West Virginia State University Hosts White House Initiative on HBCUs Visit
9/12/2018
Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
Sept. 12, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
West Virginia State University Hosts White House Initiative on HBCUs Visit
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) hosted a convening of the leadership of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCU) today, Sept. 12, 2018, at the West Virginia State Capitol Complex.
WVSU was one of only four HBCUs in the country selected to host such a meeting. The convening was part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Back to School Tour and featured participation by members of the state legislature and executive branch.
WVSU President Anthony L. Jenkins as well as other WVSU administration officials discussed the role of the University and its impact on the state and region.
Johnathan Holifield, executive director of the WHIHBCU, talked about the role of his office and also on the upcoming HBCU Week Conference to be held Sept. 16-19, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
Holifield’s comments reflected the conference theme, “HBCU Competitiveness: Aligning Institutional Missions with America’s Priorities,” and discussed how HBCUs can help to improve regional, state and U.S. competitiveness through research, commercialization and tech transfer; small business development and higher growth entrepreneurship; and innovative public-private partnerships.
The goal of the U.S. Department of Education’s Back to School Tour is to highlight HBCU contributions and help ignite new local, regional and state government and private sector leadership to develop a regional and statewide strategy that leverages the competitive advantages that HBCUs can provide.
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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.
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