By April Lanux

Today’s student bodies at HBCUs boast considerable diversity.

Why is it that people assume that Historically White Institutions are diverse, yet in the same breath assume that Historically Black Institutions are not? And, when I say people—I mean all kinds of people—of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. If you take a look at the nation's Historically White Institutions (HWIs), you'll find that most are not that diverse unless they are located in urban areas.

These institutions, although legally no longer segregated, are far from integrated—especially the more elite, selective institutions. If you look at the faculty of HWIs, it is not heavily integrated. Most tenured faculty members are still White and male.

However, if you look closely at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), you'll find student bodies that boast considerable diversity—especially if you examine the public HBCUs. According to statistics gathered by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, for example, 8 percent of public HBCU student enrollment is White, 2 percent is Latino and 1 percent is Asian. Of note, over the past 30 years, Latinos have increased their presence at HBCUs by 124 percent.

Moreover, the faculty at HBCUs, both public and private institutions, has always been diverse. HBCUs have opened their doors to the best faculty regardless of racial or ethnic background and continue to do so. Among HBCUs, Blacks (including Africans and Caribbeans as well as African Americans) make up roughly 60 percent of the faculty, with Whites accounting for 30 percent and Latinos and Asians the remaining 10 percent. It would be very hard to find this kind of diversity at most HWIs.

Yet, time and time again, HBCUs are looked upon as "segregated" environments that don't represent the "real world." If you have been studying the projected Census data, you know that HBCUs now represent the very real world of the future. By 2020, the percentage of people of color in our country will be 40 percent and by 2040 the percentage will increase to 50 percent. HBCUs are preparing students for a very realistic world.

In order to counter misconceptions, HBCU leaders must promote the diversity on their campuses. This is ever more important given falling enrollments at some HBCUs. Many students of various racial and ethnic backgrounds could benefit from the nurturing, yet challenging environments at HBCUs as well as the lower tuition. Some worry that becoming more diverse will dilute the "HBCUness" of HBCUs—true, but I doubt that diluting will take place to any great extent. Culture runs deep and traditions can be maintained with effort. Just look at the nation's Historically White Institutions—many have "integrated" but continue to, unfortunately, hold fast to only the culture on which they were founded. I have a feeling that HBCUs can maintain diversity—and thrive from it.

By April Lanux

CertificationPoint currently provides college students nationwide with a viable resource to gain real-world experience irrespective of their career field with an initial focus on individual and small group coverage. The premise here is that closing the knowledge-to-experience gaps will assist in each student becoming more confident and self-sufficient and achieve maximum benefit from the program while completing college courses.

An overall benefit of this program is in assisting college students to find their future career field of interest sooner through completion of real-world STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) assignments in which they are also earning income. STEM-related paid work projects is currently a standalone course offered at colleges by CertificationPoint, but awarded work projects from our website can also be injected into college coursework by instructors as a graded group project.

At this time most colleges offer internships, online continuing education courses, service learning partnerships with businesses, and student work study. The Career Gateway Path Program offers a combination all the aforementioned programs. The Career Gateway Path Program runs 5-6 weeks, within a mentor-led group setting, at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester.

The beauty of the Career Gateway Path Program lies in helping students to learn to sell themselves to prospective real-world clients via RFP's and project bid submissions. Once awarded a project work tasking, in a mentored group setting, the students complete their various roles in the project and at completion the approved business partner submits payment to the group through the CertificationPoint payment gateway. A client review, group-based peer review, and a lesson's learned submission by each student is initiated following the completion of a work project. The review information collected is databased and made available to students nationally to use for future projects.

Another offering that the Career Gateway Path Program provides is the ability for intra-regional collaborative project opportunities. The collaborative capability is only provided regionally at this point in time. An cross-regional initiative which allows students to engage with students at other colleges to complete a prospective business client's project is in the works. (example: Bossier Parish Community College/UCLA/Ohio State Univ. project collaboration).

The Career Gateway Preparatory Program program serves as a way of connecting college students with local, national and global businesses as well as a way for students to gain real-world experience. All work projects will have a qualified project manager and mentor to ensure both jobs and projects meet the required objectives of the businesses involved. Building trust between college students and hiring businesses is important when it comes to allowing students to complete business projects and CertificationPoint has a great working model. CertificationPoint, via the CGPP, will continue to help college students develop real-world knowledge in our defined list of important skill areas.

This is a patented SaaS platform which has received venture funding and currently awaiting federal level funding. Once a student has completed the program they are able to continue working through the site for future for-pay projects as a college professional. A major gain for the student is the additional depth of tangible resume experience and gained networking opportunities while in college.

As they say give a person a fish and they'll eat for a day, teach a person to fish and they'll eat for a lifetime. Ask your college about enrolling in the Career Gateway Path Program (CGPP) today! Colleges wishing to participate in this program, please contact us at: subscription@certificationpoint.org