PURCHASE, NY and WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mastercard and Howard University are pleased to announce today a new dimension to their partnership with a $5 million grant that will support the creation of the Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics (CADSA). The center will position Howard as a major hub of data science research and training for the next generation of data scientists with expertise in how to eliminate biases in AI and foster greater racial equity in credit approval processes.
“Data science touches everything, and it’s going to continue to be increasingly impactful in everything that we do,” said Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D. “We’re grateful for the partnership with Mastercard in enabling us to use data science to answer some of the broader societal questions we believe Howard can significantly impact, including those around health care and economic disparities and the drive for criminal justice reform.”
CADSA is an interdisciplinary hub at Howard University that will include a master’s degree in applied data science and a thought leadership series on racial equity and inclusive growth. Black communities face unique challenges related to both credit fraud and algorithmic bias in credit decisions, and CADSA will conduct research examining how data science can improve the detection of fraudulent credit activity with limited datasets as well as investigate how machine learning can contribute to minimizing racial bias in credit approval processes.
“This problem is critical to address since biases in AI can effectively block access to vital services,” says Salah Goss, senior vice president for Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth, the company’s philanthropic hub that is administering the grant. “Howard University is taking a novel approach to solving this problem by investing in a new generation of professionals who can combat the issue at its source.”
CADSA will launch in the Spring 2022 semester and will prioritize recruitment of tenure-track data science faculty. Through the Data Science Faculty Cluster Hiring Initiative, the University will expand its research and instructional footprint in the areas of minority health and health disparities, social justice, environmental justice and economic empowerment.
Howard University professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and principal investigator of the HU Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Program, William Southerland, Ph.D., will serve as interim director of the center. Housed on Howard University’s campus, CADSA will lead collaboration with other HBCUs to share best practices, curricula and research. It will also partner with other HBCUs across the country and industry leaders, like data.org, on efforts to advance talent development and diversity in the field of data science for social impact.
“Data science occurs when data is converted into useful and actionable knowledge,” said Southerland. “This process works best for societal advancement when data is approached without preconceptions and knowledge is interpreted without bias. That is why diversity in the data science profession is so critically important, and it’s also why this Mastercard-Howard collaboration is destined to be very impactful.”
The $5 million grant to Howard is part of Mastercard’s total $10 million in giving to help historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) close the racial wealth and opportunity gap and create a more inclusive economy, including helping Morehouse College and Spelman College launch the Center for Black Entrepreneurship to further the development of cutting-edge entrepreneurial programming; thought leadership; and networking, academic, and mentorship opportunities for aspiring Black entrepreneurs.
The philanthropic funding, delivered by the Mastercard Impact Fund, is part of Mastercard’s $500 million, five-year In-Solidarity commitment to advance racial equity and economic opportunity through city programs to support Black communities, affordable financial tools and services, and access to capital and resources for Black-owned businesses.
About the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the center on Twitter and LinkedIn and subscribe to its newsletter.
About Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.
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