Category Archives: News

2016 HBCU All- Star Program, Application deadline, Friday, May 13th!!!

There’s still time to nominate an HBCU All- Star! The application deadline is May 13, 2016! The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) works to promote HBCU excellence, innovation, and sustainability. The Initiative recognizes undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for their accomplishments in scholarship, leadership, and civic engagement.

2016 HBCU All Star Application Form

The Review Process

Frequently Asked Questions

PROGRAM DETAILS

The appointment period will last approximately one year, and during this time students will serve as ambassadors of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities by providing outreach opportunities and communications to their fellow students about the value of education and the Initiative as a networking resource. Through social media, personal and professional relationships with community-based organizations, student will share promising and proven practices that support opportunities for all young people to realize their educational and career potential. The program will provide an opportunity to participate in regional and national events, as well as, web chats with Initiative staff and other professionals from a wide range of disciplines that support a spirit of engagement and personal and professional development.

ELIGIBILITY AND RULES

  1. Nominee must be a current undergraduate, graduate, or professional student at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Student must be enrolled for the 2016-2017 fall semester. View HBCU Listing by State
  2. Only complete applications will be accepted. This includes signed nomination form, unofficial transcripts, short essays, resume and endorsement letter.
  3. Submissions entered past the May 13th due date will not be acknowledged.

For more information regarding the 2016 HBCU All-Star Student program and application contact: hbcuallstars@ed.gov and follow us on Twitter @WHI_HBCUs 

 

 

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Request for Proposals – NSF INCLUDES Conferences

The National Science Foundation recently issued a Dear Colleague Letter calling for submission of conference proposals to inform the design of the communications and support structures for how individual NSF INCLUDES Alliances will work together with the NSF INCLUDES National Network. NSF seeks community input and participation in identifying and specifying the most critical design features of both Alliances and the National Network so that they can effectively work together to achieve mutual goals. As such, NSF invites those who have ideas and experiences in building successful large-scale Alliances and Networks (or Networks of Networks) to propose conferences, both face-to-face and virtual, that will bring together various stakeholders who can provide insight on models and designs. In particular, it is expected that representatives of the (soon to be funded) NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilots will participate in the conferences, thereby influencing future Alliance proposals and formations.

Each conference proposal should focus on exemplary and/or innovative ideas supported by research for designing an infrastructure that helps to mobilize, coordinate, facilitate and achieve a continuous state of planning, execution and evaluation among the NSF INCLUDES participants. Ideas should build on proven mechanisms of success with technical assistance support structures, resource networks and centers, and other related efforts to create communities of practice.

NSF expects to fund 10-12 conferences, up to $250,000 each. The conferences should be inclusive in terms of presenters and participants, engaging a range of stakeholders and organizations (e.g., representatives from K-12, 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions, philanthropic and community-based organizations, and the business sector).

A link to the Letter requesting proposals is below.  Dear Colleague Letter: Call for Submission of Conference Proposals to Inform the Design and Success of the Alliances and National Network for NSF INCLUDES

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President Obama Announces Intent to Appoint New Members of his Advisory Board on HBCUs

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 5, 2016, President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities :

  • Wayne A. I. Frederick – Member
  • Janice Bryant Howroyd – Member

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Appointee for Member, President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick is the President of Howard University, a position he has held since 2014.  Prior to becoming the President, Dr. Frederick held several leadership positions at Howard University, including Interim President, Associate Dean in the College of Medicine, Division Chief in the Department of Surgery, Director of the Cancer Center, and Deputy Provost for Health Sciences.  Before joining the administration at Howard University, Dr. Frederick served as the Associate Director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Director of Surgical Oncology, and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Connecticut Health Center.  Dr. Frederick received a B.S., M.B.A. and M.D. from Howard University.

Janice Bryant Howroyd, Appointee for Member, President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Janice Bryant Howroyd is the CEO of ACT-1 Group, an employment and management company that offers a range of services from employee background checks to executive travel management.  She founded the organization in 1978.  Ms. Bryant Howroyd is an Ambassador of the Department of Energy’s Minorities in Energy Initiative, a Board Member of the Department of Labor’s Workforce Initiative Board, and a Member of the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Services and Finance Industries of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce.  She has also served on the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Board of Directors for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

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NSF RFP: Supplement Funding Opportunity for HBCUs

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are a vital asset to the Nation. Through this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the National Science Foundation (NSF) is initiating a pilot program in FY 2016 to strengthen the research capacity at HBCUs. There are 100 accredited HBCUs in the United States, ranging from small regional liberal arts colleges to large research-active universities with comprehensive graduate programs. They include community colleges, four-year institutions, and graduate degree-granting institutions, both private and public. HBCUs comprise about 2.2 percent of all institutions of higher education.

A recent report by the Subcommittee on Advancing Historically Black Colleges and Universities1 of the Advisory Committee of NSF’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) concluded that there are currently three categories of HBCUs in relation to NSF activity: those that have been successful in obtaining funding from the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) directorates, as well as the EHR directorate; those that are in transition to more research-active status, but currently receive the bulk of their funding from EHR, especially the Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP); and those that rarely, if at all, apply for NSF funding. Building on NSF’s existing investments in HBCUs in research, innovation, education and research facilities, through this DCL, NSF strongly encourages faculty at HBCUs to submit proposals aligned with core research programs in the R&RA directorates.

NSF invites proposers from HBCUs to submit supplemental funding requests to HBCU-UP and other awards that would increase research capacity of faculty and postdoctoral fellows in NSF-supported areas of research. Activities may include, but are not limited to: new directions or appropriate extensions of disciplinary-based research activities; salary support for faculty and postdoctoral fellows; equipment and research supplies; and establishment of research collaborations with national laboratories, NSF-funded centers, industry, or research-intensive institutions. Supplemental requests to HBCU-UP Implementation Projects and Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Implementation projects or other awards should express a vision for how this project will strengthen research capacity that can be sustained at the institution and describe which mechanisms will be put in place to assist faculty in becoming more productive researchers in areas supported by NSF.

Additionally, NSF also invites HBCUs to submit EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) proposals to the HBCU-UP program to explore new directions or appropriate extensions of disciplinary-based research activities.

Proposers are invited to use the following mechanisms of support:

  • HBCUs may immediately submit a request for supplemental funding for research to any existing Implementation Project, ACE Implementation Project, Targeted Infusion Project or Research Initiation Award made by the HBCU-UP program or any existing HBCU-Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering (HBCU-RISE) award with an end date beyond FY 2016. Begin the first sentence of the supplemental funding request with: HBCU Supplement.
  • HBCUs may immediately submit a request for supplemental funding to any other existing award that focuses on increasing research capacity of faculty, such as an ADVANCE, Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professorate, Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology, or other research award. Begin the first sentence of the supplement request with: HBCU Supplement.
  • Researchers from HBCUs may also immediately submit EAGER proposals to the HBCU-UP program. Prefix the title with “HBCU: EAGER”.

Additional information about requesting supplemental support is contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Part II: Award and Administration Guide (AAG), Chapter I.E.4 available at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=aag.

EAGER proposals must conform to the guidelines for preparation of such a proposals (including the requirement to discuss the proposal with a program officer prior to submission) as specified in the PAPPG Part I: Grant Proposal Guide, Chapter II.D.2 of the above listed document.

This DCL is expected to be in effect through July 1, 2016. All supplements and EAGERs should be submitted by July 1, 2016.

Proposers are further encouraged to consider the following NSF programs, which have deadlines and other guidance in the links provided:

Questions should be addressed to:

 

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Driving Innovation Together: 2016 Grant Opportunities

Office of Innovation & Improvement

2016 Grants for Innovation

The Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education is running several grant competitions, and we hope you will consider applying.

This week, we launched the seventh and final Investing in Innovation (i3) Development competition for grants up to $3 million/each. This year, we are seeking applications that focus on:

  • Creating new approaches to helping educators implement rigorous standards and assessments;
  • Improving school climates, and developing alternatives to exclusionary school discipline;
  • Fostering racially and socioeconomically diverse schools that close opportunity gaps for underserved students;
  • Partnering with schools in rural areas; and
  • Supporting students’ non-cognitive skills [important work, and we’re not in love with the terminology either!].

Our i3 Development grant partners are discovering better ways of serving students, and we hope you will share your own innovative ideas for teaching and learning through this competition. And please stay tuned for the start of the 2016 i3 Validation and Scale-up competitions that will empower educators with evidence-based tools and strategies for their schools.

Building on last year’s efforts, our team is awarding $160 million to states this year to create and expand new high quality charter schools. Across the nation, our partners in the Charter Schools Program are transforming students’ academic trajectories, and preparing more students to achieve their dreams in college and beyond. We are particularly excited that last year we were able to support the expansion of promising charter management organizations (CMOs) that are early in their growth, and we are eager to continue to do so again this year.

We are also running a $91 million competition for the Magnet Schools Assistance Programs to support theme-based schools that welcome a racially and socioeconomically diverse group of students, and that help ensure that every student has the opportunity to excel academically.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll launch the rest of our grant competitions for the year, which will help create new Promise Neighborhoods in areas of concentrated poverty, teacher preparation programs, and district-level educator support systems.

These competitions are an important tool for helping more students and schools grow and excel, but ultimately, they depend on your great ideas to drive meaningful change. That’s why we’re asking you to consider applying or reaching out to another education leader that should apply.

To learn more about our competitions, check out http://innovation.ed.gov/ or get in touch with us on Twitter at @ED_OII.

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Improving Graduate Student Preparedness for Entering the Workforce, Opportunities for Supplemental Support

NSF has identified improvement in graduate student preparedness for entering the workforce (http://www.performance.gov/node/40262?view=public#apg) as one of its Agency Priority Goals. As part of this goal, supplemental funding is available in FY 2016 and FY 2017 to support science and engineering doctoral students so that they can acquire the knowledge, experience, and skills needed for highly productive careers, inside and outside of academe. NSF currently invests in a number of graduate student preparedness activities, and has historically encouraged investigators to include such activities in proposals. This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) describes a variety of opportunities across the Foundation designed to explore approaches that will position NSF-funded graduate students for success in the 21st century Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce.

NSF will consider support for supplements to existing research awards to enhance professional development opportunities for students in PhD programs as described by each Directorate/Office. These descriptions can be found below. Interested investigators should contact the cognizant program officers listed on the opportunities. Enhanced experience supplements will enable single/collaborative awardees to request appropriate levels of additional support for existing graduate students to acquire professional development experience that will broaden avenues for entering the workforce. These supplements would provide graduate students with the opportunity to augment their research assistantships, and in some cases fellowships and traineeships, with additional “mentoring” activities and short-term training opportunities. Enhanced activities supplements will be available to existing, larger institution-level, “center-like” activities to support cohorts of graduate students with the goal of developing new “best practice activities” for enhancing graduate student preparedness for entering the workforce.

for more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16067/nsf16067.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

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Webinar: Federal Funding Opportunities at the U.S. Department of Education. April 21, 2016 1-3PM EST

The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCU) has been hosting a series of webinars to educate Historically Black Colleges and Universities on the grants and opportunities available to them throughout the federal government.

This month WHIHBCU in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics will co-host a webinar with the U.S. Department of Education on April 21, 2016 from 1:00PM-3:00PM EST.

This webinar will feature a presentation by departmental programs within the U.S. Department of Education highlighting their funding opportunities for HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions(HSIs). Attendees will gain an understanding of how their work and research matches available ED opportunities. Faculty, staff, and administrators from the HBCU and HSI community are invited to view the webinar live and ask questions.

Date: Thursday, April 21, 2016

Time: 1:00 pm, ET

Session number: 740 122 686

Call Information

Toll Free Number: 888-469-2082

Participant passcode: 7794798

To join online:

1. Go to https://educate.webex.com/educate/k2/j.php?MTID=t5a18e9d4c19c3f78785f1d4cc687e3a4

2. Enter your name and email address.

3. Enter the session password: welcome

4. Click “Join Now”. 5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

WebEX technical support — 866-449-0701, option #3

                          We look forward to this webinar!

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Funding Webinar: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency , March 24 1-3PM

On Thursday, March 24, 2016  the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency will conduct a webinar.

This webinar will feature a presentation by Departmental programs for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency highlighting their funding opportunities for HBCUs. Attendees will gain an understanding of how their work and research matches available USDA opportunities. Faculty, staff, and administrators from the HBCU community are invited to view the webinar live and ask questions. Registration information is below.

Date:   Thursday, March 24 

Time:  1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

  1. For the Webinar, navigate to the following url: https://usdard.adobeconnect.com/gbojes/
  2. For Audio Only, Dial into the conference line (888-790-1717) from your phone and provide the access code (66247273)
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Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate – Deadline is June 14, 2016

The National Science Foundation just released a new solicitation for the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program.  AGEP seeks to advance knowledge about models to improve pathways to the professoriate and success for historically underrepresented minority doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty, particularly African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders, in specific STEM disciplines and/or STEM education research fields. New and innovative models are encouraged, as are models that reproduce and/or replicate existing evidence-based alliances in significantly different disciplines, institutions, and participant cohorts.

The AGEP program goal is to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority faculty, in specific STEM disciplines and STEM education research fields, by advancing knowledge about pathways to career success. The program objectives include:  (1) to support the development, implementation and study of innovative models of doctoral education, postdoctoral training, and faculty advancement for historically underrepresented minorities in specific STEM disciplines and/or STEM education research fields and (2) to advance knowledge about the underlying issues, policies and practices that have an impact on the participation, transitions and advancement of historically underrepresented minorities in the STEM academy.

Links to the full solicitation are below.

HTML: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16552/nsf16552.htm?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

PDF: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16552/nsf16552.pdf?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

TXT: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2016/nsf16552/nsf16552.txt?WT.mc_id=USNSF_25&WT.mc_ev=click

 

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