Symposium: Education Leaders Recommend Priorities for HBCUs: DURHAM, N.C. – In the view of the Obama administration’s top education official, historically Black colleges and universities face two looming challenges as they look to define themselves in the 21st century – preparing students to be the next cadre of minority teachers and improving their retention and graduation rates.U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan laid out these priorities Thursday at the North Carolina Central University Centennial HBCU Symposium in Durham, N.C. Duncan headlined the conference and discussed the importance of these schools in educating young minority men and women, and many of the steps the Obama administration is taking to bolster these academic institutions.
“Children only get one chance at a good education,” Duncan said. “The responsibility for providing it is in our hands, and we simply cannot wait to make changes that will give them a nurturing environment and a chance to succeed.”
