WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) convened thirty of its member-school Presidents and Chancellors from the nation’s publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) on
March 28-29, 2023 in Washington D.C.
The annual event included sessions on the TMCF value proposition, HBCU sustainability, capacity-building opportunities, and the advocacy agenda for our nation’s HBCUs, PBIs, and their students.
Day one of the Fly-In was kicked off with morning sessions in the Capitol Visitors Center featuring a conversation with House and Senate Appropriations Committee staff members to discuss the appropriations process and guide the Presidents and Chancellors on the earmark
process. Following the appropriations session, the Presidents and Chancellors participated in a roundtable discussion with Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about how the federal government could best help to support our and their students.
Following the morning session, we transitioned to the Hart Senate Office Building for the Annual HBCU Presidents and Chancellors Fly-In program hosted by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). A video message from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened the event.
Among some of the members who addressed the HBCU presidents during the luncheon was Senator Ralphael Warnock (D-GA), Senator Tommy Tubberville (R-AL), Senator Ted Budd (R-NC), Senator Katie Britt (R-AL), John Boozman (R-AR) and HBCU Caucus Co-Chair and
Founder Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC).
The event also included a keynote address by Carla Hyden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, who is also the first woman and African-American to hold the position. A meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his staff was followed by the program hosted by
Senator Tim Scott.
TMCF ended its time at the Capitol by hosting a reception that featured remarks by House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), House Education Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Bi-Partisian HBCU Caucus
Founder and Chairwoman Congresswoman Alma Adam (D-NC), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Congresswoman Shiela Jackson-Lee (D-TX).
On the second day, HBCU presidents gathered at the Business Roundtable for strategic planning, learning, and creating federal engagement at HBCUs. Two highlights were listening to a dynamic presentation from author and journalist Adam Harris on his book “The State Must Provide,” which highlighted the history and potential path forward for advocacy on the issue. This presentation was followed by a session hosted by the Dr. N.Joyce Payne Center for Social Justice, featuring a conversation with state lawmakers and issue area experts on the strategies to engage state legislators on increasing appropriations to HBCUs and correcting historical inequities.
TIAA CEO & President Thasunda Brown Duckett was part of a fireside chat with Williams. Duckett’s motivational message to the HBCU presidents helped them return to their respective campuses with a more definite purpose. Duckett spoke on the themes of the power of advocacy and information. She encouraged everybody to continue leading joyfully and showed the group what outcomes look like when caring about people.
The fly-in was concluded by a series of sessions that highlighted the work being done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Education to increase federal engagement with HBCUs, including programs to further build research capacity at HBCUs, opportunities for faculty to be engaged with each agency and progress that is being made to effectuate the HBCU PARTNERS Act to increase engagement with federal agencies across the board.