UNCF has announced plans to partner with Deloitte Digital for a new online platform tailored to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for community learning.

Supported by more than $10 million in funding from the Lilly Endowment and the Karsh Family, Citi, Bill & Melinda Gates, and Bank of America Charitable foundations, the HBCUv platform will provide remote education, community engagement, and career pathways to students seeking an HBCU education. The platform will include tools and technology to help students with career planning and degree program matching. In addition, it will use machine learning and big data to fuel predictive analytics on student performance and provide real-time feedback to instructors as well as serve as a social platform for students across the HBCU network to connect.

To date, UNCF has partnered with nine HBCUs—Benedict College, Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Dillard University, Jarvis Christian College, Johnson C. Smith University, Lane College, Shaw University, and Talladega College—to develop and pilot HBCUv. This year, more than 8,000 students enrolled at participating HBCUs will have the ability to cross-register for and take credit-bearing courses online through the platform. As the platform grows, UNCF plans to include more HBCU students and institutions. 

“This isn’t just about getting more classes online, it’s about providing a safe space for Black joy and expression, giving students an opportunity to find their ‘tribe’ of people, and inspiring students of all ages by showing them Black leaders who are part of the same HBCU legacy,” said Julian Thompson, director of strategy for UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building. “HBCUv will do this by embedding the culture, community, and commitment to Black excellence embodied by HBCUs into a unique online experience that will form the foundation of the future of Black education.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Drazen Zigic)