About 80 scholars were recently celebrated as part of the inaugural Black Honors College class at California State University, Sacramento.
The college provides its students of all races, cultures, and majors a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on the Black and African American experience. It enrolls students who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher and demonstrate interest in Black history, life, and culture.
(From left) Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood joins Stephen K. Benjamin, assistant to the President, senior advisor to the President, and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Monique Toussaint, the senior advisor, White House Initiative on Advancing Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans in a panel discussoin about the impact of Sacramento State's Black Honors College.Sacramento State/Andrea Price
“The long-range vision is that we establish this Honors College focused specifically and designed specifically for Black people by Black people,” he said.
The students, who will start their studies this fall, were honored during an Aug. 8 ceremony. It featured keynote speaker Stephen K. Benjamin, a senior advisor to President Joe Biden.
During the event, Wood asked incoming Black Honors College students to strive to improve life for themselves and others.
Wood secured initial funding and support to enroll the college’s first 500 students. The California State University allocated $250,000 in one-time funding to be used to support the college with another $2.5 million donation recently coming from Sacramento’s Tsakopoulos family.
