SECTOR NEWS
Deloitte eyes HBCUs for new artificial intelligence research center
Deloitte’s government and public services practice announced the new Deloitte Artificial Intelligence Institute for Government (DAIIG) last week. Institute leaders outlined a set of commitments and actions to advance applied AI in the public sector by building a cross-sector community for research and shared expertise, and mentoring and growing the talent of the future.
[The institute will] establish a robust set of partnerships with leading academic programs and promote individual mentoring programs for early-career individuals, built on the foundational commitment to promote diversity and inclusion in the field. Early initiatives include:
Provide mentorship opportunities and resources such as scholarships for rising STEM students from underrepresented communities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Collaborate with United Way of the National Capital Area to bring AI concepts and technology to middle schoolers in the Greater Washington Metro Area (Deloitte)
Verizon named foundational sponsor of HBCU eSports league
Verizon has been named the foundational and first sponsor and official 5G partner of the HBCU Esports League. Last year Twitch partnered with Cxmmunity Gaming, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and fostering the participation of people of color in esports and gaming. At the same time, Twitch was announced as the official streaming partner of the collegiate esports league. Verizon is also the official 5G and 4G LTE network partner of Twitch Rivals, the streaming platform’s popular competition series. (eSports Observer)
Tennessee State wins second straight forensics HBCU national championship
Tennessee State University’s Forensics team was recently named the overall national champions and the top HBCU speech and debate team in the country for the second consecutive year.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s HBCU National Speech and Debate Championship was held virtually Feb. 27-28. It featured 14 historically black colleges and universities. In addition to the overall win, TSU’s team walked away with 10 national championship titles, 54 total awards, and the top overall speaker in the tournament for the fourth consecutive year. (Tennessee State University)
Ford Motor Company joins Congressional Black Caucus HBCU corporate engagement initiative
Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Credit Company have announced they are taking on the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Partnership Challenge of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. The Congressional HBCU Partnership Challenge is designed to promote more corporate engagement with HBCUs, develop new career possibilities for students, and improve diversity and inclusion across industries. (Ford Authority)
Spelman joins national higher education leaders in higher education taskforce
Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., recently joined higher education leaders from across the country to launch the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity.
Made up of leaders from public, private, two-year and four-year institutions, the Taskforce intends to address the challenges that disproportionately impact students and communities of color including the coronavirus pandemic, income inequality, the changing nature of work, and the rise of unemployment among college graduates since the 2008 recession. (Spelman College)
INDUSTRY NEWS
A DeVos system allowed 12 minutes to decide student loan forgiveness (New York Times)
Colleges are withholding transcripts and degrees from millions over unpaid bills (Hechinger Report)
The future of higher education fundraising: building the virtual campus (Forbes)
Florida Senate Senate panel OKs bill limiting academic choices for college students on Bright Futures scholarships (Florida Phoenix)
West Virginia sees country’s second-biggest drop in FAFSA completion rates (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
