John S. Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), will discuss HBCUs at the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development’s 25th anniversary and executive networking conference on Thursday, June 21, in Greensboro. In a one-on-one onstage interview with Marybeth Gasman, a professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and one of the country’s leading authorities on HBCUs, Wilson will address budget and funding cuts occurring at HBCUs and throughout higher education. In addition, he will provide insight and strategies on how institutions can effectively work to continue educating the nation’s students despite these challenges.
The conference will take place June 21-23, and the theme is “25 Years of Leadership, Advocacy and Growth.” The conference will kick off with a special focus on HBCUs as businesses and will include discussions about the current state, future, and survival of these prominent institutions, as well as opportunities for HBCUs to work with small, minority and women-owned businesses.