Dr. Aubra J. Gantt, Chancellor, and the Southern University at Shreveport community welcomed the HBCU Advisory Council to campus for their February meeting on Feb. 27. Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education, serves as chair of the council. Dr. Hunter Reed and council members gathered to discuss the many successes championed, and emerging concerns that may impact our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The Louisiana HBCU Advisory Council includes members from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, the University of Louisiana System, and the Southern University System. Dillard University, Southern University and A&M College, Southern University at Shreveport, Grambling State University, Southern University Ag Center, Southern University Law Center, Southern University at New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana are all represented on the HBCU Advisory Council.
During the 2018 legislative session, the legislature approved ACT 236 to establish an advisory council to focus on Louisiana’s eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), both public and private.
In partnership with the Board of Regents, the Council will focus on ways to strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest quality education, increase opportunities for HBCUs to participate in and benefit from state programs, and ensure that Louisiana has the highest proportion of college graduates from HBCUs in the country. The council shall:
- Advise the Commissioner of Higher Education regarding methods to enhance the capabilities of HBCUs,
- Strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to participate in federal and state programs, and
- Strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to fully participate in Louisiana’s workforce and economic development activities.