Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCUs) have performed a crucial function in increased training in the US. Based throughout Reconstruction, these establishments grew to become a pathway for development and hope for Black college students who had been barred from attending most schools and universities within the US. HBCUs had been on the forefront of the civil rights motion, organizing protests and sit-ins and advocating for equal rights, and so they proceed to help their communities via their dedication to social justice and equality. HBCUs proceed to play a crucial function in offering training and profession alternatives for Black college students. Whereas they signify solely 3% of all higher-education establishments in the US, they enroll 10% of all Black school college students and accounted for 17% of all bachelor’s levels and 24% of all STEM-related bachelor’s levels earned by Black college students in the US in 2019(1). Moreover, 40% of Black engineers, 50% of Black legal professionals, 70% of Black docs, and 80% of Black judges attended an HBCU(2).
Navigating Funds Constraints and Cybersecurity Compliance
HBCUs should not with out challenges, significantly concerning expertise. Many HBCUs face funds constraints that stop them from upgrading their expertise platforms, which places them at a big drawback given the elevated reliance on digitization and hybrid instructing. The federal authorities will quickly require that establishments administering federal scholar support applications licensed beneath the US Division of Schooling’s Title IV (together with Pell Grants, Director Loans and Federal Work Examine) adjust to NIST 800–171, a set of safety requirements beneath the NIST Cybersecurity Framework required for universities with contractual ties to the federal authorities. HBCUs rely closely on Title IV funding and the opportunity of failing to fulfill the requirements places them and their college students vulnerable to dropping entry to those funds.
Partnering to Empower HBCUs for a Higher Tomorrow
Cisco has labored intently with HBCUs to handle their expertise challenges as a part of its dedication to an inclusive future for all and social justice. One instance is the help Cisco is offering Claflin College in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Working in partnership with the Pupil Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit group devoted to creating school extra inexpensive for college students attending minority-serving establishments, Cisco is donating over $1.7 million in merchandise, providers, and coaching over 5 years to handle their expertise wants. Moreover, Cisco helps Claflin and different HBCUs meet NIST compliance.
Making certain HBCUs Proceed Their Legacy
One of many Cisco staff members main this effort is Shaunya Ishmael, a graduate of Tuskegee College and Clark Atlanta College. She stated the next about her work on this venture and her time at HBCUs: “My HBCU was an incredible surroundings to find who I used to be…I used to be in a protected place. The work I get to do right here at Cisco to assist HBCUs with NIST compliance will assist guarantee these establishments are open to serve future generations and proceed to be pillars of their communities.”
To see extra about Cisco’s work with HBCUs, try this video:
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References:
(1) How HBCUs can speed up Black financial mobility
(2) A Proclamation on Nationwide Traditionally Black Schools and Universities Week, 2022
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