At Bennett College, Congresswoman Alma Adams & Education Secretary Arne Duncan Hold Roundtable With 12th District HBCU Presidents & Representatives
Greensboro, N.C. – Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) and the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan today met with presidents, chancellors, and representatives from North Carolina's 12th Congressional District's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The purpose of the round table was to hear directly from local HBCUs about the issues impacting their schools.
"HBCUs have long been a top priority for me, which is why I launched the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus," said Congresswoman Adams. "Secretary Duncan has remained a strong supporter of our students and institutions of higher learning; and I am happy he was able to hear first-hand from the HBCUs in North Carolina's 12th District. I look forward to working with the administration and my colleagues in Congress, to ensure our HBCUs are not left out of important higher education conversations."
There are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States, with five HBCUs in North Carolina's 12th District. HBCUs enroll more than 300,000 students every year and graduate 25 percent of African American students in the growing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) sectors.
During today's round table, Congresswoman Adams and Secretary Duncan met with presidents, chancellors and representatives from Livingstone College, Bennett College, Winston Salem State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Johnson C. Smith University.
Congresswoman Adams is the co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus and member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee; and Subcommittee on Higher Education. The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus is currently comprised of 50 Members of Congress. The mission of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus is to promote and protect the interest of HBCUs by creating a national dialogue; educating Members of Congress and their staffs about the issues impacting HBCUs; drafting meaningful bipartisan legislation to address the needs of HBCUs; and supporting students and graduates of HBCUs by increasing access and career opportunities.