Engineering executive to join the SAU Board of Trustees
By Sheyla Fairley
Executive vice president and chief sustainability officer for Covanta (a public company that provides environmental solutions benefiting businesses and communities across North America), Tequila Smith has been added to the Saint Augustine’s University, Raleigh, NC, Board of Trustees.
“I hold this appointment in high esteem because it aligns strongly with my personal commitment to furthering higher education for the next generation of Black leaders, as well as with the work I do at Covanta. At Covanta, a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is key to our long-term success. It’s why we are committed as a company to initiatives like the HBCU Partnership Challenge that gives us access to exceptional talent at schools like Saint Augustine’s University. Making a positive impact on the community through these efforts and more is part of our mission and one that drives the innovation that ensures a better tomorrow for all of us,” said Smith.
For more details, read the full article here.
Partnership between Lumen Learning and HU to design equitable courseware
By Sheyla Fairley
As stated in a release, Lumen Learning, “a leading provider of teaching and learning materials focused on improving student success, affordability, and access,” and Howard University’s, Washington, DC, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Assessment are collaborating to develop “equity-centered learning solutions for its new statistics course and platform.”
The objective is to provide more effective and culturally relevant courseware for minority and low-income students.
“We have gained tremendous insights from our partnership with Howard that have been instrumental in helping us create courseware that will support unprecedented learning for all students,” says David Wiley, Ph.D., co-founder and chief academic officer of Lumen Learning. “When we collaborate with students and faculty, incorporating their input into our courseware from the very beginning of the design process, we dramatically increase the likelihood of creating something that will support success for both faculty and students.”
Apogee to be administered at FSU over the summer
By Sheyla Fairley
Apogee ResNet (Residential Network Services), a leading provider of managed technology services for colleges and universities, will be provided at nine student housing facilities on the campus of Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC.
According to an article, Apogee will be implemented some time before the start of the Fall 2022 semester so students will be able to enjoy fast and reliable Wi-Fi because “FSU leaders are committed to equipping their students with access to best-in-class technology solutions to empower them to pursue their educational and life goals.”
“Our residence halls’ aging network infrastructure could not keep up with student demand for high bandwidth and connectivity necessary for coursework, research, collaboration, socialization and entertainment. Apogee was the right choice for FSU because the company has a solid reputation as a proven leader in delivering residential network capabilities for higher ed,” said Dr. Juanette Council, vice chancellor for FSU Student Affairs.
For more information, read the full article here.
USAF and DoD plan to create HBCU-led affiliated research center
By Sheyla Fairley
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) is working with the Department of Defense (DoD) to create the first university affiliated research center (UARC) to be associated with historically Black colleges & universities and is reaching out to HBCUs to apply for the new UARC.
As stated in a release, the new research center will focus on tactical autonomy, which is defined as “autonomous systems acting with delegated and bounded authority of humans in support of tactical, short-term actions associated with a longer-term strategic vision” by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
“This is an opportunity to tap into universities that have an enormous amount of capability in science and technology,” said Frank Kendall III, Air Force Secretary, during a briefing at the Pentagon.
AltFinance donates $2M to HBCUs for alternative investment fellowship program
By Sheyla Fairley
According to an article, AltFinance, “a program created to increase diverse representation across the alternative investment industry,” is donating $500,000 each to its historically Black colleges and universities founding partners: Howard University, Washington, DC; Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College — all three located in Atlanta, GA.
The donation will go to each of the four schools for their alternative investment fellowship program which seeks to “educate, train, mentor, and guide HBCU students into successful careers in the alternative asset management industry.”
“We are proud to partner with AltFinance to help increase the number of Black women working in alternative investments,” stated Spelman College president Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D. “This donation is very timely in supporting student learning as Spelman launches the Center for Black Entrepreneurship in partnership with Morehouse College.”
Read the full article, here.
