On Thursday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan welcomed 20 leaders of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for a round table discussion. The discussion focused on two areas: increasing pathways for HBCU students into national security fields, and identifying areas through which federal agencies can support HBCUs in managing their unique security challenges. This discussion followed up on a round table Mr. Sullivan hosted with HBCU presidents in February 2023.

During the conversation, Mr. Sullivan shared the progress that national security and foreign policy Departments and Agencies have made implementing benchmarks directed by President Biden in his White House Memorandum on Revitalizing America’s Foreign Policy and National Security Workforce, Institutions, and Partnerships. Mr. Sullivan reported the addition of more than 4,000 paid internships across agencies including the State Department, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Intelligence Community (IC). He also described the expansion of Centers of Academic Excellence on HBCU campuses for training and research on the challenges of the future. Mr. Sullivan affirmed that the Administration is eager to continue making progress on addressing obstacles to HBCU student recruitment and hiring. HBCU presidents shared their desire to expand partnerships with Federal agencies to support groundbreaking research and improve programs to meet national security needs.

HBCU presidents also spoke about security challenges facing their institutions, most notably the challenges and concerns associated with both domestic violent extremism and racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism. They expressed gratitude for the support that local and regional federal law enforcement liaisons have provided to HBCUs’ threat prevention partnership and coordination efforts. Mr. Sullivan discussed with HBCU leaders existing and new U.S. Government resources available to all college campuses, including HBCUs, to help to bolster their preparedness and resilience against both physical and cyber-attacks, as well as training, toolkits, and grant funding available for security hardening. Some of these resource include the DHS Prevention Resource Finder, the U.S. Department of Education’s Free to Learn: Leading Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education Resource Guide, an HBCU Bomb Threat Resource Guide, and CISA’s K-12 School Security Guide Companion for School-Based Law Enforcement and School Resource Officers.

The Biden-Harris Administration has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting the vital mission of HBCUs, having invested a record over $16 billion dollars in HBCUs, including nearly $4 billion in emergency support and recovery funding through the American Rescue Plan.

The roundtable participants included:

Chris Rey, J.D., President, Barber-Scotia College (NC)
Dr. Roslyn Artis, President, Benedict College (SC)
Dr. Darren Martin, President, Bluefield State University (WV)
Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, President, Bowie State University (MD)
Dr. Morakinyo A.O. Kuti, President, Central State University (OH)
Dr. Monique Guillory, President, Dillard University (LA)
Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr., President, Grambling State University (LA)
Darrell K. Williams, President, Hampton University (VA)
Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith, President, Harris-Stowe State University (MO)
Dr. Ben Vinson, III, President, Howard University (DC)
Dr. Bobbie Knight, President, Miles College (AL)
Dr. David Kwabena Wilson, President, Morgan State University (MD)
Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, President, Norfolk State University (VA)
Dr. Maurice D. Gipson, President, Philander Smith University (AR)
Dr. Tomikia LeGrande, President, Prairie View A&M University (TX)
Dr. Marcus Burgess, Interim President, St. Augustine’s University (NC)
Dr. Adena Loston, President, St. Philip’s College (TX)
Dr. Mark Brown, President, Tuskegee University (AL)
Dr. Herman Felton, Jr., President, Wiley College (TX)
Dr. Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., President, Wilberforce University (OH)

From the White House:

Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Jen Daskal, Deputy Assistant to the President & Deputy Homeland Security Advisor
Curtis Ried, Deputy Assistant to the President & National Security Council Chief of Staff & Counselor
Amanda Mansour, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director for Partnerships & Global Engagement, National Security Council
Brent Robinson, Director for Partnerships & Global Engagement, National Security Council
Bintou Njie, Special Advisor to the Vice President for Africa
Dr. Dietra Trent, Executive Director for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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