With the average tenure of a college president steadily decreasing and a “mounting void within HBCU leadership,” the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.) have announced a three-year partnership in which they will work together to educate and prepare a pipeline of individuals who wish to serve in leadership positions at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Dr. Michael L. LomaxH.E.L.F., which provides leadership development programming, has trained more than 250 fellows who are currently serving at more than 53 HBCUs, 19 governmental agencies, 17 predominantly White institutions and more. Meanwhile, UNCF, the nation’s largest minority education organization, currently supports 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges throughout the country,
“Everything UNCF undertakes emphasizes student success and the strengthening of our nation’s HBCUs,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president of UNCF. “In doing so, we want to ensure current and future executives of these vital institutions are provided with comprehensive development that produces great and effective leaders who are innovative and creative and are positioned to have lasting impact on their respective institutions.”
The partnership is funded through a $2 million investment by the Kresge Foundation which hopes to increase the stability of the HBCU sector. Administered through UNCF’s Career Pathways Initiative (CPI), the two organizations will co-design leadership curriculum tailored to the needs of public and private HBCUs as well as predominantly Black institutions.
