HBCU National Meeting Stresses Competitiveness by Black Schools: The future of HBCUs hinges on winning contracts instead of grants, identifying and implementing ways to become more energy efficient, and making a concerted effort to retain and graduate incoming students who are increasingly ill-prepared for the rigors of college.Such were among the key messages delivered Tuesday during the final day of HBCU Week 2010, which featured speakers from leaders of government, multinational corporations and the ranks of prominent Black scholars.
Oliver Leslie, the HBCU/MI program manager at aerospace giant The Boeing Corporation, said it is becoming increasingly essential for HBCUs to start competing for government and private industry contracts instead of just grants.
“We’re moving away from the grant world to the contract world,” Oliver said during a panel discussion titled ‘Building Private Partnerships’. “It’s a paradigm shift.”
