John S. Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), will deliver the keynote address at the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities' 2011 annual conference. Wilson's keynote will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 3, on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University. The conference theme is "Achieving Successful Learning Outcomes for All Students: The Institution's Roles and Responsibilities." Wilson will address budget and funding cuts occurring at HBCUs and throughout higher education. Specifically, he will provide insight and strategies on how institutions can effectively work to continue educating the nation's students despite these challenges.
The goal of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities is to promote goodwill among colleges and universities, stimulate academic and professional cooperation among the membership, consider common problems, and perform an accreditation function for higher education in the state of Mississippi.