Clark Atlanta University hopes to further the impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by investing in their future leaders through its recently launched HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). ELI is an unprecedented program that will serve as an incubator for recruiting and training a variety of high-potential industry leaders to become future presidents of HBCUs, strengthening the schools from the top down to further their pursuit of Black excellence.
HBCUs have historical significance given the important role they played in educating Black Americans before the Civil Rights movement. They continue to have a positive impact on Black students across the nation, producing a disproportionately large number of Black entrepreneurs and professionals who en masse now have a sizable economic impact.
While only three percent of American colleges and universities are HBCUs, they produce nearly 20 percent of all Black graduates, 50 percent of America’s Black public school teachers and lawyers, 80 percent of America’s Black judges, and over one-third of all Black PhDs in STEM according to United Negro College Fund (UNCF).
The schools are integral in helping Black students attain the education and tools needed to become competitive workers and entrepreneurs in the global marketplace. They are seen as a force in closing America’s racial wealth gap by offering low tuition and opening avenues for graduates to earn above-average incomes.
“This is a visionary program that grew out of the Council of Past Presidents to ground prospective fellows in HBCU specific competencies,” noted Dr. Louis Sullivan, the Chair of HBCU ELI’s Advisory Board as well as former Morehouse School of Medicine President and U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services.
Through its virtual platform, ELI provides a curriculum that targets critical interpersonal and business-related components of HBCU leadership, including operations, budgeting, alumni relations, fundraising and development, board governance, and human resource management.
Participants also receive coaching and ongoing mentorship from former HBCU leaders, using the nation-wide network from over 100 schools to pass down knowledge in a challenging field to the next generation of leaders.
Project Director of HBCU ELI and President Emeritus of Bennett College Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins gave some perspective about the latest initiative, adding, “As someone who has experienced the unique challenges of leading an HBCU, I believe ELI is a true game-changer. By filling the pipeline with qualified candidates, we can accelerate development and improve student outcomes, while also preserving the rich heritage that makes HBCUs so special.”
The program at Clark Atlanta University is supported by Microsoft Corporation, Toyota, The Rich Foundation, Inc., Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC), and an esteemed group of business leaders, educators and philanthropists.
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