The Case for Strategic INVESTMENT IN HBCU s BY DR. HARRY L. WILLIAMS
However, for that spark to become a permanent engine of economic mobility, we must pivot from the reactive filling of gaps to strategic investment. We are no longer asking for a seat at the table. We are building the table, the laboratory and the boardroom of the future. A number of events since 2020 have brought an unprecedented wave of corporate and individual philanthropy to the doors of HBCUs.
FROM CHARITY TO EQUITY In the context of HBCUs, we must redefine philanthropy as a high- yield investment in the American economy. When a donor contributes to a Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) scholarship or an institutional endowment, they are doing more than helping a student. They are addressing the racial wealth gap at its root. Today, the median endowment for HBCUs still lags significantly behind our non-HBCU peers. High-level endowments allow the stability for college and university presidents and chancellors to plan 10 years out, rather than 10 months out.
INVESTING IN THE RESEARCH ENGINE Strategic investment means moving beyond student aid to capacity building. Through our capacity building work and advocacy, we are working to help modernize campus operations and faculty development at our 57 member institutions. But we also need partners who understand that the next medical breakthrough or AI innovation can and should come from an HBCU campus. THE WORKFORCE AND BEYOND The workforce is rapidly changing. Our new place-based training programs and corporate partnerships with industry
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