SECTOR NEWS
Updating the aging infrastructure in Historically Black Colleges and Universities
A good investment has many characteristics: low risk, high returns, appreciation over time, and positive externalities.
We believe that our bill, the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, represents that kind of opportunity for both our Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the American people. The IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act will be one of the most transformative pieces of legislation for Historically Black Colleges and Universities in history. (The Hill)
Interim Savannah State leader likely to get permanent job
Regents are moving to name the interim leader of Savannah State University as the permanent president.
The leaders of the University System of Georgia announced Thursday after a closed meeting that they were naming interim resident Kimberly Ballard-Washington as the sole finalist to lead the 3,500-student historically Black institution.
Regents could vote as early as their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday to appoint Ballard-Washington. (Associated Press)
Major banks plan recruitment efforts at HBCUs
A year ago, there was just one Black executive among more than 80 within the highest ranks of the big six U.S. banks. Today, there are nine. Many of the biggest banks have also implemented targets for hiring more underrepresented workers and pledged to increase recruiting at historically Black colleges and universities.
Still, workforce statistics show that Black people make up a small fraction of the banking industry. And while in 2020 the six biggest U.S. banks earmarked almost $15 billion for mortgages, entrepreneurs and Black-owned banks across the country, it’s a small fraction of their $4 trillion in outstanding loans. (Bloomberg)
Should HBCUs be a part of outreach strategy for medical clinical trials?
Those who sponsor and implement trials also can signal shared interest by working with organizations that have been overlooked. There might be capacity for improving trials within existing community organizations even if those organizations have not been historically involved in studies of specific diseases. Consider the need to encourage participation in clinical trials by Black patients. Rather than creating altogether new structures and initiatives, it may be more effective to invest in partnerships with long-standing institutions that are already serving various communities, such as the National Medical Association or medical programs at Historically Black Colleges or Universities. (Health Affairs)
INDUSTRY NEWS
With passage of Georgia Senate Bill 88, local schools ready to help ex-military become teachers (Augusta Chronicle)
Republican report calls for regionalization of Wisconsin system campuses (Wisconsin Public Radio)
Pennsylvania higher ed system votes to merge 6 universities (The Slate)
High Point University to invest $150M in building dental medicine program (WRAL)
