| Media Advisory |
UNCF Hosting 2nd Annual UNITE Summit for Black Higher Education in Atlanta
1,000 expected including more than 40 HBCU presidents and 70 PBI officials discussing HBCU and PBI transformation and recent Supreme Court rulings
WHAT: It will be the largest event focusing on HBCUs since the recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and President Biden’s student debt relief plan. The second annual UNCF (United Negro College Fund) UNITE Summit on Delivering the Promise of Black Higher Education is the nation’s premier annual gathering of educators, college and university presidents, students, thought leaders and influencers, to discuss strategies to accelerate Black higher education and support the institutional transformation of Black colleges and universities.
UNITE is organized annually by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, whose mission is to partner with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) to help them propel student success, community impact and the advancement of educational equity and racial justice.
The conference will feature speakers and attendees from across the higher education spectrum with the goal of building connections and transforming institutions. UNCF is in the unique position to centralize and elevate the messages that will come out of the conference – Black colleges and universities uniting around a comprehensive strategy of institutional transformation and continuous improvement.
WHO: With more than 1,000 participants, including more than 40 HBCU presidents, expected to attend, there are also several national leaders in Black higher education and other industries speaking during the summit, such as:
- Johnnetta Betsch Cole, president emerita, Spelman College and Bennett College
- Randall Woodfin, mayor, City of Birmingham, Alabama
- Cynthia Jackson Hammond, president, Council for Higher Education Accreditation
- Donald Murphy, CEO and managing associate, The Wesley Peachtree Group
- Duwain Pinder, founder, McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility
- Henry McKoy, director, Office of State and Community Energy Programs, United States Department of Energy
- Courtland Cox, board chairman, SNCC Legacy Project
- Karenga Rausch, president and CEO, National Association of Charter School Authorizers
- Kenita Williams, COO, Southern Education Foundation
- Kwesi Mitchell, chief purpose officer, Deloitte
- Stephanie Khurana, CEO, Axim Collaborative
WHY: The theme for UNITE “Delivering on the Promise of Black Higher Education,”
will focus on the increased investments in HBCUs and how UNCF and its
partners have maximized them to improve operational effectiveness and accelerate
innovation at HBCUs and PBIs.
UNITE is designed to reach across traditional lines of responsibility and present 360
degree views of key issues in higher education, including five Guiding Pillars – institutional
excellence, student success, research and innovation, economic mobility and systems
change – that support advancing the missions of Black colleges and universities and
strengthening Black higher education.
WHEN & WHERE: July 16-20
Hyatt Regency Atlanta
265 Peachtree St.
Atlanta, GA 30303
To learn more about UNITE 2023, visit: www.uncfunite.org.
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About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
