of organizations serving as a bridge between minorities and manufacturers.UNCF, one of the nation’s most renowned organizations dedicated to building pipelines for underrepresented students to become highly qualified college graduates, has put itself at the forefront of educating and empowering our young leaders of color as they enter the lucrative, but challenging, STEM industry.Under the leadership of UNCF employees: Dr. Chad Womack, National Director of STEM Initiatives and the Fund II Foundation UNCF STEM Scholars Program, as well as Senior Managers, Carita Marrow and Lu Duong, the organization has created two powerful avenues to the leading names in tech via the HBCU ICE Summit and the Fund II STEM Scholars Program.Each year, “ICE”, which stands for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship, gathers over 50 students and numerous faculty members for a four-day summit designed to encourage minority students to carve out their careers and pursue their passions within STEM. By fielding students from more than 30 HBCUs to attend the conference, UNCF motivates highly competitive companies throughout Silicon Valley to see our students of color as a cohort of applicants equal to the majority whom they should seek quality talent from.Additionally, 2017 marks the second year in which UNCF will welcome a new batch of Fund II STEM scholarship recipients. The program is a 10 year initiative designed to provide scholarship and academic support for a total of 500 talented African American high school students with career aspirations in STEM. Through this initiative, talented youth will receive the opportunity to pursue undergraduate STEM majors at all institutions, including HBCUs, private colleges, state universities and technical colleges—ultimately becoming prepared for successful careers in the tech fields.In conjunction with these two primary initiatives, UNCF’s efforts to provide mentoring, training, scholarships and other vital resources to underrepresented students across the nation, are proving to be a successful formula for diminishing the disparity in tech and increasing students’ access to the leading names in STEM.Aaliyah Griffin, a rising senior at Spelman College, directly credits UNCF for providing her with the chance to meet leading professionals at the workplaces of Google, Uber and eBay, to name a few. Pursuing a dual degree in computer science and computer engineering, she remembers telling herself that she would work for Pandora, a heavyweight in media and music engineering, after exploring its office space during her Summit experience in 2015.Her dream would come true as she accepted an offer to intern with the company in the summer of 2016, eventually becoming the first black woman on her team. Professionally, she found value in particular workshops, such as resume review, as it helped her discover exactly what employers were looking for in potential talent. Also, Aaliyah found it reassuring to be amongst so many other HBCU students and professionals striving to succeed. She stated, “When you come across someone who made it and is seen as successful after making it through various things in life, it makes you feel like you’re not the only one.”At Spelman, she has been involved with student groups such as BULB, ACM (Association of Computer Machinery) and NSBE (National Society for Black Engineers), while also participating in various hackathons and conferences off campus with Google. This summer, you can find her conducting research in computer engineering on GPU's (Graphical Processing Units) alongside the chair of the computer engineering department at Northwestern University.Post-graduation, she hopes to attend engineering school and continue working towards her goal of having her own company after finding success at big name corporations. Through her professional opportunities, she emphasizes the need for organizations to embrace employees who bring different outlooks and experiences to the workplace. "I feel it’s important for companies to be diverse so the environment can be better. It sets a whole different atmosphere when you can walk into a company and you see all these different cultures have collided to make something great.”Josh Fitchett, a 2016 Summit Fellow, also relished the chance to grow from his time spent at the conference, labeling it as one of the best experiences he’s ever had.Now a rising senior at Morgan State University, he remembers being introduced to the summit through his involvement with Morgan X, an on-campus group for students interested in tech. An advocate for creating more avenues for blacks and minorities in STEM, he’s had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to address personnel from various schools, Google and the White House about the need for more diversity in computer science, and technology overall.Upon attending the summit, he appreciated the feedback he received concerning how to properly prepare for interviews with big-name companies in tech. Like others, he was floored by the chance to meet with employees from popular brands including Airbnb, Google, Adobe, Chevron, VISA and Space-X.Pursuing a degree in electrical and computer engineering with a minor in computer science, this summer Josh can be found working with NASA on projects catering to satellite communications and full-stack web development. As his task load with the department ramps up, he finds himself grateful to continue working with NASA full-time after graduation.When thinking about the challenges minorities face in entering the STEM field, he expressed, “There are a lot of holes that need to be filled to get our people to Silicon Valley, because these companies are now looking for talent outside of the norm. So, we have to meet them halfway with the qualifications. As African Americans, we’re working up a hill already, so it’s an advantage to work with organizations like UNCF because they bring more awareness and opportunities not only to the African-American community but to all minorities.”Spelmanite and rising senior Brianna Fugate, was motivated to attend the ICE Summit after hearing such raving reviews from her peers who had gone. When attending the conference during the fall of her sophomore year, she grew fond of the close bond she shared with students from different schools. Vividly, she remembers how nice other students were to chip in and assist her with a homework assignment that was due during the summit. Through instances like those, Brianna was able to form friendships with people who she is glad to have as a part of her broader network now. “The family and bond that comes from the innovation summit is something that is unbreakable, and since we all had this experience, we went through the trenches together,” she stated.Majoring in computer science, she credits the nonprofit, Black Girls Code (BGC), for introducing her to the field in high school, and providing her with the chance to attend an institute with Google before her freshman year. Three years later, she has since volunteered at BGC events and hackathons, while also serving as a student board member for the Anita Borg Institute, an organization advocating for the advancement of women in technology. Last year, she participated as a fellow in the Code2040 Fellows Program, which focuses on providing blacks and Latinos with the resources and skills needed to emerge successful in the world of innovation, engineering and technology. This year, she will be a lead fellow serving as a peer mentor to the cohort of first-years.Recognized as a White House HBCU All-Star, she has interned at the White House's science and technology policy office, and worked on diversity and inclusion efforts with the Chief Technology Officer of the United States. Through all these experiences, she aspires to continue working in data analytics and eventually become a VP of Engineering for a middle-sized company.Like Aaliyah, she currently enjoys her summer internship with Pandora, as she's been learning how to build databases and conduct full-stack projects for advertisements based off user interaction. Ultimately, she thanks UNCF for the enormous amount of support, personally and financially, that they have afforded her with over the years."Receiving numerous scholarships from UNCF over the years, renewable ones at that, has been a huge help to offset the cost of tuition attending Spelman; it has been super crucial."Eric Mason, a rising sophomore at Stanford University, was fortunate to be a part of the first cohort of Fund II STEM Scholars. Having grown up between two cities in Illinois—Chicago and Springfield—he possessed the perseverance needed to overcome the odds dealt to him as a student who endured homelessness for three of his high school years. Pushed to apply for college and scholarships by a prominent mother-like figure in his life, he was reassured that his goals would be possible to meet after receiving both the Ron Brown Scholarship and UNCF STEM scholarship.Currently majoring in chemical engineering with a minor in computer science, Eric admits that his first year at a prestigious institution in a new state was a difficult transition. However, he has found support and comfort from the relationships he has made with UNCF, proclaiming to look up to the Fund II Foundation's Executive Director, Linda Wilson, as a pseudo-mother he can confide in at all times. He elaborated, “The monetary value of the scholarship is somewhat irrelevant to me because the networking and educational opportunities I have mean a lot. I see the scholarship as a ladder that can lead to success.”This summer, he has been interning in New York with Goldman Sachs in their human capital management industry where he has found improvement in his literary, business and interpersonal skills by meeting people from all walks of life. An active runner who ran track and cross country in high school, he is also training to compete in the 2020 Olympics.Eventually, he aims to climb to a leadership position within a firm (i.e. Lead Analyst or Associate VP) or pursue other opportunities in chemical engineering. Also, he views his experience with UNCF as one of many reasons to pay it forward, as he has started his own nonprofit catered to helping kids from his area go to college. When discussing his passion for wanting to give back to others consistently, he said, “What I really want to do is pave a pathway and let people know there is room for black people and minorities within these spaces.”Harvard University student, Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna, has also reaped the benefits of joining the first cohort of Fund II STEM scholars.After being one of the very few to gain acceptance to all eight Ivy League institutions, she didn’t want a lack of finances to deter her college experience. When applying for UNCF’S STEM scholarship, she found hope in the possibility of gaining a support system for a black student like herself who had only been able to showcase her love for STEM in predominantly white spaces. She mentioned, “As a rising sophomore, I can not see how I would have been academically successful in some of my STEM classes, specifically mathematics, without the encouragement I received from my cohort scholars, cohort program leaders Carita Marrow and Lu Duong, and the entire UNCF STEM Scholarship program.”Currently pursuing a degree in bioengineering, she is active in various extracurricular activities on campus, including the modern Nigerian dance troupe Omo Naija, Nigerian Students Association, and Harvard Consulting on Business and the Environment. Also, she will be serving as a founding board member for Harvard’s chapter of NSBE.This year, Augusta received the impeccable honor of being named as a member of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy. Through the recognition, she found reassurance that her goal of becoming a leader and innovator in STEM is attainable while also realizing how important it is for organizations like UNCF to continue addressing the diversity disparity in STEM. She stated, “It is so hard to navigate a space that was not intended for you, especially when surrounded by people who do not look like you. Organizations like UNCF STEM are the important safe space that students like me can go to speak about the challenges that are unique to us as minority students in STEM. Without this support system, I can't say that I would still be rooted in my STEM interests.”With the spread of opportunities these students and their peers have received, it's safe to say that UNCF is preparing the next generation of minority leaders to take over the world of tech much sooner than later.To see more about one of the experiences UNCF students are provided with, check out this recap from the 2016 STEM Scholars...

For many students, financing a college education is difficult. The decision often comes down to accepting a near lifetime of debt in exchange for the increased life trajectory that a college degree often affords those who achieve it. During the 2016 presidential campaign, there was much talk on the Democratic side about lowering college expenses, supplementing them and even eliminating them altogether. With Betsy Devos heading up the Department of Education under the current administration, who knows what the future of college funding will look like. The good news is that, despite the current political climate, corporations like Lowe’s are continuing their commitment to help fund the education of many students at historically black colleges and universities."More than ever, a college education is foundational to building bright futures, inspiring leaders and stronger communities,” said Lowe’s community relations director, James Frison. “Scholarships and financial aid often provide the assistance needed for students having trouble paying for a degree so they continue and stay on the course. Lowe’s is proud to help make a college education a reality for many of our future leaders.” With a recent donation of $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the home improvement mega store awarded emergency student aid to more than 200 graduating seniors at the UNCF’s 37 HBCU’s during the 2016-17 academic year. The UNCF’s Emergency Student Aid (ESA) is a lifeline for UNCF-supported HBCU students with unanticipated needs or special circumstances such as the loss of a parent’s job. The donation from Lowe’s helped several students who met this criteria to stay on track toward graduation.Photo: UNCFSince 1985, Lowe’s has worked with the UNCF to contribute more than $4.5 million to the on-time graduation of more than 1,700 students. “For more than 30 years, Lowe’s has been a vital partner in UNCF’s continuing mission to increase post-secondary access and success for students attending its member schools who need critical funding to earn their degrees,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. “We commend Lowe’s for their investment in better futures for students across the country.” The current round of support from Lowe’s includes a total award of nearly $64,000 to the five UNCF-supported HBCUs in North Carolina.Photo: Lowe'sWe see you Lowe’s. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind when it comes time to shop for that DIY home improvement project. Never miss a headline! Sign up for Blavity's daily...

The United Negro College Fund held their 33rd annual Mayor’s Masked Ball Atlanta on Saturday, December 17. The ball is one of their biggest fundraising events to help "raise awareness of the need and benefits of a college education, the students UNCF serves and the contributions of historically black colleges and universities." The star-studded red carpet event is always attended by celebrities, civic leaders, UNCF alumni and more.  This year the stars showed up in more ways than one. With the new administration coming into the White House, none of us are sure of where HBCUs will stand on the Trump agenda. Under the Obama administration, we have seen a $4 billion dollar investment into our HBCUs. However, those funds aren't promised going forward and neither is a commitment to an HBCU initiative. Therefore supporting our HBCUs is a priority for our community. We all we got! Literally.Usher, Tyrese, Future and Jeezy saw the need to help us support our HBCUs when they cut a check for the cause. Each of the four donated $25k to the UNCF. It seems that Tyrese's donation inspired other celebs to match his donation. He shared his excitement on social media,"We raised MILLION at the Atlanta Masquerade #MAYORSBALL last night in conjunction with UNICEF I proudly jumped out there and donated 25,000 and my brother Usher didn't even blink and marched it.... 25,000 then my guy @jeezy jumped out there 25,000 and everyone else in the room felt like that had to step it up!!!! Then I got a text message from my brother @ludacris who jumped out there and matched us at 25,000 it was just amazing and MILLIONS OF DOLLARS was raised and we're going to put our angles through college........."The UNCF also shared their gratitude on social media towards the gentlemen for their gracious gifts."Special thanks to superstars Tyrese Gibson, Usher and Future, who each donated $25k 💸 to send students to & through college ✨🎓📚at our #Atlanta Mayor's Masked Ball! Thank you @kasimreed for your continued support to UNCF and all we do. #MMBATL #BetterFutures #SeasonToGive"It's safe to say the Mayor's Masked Ball was a major success, thanks to not only these gentlemen but also others who invested in the future of our HBCUs. The mind is truly a terrible thing to waste.Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our...

The United Negro College Fund released a new report "examining the rates, amounts and distribution of student loan debt among HBCU students relative to their non-HBCU peers." The information gathered outlines several borrowing factors and existing hurdles in repaying borrowed funds. According to the UNCF, this includes racial wealth gaps, declining investments in higher education, unmet financial need, limited institutional resources and other economic barriers. "Despite these challenges, HBCUs continue to be a ‘best buy’ in higher education by offering comparably lower-cost tuition and disproportionately producing African American college graduates," said Dr. Brian K. Bridges, who leads UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute.  "UNCF awards $100 million each year in need-based student scholarships to address the financial obstacles that HBCU students confront. We are doing our part. Now, the country must invest so that HBCU students can earn their degrees with more resources and less debt."The report "Fewer Resources, More Debt: Loan Debt Burdens Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities" revealed six key findings including HBCU grads with significantly higher amounts of borrowed federal loans compared to other institutions and HBCU students. "Seven years after leaving college, the average cohort repayment rate for HBCU students is considerably lower than that for students at non-HBCUs (59 percent vs. 85 percent). However, these figures alone do not take into account several important factors that impact repayment rates, such as student economic status, labor market conditions and choice of educational program," the report states.Along with these findings, the report notes that students at HBCUs rely heavily on federal programs like the Pell Grant, which have drastically decreased over the years. It also notes that HBCUs have small endowments that make it hard to provide their students with institutional grants. Grants that are desperately needed because HBCU students have a large amount of unmet need that forces them to take out student loans. This issue, however, isn't just one that is solely discussed in the HBCU community and by advocates. This issue is one that needs the support of policy and the incoming administration.  Cheryl L. Smith, UNCF’s senior vice president for public policy and government affairs, is urging the incoming administration and Congress to do something about investments in high education and federal financial aid policies that need to be in place to help low-income minority students. "This report documents the crisis and suggests four policy areas that are ripe for reform to reduce the heavy debt burden faced by HBCU students. Congress and the next administration have an opportunity with the renewal of the Higher Education Act to lessen the financial load,” Smith said. The report provides recommendations for policymakers to help address the financial burden HBCU students are facing. These suggestions include reducing the complexity of the federal student aid eligibility process to reach more low-income students by providing grant aid and work-study opportunities and also creating a manageable repayment process.Hopefully, policymakers will agree and follow the recommendations the UNCF has laid out and invite others to have a seat at the table so that we can all discuss how to help the next generation of thought leaders.Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our...

Photo: Clark Atlanta UniversityThis has been a good week for HBCUs. Earlier this week, the UNCF announced awarding $35 million dollars to 24 HBCUs and PBIs to help lower the unemployment rate for black college grads. And now we've learned that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, awarded Clark Atlanta University $432,335 under the Economic Development Administration’s Regional Innovation Strategies Program. CAU is the first southern HBCU to be selected, and is one of only 35 organizations selected. These funds are set to help CAU launch the Clark Russell Entrepreneurship and Technology Ecosystem (CREATE).CREATE is a partnership between Clark Atlanta, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the Herman J. Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture. Using innovative STEM-based tools, CREATE has set a goal of supporting 50 new entrepreneurs as they create 400 jobs in local food system technology enterprises.The program will help to change the economic landscape in Southwest Atlanta and encourage inclusive entrepreneurship. CREATE merges together the best assets of each partner organization, which in turn gives entrepreneurs access to Clark Atlanta's research and its 3D-printing lab, access to urban farming innovations and more. The program aligns with the vision of Ronald Johnson, CAU President. Johnson wants to transform the areas around the Atlanta University Center and invite innovation and entrepreneurship to the area. “It is troublesome that the community surrounding a world-renown bastion of scholarship and enlightenment has, in so many ways, been forgotten and is too often considered a ‘food desert’ and a ‘crime zone’,” Johnson said in the University press release. “CREATE will directly address those issues by deploying CAU’s intellectual, research and entrepreneurial assets in partnership with two outstanding organizations, RCIE and TLW, that have consistently demonstrated their commitment and expertise in enhancing peoples’ quality of life.  This initiative will address the underlying issues of employment, food security and urban development, and it also represents our willingness to lock arms with the very neighborhoods that have lifted up our University community for over 150 years.”It's great to see an HBCU leading the charge to help those in the communities surrounding it. The CREATE program is sure to have a lasting effect on the surrounding neighborhoods. Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our...

Photo: Andrew NellesIn today's climate, it has proven difficult for black millennials to find employment after graduation. Despite doing everything we were told to do (like graduating from college), becoming a part of the workforce can be a difficult mission. But one program aims to address those gaps.Georgetown University conducted a study and determined that "the U.S. could face a shortfall of more than 10 million workers with the postsecondary education and training needed to fill the jobs of the future." According to Georgetown University Professor Anthony P. Carnevale, "this means we will need to move a minimum of nearly 4 million African American and Hispanic students on to postsecondary success." The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has taken on the issue with a new grant program. It announced today that through their Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), 24 colleges and universities will receive five-year grants totaling $35.3 million for programs meant to improve their graduates employment outcomes.With help from the Lilly Endowment Inc., CPI helps certain historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly black institutions (PBIs) by implementing career readiness for the 54,000 enrolled students through specialized academic programs, industry partnerships, internships for students, specialty certifications, faculty development and more.“CPI will help ensure our graduates are prepared for and are hired into high-paying 21st-century jobs," said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO, "With strong CPI results, we will be able to make the case to others to invest in a new model – one that enables minority and low-income students by giving them the knowledge and skills to be competitive in the global marketplace.” Some of the schools participating include Tennessee State University, Clark Atlanta University, Dillard University and Morehouse College. For a full list of schools, you can check here.The work that the UNCF is doing with help from the Lily Endowment Inc. comes at a perfect time, as the future of America's job market is questionable for many. Loving Blavity’s content? Sign up for our...