Doug Jones hosts HBCU event: NFL great John Stallworth says attendance a ‘life-changing event’
At the inaugural Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Summit in Birmingham, students and leaders from these schools gathered and discussed ways to meet the demands of Alabama’s changing workforce, Alabama Newscenter Reports. NFL’s John Stallworth, a graduate of Alabama A&M, said in his keynote speech that going to an HBCU was a “life-changing event.” The event was organized by Sen. Doug Jones-Democrat, who also moderated a panel on how HBCUs can partner with other schools and businesses across Alabama to ensure that their students are ready for tomorrow’s jobs. “We’ve got some of the leading businesses in the state of Alabama that came to Birmingham today because they recognize the quality of education these students are getting at these HBCUs,” Jones said, according to the outlet. “I want people to see that. Alabama has more HBCUs than any other state in the country. They provide well over $1 billion in economic engine for the state. One of the purposes of the event today was (to) highlight the phenomenal job that these colleges and universities do for these graduates. They’re forward thinking.” U.S. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn– Democrat, reintroduced legislation just days ago that would reauthorize the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historic Preservation Program, which would support the preservation of historic sites at these schools. In 1998, the Government Accountability Office found that 712 structures on 103 HBCU campuses were in need of historic preservation, according to The T&D, and the estimated cost of that preservation was $755 million. To date, more than 60 of those buildings in 20 states have been renovated through Clyburn’s program, which is managed by the National Parks Service. Clyburn is seeking $10 million per year for the next seven years. “We have made significant progress towards the restoration and preservation of historic buildings and sites on the campuses of HBCUs, but there is still much more that needs to be done,” he said. “I am proud of the continued bi-partisan support of this effort. Senators Kamala Harris and Lindsey Graham reintroduced their companion bill today in the Senate, and I will continue to work with them to restore and preserve these critical pieces of American history.” This is not the first bipartisan effort in support of HBCUs. Clyburn continued. “These federal investments have transformational impacts on the communities that surround our HBCU campuses, and bring new life to historic buildings, many of which were built more than a century ago by student labor and designed by unsung Black architects. By continuing these efforts, we are extending a tremendous legacy.” That legacy is one that Stallworth was proud to have been a part of. “I’ve had a blessed life and, yes, I would not change a thing,” he concluded his speech. “I am John Stallworth, a proud graduate of an HBCU.” This article published with permission including content from Alabama Newcenter
Doug Jones: Our HBCUs are at risk – we need to step up to protect them
Since 1867, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or “HBCUs,” have played a vital role in Alabama’s higher education system. With 14 today, Alabama is home to the most of any state in the country. And as I said in a recent speech on the Senate floor, we don’t just have the most, we have the best. Tuskegee University is the only HBCU with a College of Veterinary Medicine, and the school produces over 75-percent of African-American veterinarians in the world. It has also just hired its first female university president, Dr. Lily McNair. Alabama A&M University is the only 1890 land grant university offering four Ph.D. programs. They are also the leading producer of African-Americans with Ph.Ds. in Physics. Oakwood University is the nation’s fifth-highest producer of undergraduate African-American applicants to medical school. Alabama State University is home to the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture. ASU is currently doing preservation work on some never-before-seen documents such as court notions, bond documents, and official papers connected to the Montgomery bus boycott. And Lawson State Community College was named a Champion of Change in 2011 by then-President Barack Obama. Today, there are over 100 accredited HBCUs, both public and private, in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They enroll approximately 300,000 students – 80-percent of whom are African-American and 70-percent are from low-income families. While HBCUs only make up three-percent of our country’s colleges and universities today, they produce nearly 20-percent of all African-American graduates. Among HBCU graduates, there are countless trailblazing Americans who have quite literally changed the course of our history as a nation: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Marian Wright Edelman, Langston Hughes, Katherine Johnson. And according to the National Science Foundation, between 2002 to 2011, the top eight institutions where African-American Ph.Ds. in science and engineering earned their bachelor’s degree were all HBCUs. HBCUs annually generate $14.8 billion in economic impact and add more than 134,000 jobs for local and regional economies. Based on a report in 2014, Alabama HBCU graduates can expect total earnings of $130 billion in their lifetimes. I could go on and on. For all of these incredible achievements, HBCUs in Alabama and across the country are working against the strong headwinds of serious financial struggles. The Government Accountability Office recently investigated the capital finance needs of HBCUs. Its report estimates that 46-percent of all HBCU buildings are in need of repair or replacement. This is due to deferred maintenance, the evolution of higher education and technology, and the fact that many of these buildings are state or federal registered historic places. For example, Tuskegee University is designated as a National Historic Site by Congress. That is a remarkable figure – and it is wholly unacceptable. But this is not a surprise for those who understand the challenges these institutions have long faced. HBCUs lack a plethora of revenue sources – public HBCUs heavily rely on state and federal grants, appropriations, and bonds. Private HBCUs have to rely on private or alumni giving and tuition fees. On top of that, the GAO found that the average endowment of an HBCU is half the size of a similarly sized non-HBCU. None of the 90 institutions of higher education in the country with endowments greater than $1 billion is an HBCU. This results in an endless cycle for these schools that have contributed so greatly to our country and the talented students they serve. With their limited revenue sources and the discrimination they face in the bond market, it is difficult to maintain campus buildings that attract high enrollment. Lower enrollment just leads to even less tuition and fees collected. And the cycle continues. But I don’t just want to talk about problems without offering a solution. Recently, I introduced the Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions Act that will permanently extend and increase federal funds to all minority-serving institutions. Most federal funds are currently set to expire after Fiscal Year 2019. My bill goes beyond just supporting our HBCUs, but is inclusive of other minority-serving schools like those that primarily admit Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans, among others. With this legislation, we increase mandatory funding from $255 million to $300 million for these institutions. They will be able to put that money to good use for infrastructure improvements, technology upgrades, and other critical needs that have gone unfulfilled. This won’t solve all of the challenges HBCUs are working hard to overcome, but it’s a step in the right direction—and it’s the right thing to do for these schools that are part of the very foundation of our higher education system. ••• Douglas Jones is a former prosecutor currently serving as the junior United States Senator from Alabama since 2018.
Alabama Power Foundation awards $150,000 grant to HudsonAlpha
The Alabama Power Foundation has awarded a $150,000 grant to the HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology to help expand gene research education to students across Alabama. HundsonAlpha plans to grow its new program, Characterizing Our DNA Exceptions (CODE), by engaging small groups of college students with authentic genomic research. The students will computationally analyze DNA variants – a practice known as bioinformatics – from real-world, anonymous clinical samples. Current sequencing technologies make it possible to obtain the entire genetic code of an individual in a matter of days. Often, the process detects DNA variants, or genetic changes, that are not well understood because they have not been studied. These changes are known as variants of uncertain significance, or a VUS. The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology will use a $150,000 Alabama Power Foundation grant to expand bioinformatics to colleges throughout the state. (Getty Images) “A VUS undergoes extensive analysis and testing to determine whether it has a role in the development of a trait or disease, a process that is very time-consuming,” said Michele Morris, Workforce Development lead at HudsonAlpha. “Because of this, VUS interpretation has historically been conducted in larger universities. Through CODE, we want to lower those access barriers.” In doing so, HudsonAlpha is collaborating with five Alabama colleges and universities across a broader scope of academia. Schools range from nonprofit, to large community colleges, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and liberal arts: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine Alabama State University Birmingham-Southern College Lawson State Community College Wallace State Community College Each school will select a faculty member to serve as program adviser who will then select five to 10 students to participate in CODE. HudsonAlpha researchers and educators are hosting a two-day workshop for advisers May 14-15. Dr. Jeremy Prokop presents at a workshop at HudsonAlpha to prepare advisers in the Characterizing Our DNA Exceptions (CODE) program. (HudsonAlpha) “It has always been the mission of the Alabama Power Foundation to support advances in our state. As technology continues to evolve and innovation is more vital than ever, it is important that we continue to expose Alabama’s students to cutting-edge initiatives to ensure their success,” said Myla Calhoun, president of the Alabama Power Foundation. Since its creation in 1989 with funds donated by shareholders, the foundation has supported Alabama communities, educational institutions and nonprofits with nonratepayer dollars through more than 20,000 grant and scholarship awards. “Programs like this one can be real game changers for these students, and we are proud to provide support,” Calhoun said. Pilot schools will participate in CODE for the 2018-2019 academic year. Students will present their work at a pilot group symposium in March 2019. Following the initial experience, pilot schools will be eligible to continue participation for a second year. This fall, HudsonAlpha will begin recruiting 25 more schools. “Enormous amounts of genomic data are being generated on a daily basis, so CODE participants will have access to that data and work to characterize newly identified DNA variants,” said Neil Lamb, Ph.D., vice president for Educational Outreach at HudsonAlpha. “We hope this experience will inspire more Alabama students to pursue a career in the STEM fields such as genomics and bioinformatics.” Republished with permission from the Alabama News Center.
HBCUs question administration understanding of their purpose
A White House statement suggesting that construction funding for historically black colleges and universities might be unconstitutional reveals a fundamental misunderstanding that the schools favor blacks and other minorities over white students, advocates for the schools said Monday. Because they are called HBCUs “suggests to some that the institutions are for blacks and not others, or that blacks are provided preferences at these institutions. Neither is the case,” said Lezli Baskerville, president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, a not-for-profit advocacy organization for HBCUs and other predominantly black institutions. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to challenge under the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment a construction funding program for HBCUs, lumping it with other programs that he said “allocate benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and gender.” The statement was attached to a spending bill he signed Friday to keep the government operating through September. It surprised many, considering Trump had promised to support HBCUs both during his campaign and during very public Black History Month meetings, when HBCU presidents posed for pictures with the president in the White House. Several HBCU advocacy groups said they immediately called the White House and were assured that the construction funding would be safe. “The administration intends to implement the HBCU Capital Financing Program,” the United Negro College Fund said in a statement. That part of Trump’s statement may have just been administration lawyers “perhaps not fully understanding the legal basis for federal HBCU programs,” said the organization, which supports HBCUs. Advocates pointed out that HBCUs do not discriminate on basis or race, ethnicity or gender. In fact, they were set up in direct response to predominantly white colleges and universities that refused to admit blacks or other minorities. Roughly a fifth of students and a fourth of faculty members at HBCUs are not black, advocates said. In fact, there are five HBCUs that are not even majority black, Baskerville said. Trump, in a statement on Sunday, said that his previous statement did not “affect my unwavering support for HBCUs and their critical educational missions.” The statement did not address whether the White House still thinks funding for HBCUs could be unconstitutional. Democrats immediately pointed to the statement as proof that Trump’s plans to support HBCUs were a mere public relations ploy. Despite his statements of support, Trump suggested funding for HBCUs in his budget at the same level as what was offered under President Barack Obama’s last budget. Democrats pointed to proposed cuts in federal student-aid programs, which they said would disproportionally affect minority students. “Sadly and shamefully, HBCUs, including the schools that President Trump met with, are left to wonder whether he wants to help or hurt them,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond, D-La., and Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. The Trump administration has continued to reach out to HBCUs, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos agreeing to give her first commencement address as secretary at Bethune-Cookman University on Wednesday. DeVos said late Sunday she would “continue to be an advocate for them and for programs that make higher education more accessible to all students.” State NAACP officials called for university president Edison Jackson and Board of Trustees Chairman Joe Petrock to resign on Monday over the DeVos invitation, saying faculty and students have alleged intimidation tactics from university officials in an attempt to quash protests during the graduation. DeVos was criticized earlier this year for calling historically black colleges “pioneers” of school choice. She later acknowledged that the schools were created because African-Americans had been excluded from predominantly white schools. Trump also plans to move an office dedicated to these institutions from the Education Department to the White House. He has yet to choose a director for the Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Historically black colleges push for financial support
Presidents from a majority of the country’s historically black colleges and universities are in Washington this week, calling for $25 billion in the upcoming budget to help address priorities including infrastructure, college readiness and financial aid as President Trump prepares to sign an executive order aimed at signaling his commitment to the schools. Trump met briefly with the college leaders on Monday, posing for a photograph in the Oval Office before the group met with Vice President Mike Pence and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Tuesday’s order is expected to move the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from the Department of Education into the White House. A senior White House official said the order was intended to prioritize the initiative and make it easier to partner with various federal departments and agencies. The moves are among the actions some college presidents said they would like to see coming from the new administration. For some, their decision to come to Washington was over the objections of students and alumni, but they say they can ill afford to play politics as Trump moves quickly to set priorities. Florida A&M Interim President Larry Robinson said it is important for schools like his to have a seat at the table early. “We are the subject matter experts in terms of what needs to be done,” Robinson said. “We wanted to communicate that to those who were receptive of doing something on our behalf … regardless of who’s sitting in the White House, or what their political affiliations are.” Though Trump did not have a plan to address HBCUs during his campaign — unlike Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — the Republican was swift to signal his support for the schools soon after his inauguration. Administration officials vowed that he would take action on HBCUs during Black History Month, which ends Tuesday. One of the president’s most visible black aides, Omarosa Manigault, holds degrees from two HBCUs: Central State University in Ohio and Howard University in Washington. More than 231,000 students enrolled at black colleges and universities in 2014, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Almost 80 percent were black. But HBCU enrollment declined from 326,614 to 294,316 between 2010 and 2014, according to NCES data. And in the past generation, the percentage of black college students attending HBCUs dropped from 18 percent of the overall total of black college students in 1976 to 8 percent in 2014. On Tuesday, the college presidents will spend the day on Capitol Hill, lobbying Congress for more funding. Grambling State University President Rick Gallot said he was encouraged by Monday’s meeting and saw a government interested in a meaningful partnership. Gallot is hoping the initial meetings will lead to more access to research opportunities for his school. “As HBCUs, we’ve always done what politicians stress to agencies: To do more with less,” the head of the Louisiana college said. “Think of the opportunities that would be there to do more with more.” Gallot pointed out that more than 90 percent of his students are eligible for the federal Pell grant, and added he would like to see the program strengthened and made into a year-round opportunity. Trump’s executive order is also aimed at helping the HBCU initiative work as a partner in the president’s agenda, including job creation, community revitalization and making inner cities safer, according to the official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, despite the president’s recent complaints about un-named sources. Florida Memorial University’s Roslyn Artis said she is looking to play to Trump’s CEO background, looking for tax incentives that would attract government contractors and private companies to invest in HBCUs. “We’re appealing to his good business sense and hoping he finds an investment worth paying for,” she said, adding that Florida Memorial leadership had several listening sessions with its campus community ahead of the Washington trip to allay concerns. “The reality is, we as HBCUs don’t’ have the luxury of playing politics. It’s really about policy for us.” The presidents were invited to Washington by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the nonprofit umbrella organization of public HBCUs headed by Johnny Taylor, who said he reached out to both presidential campaigns about support for the schools last summer. Taylor pointed out that two-thirds of HBCUs are in red, or Republican-oriented states, and that the colleges are heavily reliant on federal and state funding to survive — meaning HBCUs must meet with the administration, despite the fact that only 8 percent of African-Americans voted for Trump. “Taking that position was met with great skepticism, and in some cases, outright refusal to cooperate, but the idea that you would not talk to this group is silly,” Taylor said at a reception his organization sponsored Monday. The Marshall fund and the United Negro College Fund, which supports private HBCUs, have been lobbying Trump to support the colleges. Taylor said Trump’s swift action on many of his campaign promises sends a message that he will take action without worrying about the political winds. “You can like or dislike his position, but one thing about him: If he says it, you can count on it,” Taylor said. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who also attended the reception, was more skeptical Monday night, calling the Oval Office stop nothing more than ‘a photo op.’ “There is no substance at this point,” she said, cautioning to wait for the contents of the executive order and the budget process. “The proof is in the pudding.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Women of Influence: Catrena Norris Carter
Before she even entered college, Catrena Norris Carter was already surrounded by some of the biggest names in the civil rights movement — Rosa Parks, Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King. During those impressionable teenage years, Carter was given an internship by Faya Ora Rose Touré with the 21st century Youth Training Program (21C). For the next several years, during her summers and spring breaks, she would meet with young people at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) from across the country. She spoke with everyone from kids and politicians, to homeless kids and those who had been in prostitution — where leaders of the Movement would share their knowledge and experiences to inspire, assist, organize and develop young people to be skilled community focused leaders. Carter soaked it all in and has since been a mover and shaker in the Yellowhammer State. Which is exactly why she is Alabama Today’s February’s choice for our Alabama Women of Influence feature. When you speak to Carter, it’s easy to recognize you’re talking with a force of nature. But before we mention all that she’s doing to change the world for the better, it’s important to look back to the program and people who influenced her to be the woman she is today. Created in 1985 by Touré, who would ultimately become Carter’s lifelong mentor, 21C was the breeding ground of Carter’s passion for helping those around her find success. “It was very influential in making sure that we all gave back to our communities. That we don’t just go away and get jobs and work on our personal success, but how important it was to reach back down and make sure that you pulled everybody up around you,” Carter told Alabama Today. The program was also where Carter learned a valuable lesson: legislation and politics are the keys to change. “It was always instilled that legislation and politics are the way for freedom, and the way out of poverty, and the way to look at life,” Carter explained. “Most people don’t look at life politically. They just kind of live day-to-day. Without asking those questions of ‘why is this law a law’ or asking why the process works.” During these years, Touré, Alabama’s first black female judge and the wife of state Sen. Hank Sanders, taught Carter about the power of a single individual. The notion has stuck with Carter over the years, she now hopes it will one day be her legacy: for people to know the power of one. “Unfortunately, most people just kind of go along to get along. Which is how we ended up with things in the past that didn’t so well — for the Jewish people, for women, and with slavery,” Carter said. “You have to understand, all of that was legal at the time. Just because something was legal, doesn’t necessarily make it right. Or make it just.” She continued, “Don’t just accept everything that comes before you. You have a right to challenge it. To overthrow if necessary. Never sit idly by, and just go along to get along. Don’t go down without a fight.” That fighting spirit came to the surface in her local community in 2014, when the Hoover, Alabama school system looked to cut the school bus program. When her sons came home with the news that April, Carter knew it was time to act. Encompassing a 53-mile radius, many families like her own depended on the system to get their children to and from school. So she took the organizing skills she learned over the years and at the 21st Century Youth Training Program and put them to good use. From rallying other mothers to getting the Department of Justice and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund involved, Carter ultimately helped stop the proposal over a year later. “Instead of just accepting it, I got with some other moms, and we fought them. It took pretty much an entire year, but in the end, we won,” Carter reminisced. “It was nice to get a victory. Because we don’t get them very often. The underdogs don’t usually win when you’re up against a system that big and that powerful. It felt good. And it helped thousands of lives and families.” At a time where many young women across the country are looking at issues in their own backyards that they’d like to change, Carter has one piece of advice: get involved. “Join some organizations that are into human rights and injustice issues. Find an organization that you feel passionately about. Even if it’s down to the heart association or something. Because everybody’s not going to be political, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be involved with social,” Carter affirmed. “Do something that helps leave the world a little bit better than you found it.” Rest assured, Carter is practicing what she preaches. Outside of her day job, yes jobs, the list of Carter’s involvement is beyond impressive. She’s on the Board chair of the Greater Birmingham Boy Scouts of America, Board Member of League of Women Voters, Board Member of Ancient African Slavery Museum, and a Member of Alabama New South Coalition. When she’s not serving on various boards or volunteering you’ll find her working. Not only the only is she the Associate Publisher of Who’s Who in Black Alabama, the Managing Partner of C&C, and the President & CEO of Women Of Will (WOW) —a statewide, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) working to advance a richly diverse mass of women into leadership positions at work, in the community and in politics. WOW aims to recruit more women for leadership positions, from the boardrooms to the courtrooms — she also serves as National Coordinator of Selma’s Bridge Crossing Jubilee. Before this role, she was Executive Director of the Selma to Montgomery 50th Anniversary Commemoration Foundation, as well as the Executive Producer of Centric/BET’S “Salute Selma” Docu-concert and SHEROS documentary featuring some of the female living legends of the movement. Before this role, she was Executive Director of the Selma to Montgomery 50th Anniversary Commemoration Foundation, as well as the Executive Producer of Centric/BET’S “Salute Selma” Docu-concert and SHEROS documentary featuring some of the female living legends of the movement. With
Alabama’s 1st District U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne reached across the aisle to North Carolina’s 12th District Congressman Alma Adams and introduced the bipartisan H.R.5530: HBCU Capital Financing Improvement Act last month. The bill will help improve infrastructure for our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) by improving access to and oversight of an existing program that enables HBCUs to improve their campuses to better serve their students. The bill quickly made it out of House Education and the Workforce Committee and made it to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives Monday, where by a unanimous voice vote it was approved. “An important part of helping students succeed is making sure schools and institutions have what they need to serve them well. That’s exactly what H.R. 5530 will do,” said Rep. Byrne, a co-chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. “The bill reforms a program known as the HBCU Capital Financing Program. Congress created this program to provide Historically Black Colleges and Universities with low-cost capital they can use to make infrastructure improvements. It acts as a loan guarantee program so that these institutions can finance or refinance repairs, renovations, and construction on their campuses.” According to the Republican Policy Committee, H.R. 5530 would improve access to and allow for financial counseling in the Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) Capital Financing Program by: Requiring institutions to pay into a “bond insurance fund,” rather than a pooled escrow account as in current law, to better reflect the purpose of the withheld funds; Authorizing the Secretary of Education to provide financial counseling to eligible institutions to prepare them to qualify, apply for, and maintain a capital improvement loan; and Requiring the program’s Advisory Board to provide an annual report to Congress, giving an overview of all the loans awarded by the program, the status and financial condition of at least 10 institutions participating in the program, and any administrative and legislative recommendations they may have for improving the program.
