U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other senior Education Department officials will give remarks and participate on panels at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week annual conference on Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 22-23, in Washington, D.C. Titled, "HBCUs: Innovators for Future Success," the conference will convene some 1,200 participants, including HBCU chancellors and presidents, and will feature a variety of discussions on critical issues and new opportunities for HBCUs.
On Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon will participate in a panel discussion, "Navigating Challenges While Inspiring Change at HBCU," tackling such issues as campus safety, violence against women, LGBT discrimination, and health care access.
At 1 p.m. ET, Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton will lead a discussion, "HBCUs Are My Brother's Keeper," with panelists drawing from the experiences of initiatives at HBCUs to help boys and young men of color reach their full potential. Shelton will discuss the progress of President Obama's My Brother's Keeper initiative, launched last February, to build on the work of communities and institutions that have adopted approaches to promote success among males of color.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 8:30 a.m. ET, Under Secretary Ted Mitchell will facilitate a discussion with other Department officials, "U.S. Department of Education Priorities: Engaging the HBCU Community," to both update the community about grant competitions, regulatory developments, and other Department initiatives, as well as have a conversation with participants about ways the Department can support the mission and vitality of their institutions.
At 1:30 p.m., Secretary Duncan will deliver the keynote luncheon address, where he will be joined by Richard Cordray, director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Carrie Hessler-Radelet, director of the Peace Corps, and Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation of Community and National Service, to discuss a joint effort to encourage public service employers to inform their employees, volunteers and recent graduates about public service opportunities and student loan repayment options and tools such as the CFPB Public Service Toolkit.
For more information on the 2014 HBCU Conference, please visit here.