The Indianapolis-based Strada Education Network has announced a $25 million partnership with twenty-eight historically Black colleges and universities in support of experiential learning and leadership development.

Developed over the past year through discussions with an advisory council of seven current and former HBCU presidents and with dozens of institutions to identify needs and opportunities to accelerate economic mobility for HBCU students, the initiative will support leadership development programs as well as scholarships and other financial assistance. It also will help students explore graduate schools, prepare to launch their careers, or build professional networks. Rather than creating a new program, the initiative will augment existing programs by providing experiences that match a student's academic learning with career goals and leadership aspirations.

Participating HBCUs include Alabama State University (Montgomery), Bowie State University (Bowie, Maryland), Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina), Florida A&M University (Tallahassee), Livingstone College (Salisbury, North Carolina), and Texas Southern University (Houston).

"After consistently demonstrating strong ROI and accelerated economic and social mobility outcomes for our students, the HBCU community stands together in this critical moment of opportunity," said Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University and incoming chair of the President's Board of Advisors on HBCUs. "Now is a time like no other to build sustainable equity in our institutions — equity that recognizes the collective talent and promise of the more than three hundred and fifty thousand students we graduate each year, along with the $15 billion in economic impact and the hundred and thirty-four thousand jobs we provide to our local communities. Strada has taken the time to listen and now is helping us do something more, advancing our students by providing the leadership and capacity building needed to prepare the next generation of global citizens."

For a complete list of participating HBCUs, see the Strada Education Network website.

(Image credit: Strada Education Network)