Dear Friends,

This past week, I hosted the 2019 Arkansas Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Summit in Little Rock to bring business, academic, nonprofit, and government leaders together to promote the value of HBCUs in our state.

It was a pleasure to have Governor Asa Hutchinson, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., United Negro College Fund President Dr. Michael Lomax, and leaders from all four Arkansas HBCUs join me to discuss the long-term growth and sustainability of HBCUs in Arkansas and around the country.

Representatives from Arkansas’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities–Arkansas Baptist College, Philander Smith College, Shorter College, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff–attended the summit to discuss how HBCUs provide a powerful education and workforce development resource in central Arkansas.

(From left to right: Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO, United Negro College Fund; Little Rock Mayor, Frank Scott, Jr.; Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; O. Jerome Green, Esq., President, Shorter College; Congressman French Hill; Regina Favors, President, Arkansas Baptist College; Dr. Roderick Smothers, President, Philander Smith College; Dr. Laurence Alexander, Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Jonathan Holifield, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities)

HBCUs have historically served underprivileged students throughout Arkansas; I believe that mission should continue. Their effort will ultimately be more successful if private establishments, faith-based groups, and public institutions work together to invest in Arkansas students and give them the tools to create a better future for themselves and their communities, which is why forums like this HBCU Summit are so valuable. 

(Participants listen to education leaders during the 2019 Arkansas HBCU Summit at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.)

These schools provide so much hope in Arkansas by improving our local communities, empowering our students, and growing our economy. It is critical that we continue to invest in these students and provide them with a bright future. 

It is my hope that the ideas and strategies shared during this year's HBCU Summit will galvanize our efforts to secure the future of our youth and the institutions that serve them.

Sincerely,