On Thursday, Nov. 13 the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) announced what can be a big push towards getting more students attending a public historically black college or university (HBCU) on online courses with its new partnership with the University of Phoenix.
TMCF President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. commented on the “important” new alliance with the university that graduates the most minority students and the new online capabilities offered by University of Phoenix, saying, “Using technology to improve educational outcomes is a must today; and we are excited about the opportunity to partner with University of Phoenix on this innovative solution to help HBCUs offer online courses.”
“HBCUs look to TMCF for new opportunities and solutions like this to assist them with building their capacity as they continue to serve the students matriculating on their campuses,” he said. “This opportunity will give HBCUs access to online learning not previously available.”
Taylor impressively seems to be leading the TMCF to new grounds and is resilient in obtaining scholarships and grants for HBCU students during a time when HBCU leaders at some of the nation’s Black colleges complain about a lack of federal government grants and unfair treatment given by the Obama administration.
In October the Department of Education allotted federal support to universities and colleges nationwide in a pioneering $171 million effort to help increase professional development of low-income and minority students in S.T.E.M.
Just three HBCUs, however: Fayetteville State University, Prairie View A&M University and Hampton University, as a whole received $3 million in grants.
But despite all the emphasis on scarce federal support, the “scandalous” $25 million Koch brothers grant given to TMCF in June, and the uncertain future of HBCUs Taylor remains more than just a man who gets the job done.
He is “Changing the World … One Leader at a Time.”
“We’re proud to offer more scholarships and grants for nontraditional students as part of this new alliance, and we are thrilled to join the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in helping more HBCU students reach graduation,” said Timothy P. Slottow, President of University of Phoenix. “We are eager to help HBCU institutions expand their online education capabilities. It is an honor to help fulfill our mission by partnering with our nation’s vitally important Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”
