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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks by J. Brady Anderson,
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
USAID Administrator
Wednesday September 20, 2000
Thank you, Singleton, and good morning to you all. I am honored to be with you today. I want to say to Catherine LeBlanc, Sterling Henry, their staff, and to President Clinton's Board of Directors of the White House Initiative on HBCUs that I am pleased that you provided me with another opportunity to meet and talk with our friends and partners from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Some of you may recall that last year during HBCU Week I had the opportunity to make some brief remarks at a luncheon held at the State Department. I had been on the job as Administrator of USAID for only six weeks. On that occasion, I told you that we at USAID are proud of our long partnership with HBCUs, which goes back more than forty years. After a full year in this position, I want you to know today that I am even more proud of the state of our partnership now than I was last year. USAID funding has been utilized to involve HBCUs in partnership activities with institutions of higher education in a number of countries in which USAID has programs, activities and staff.
Before I mention my reasons for being so proud of the state of USAID's partnership with HBCUs, I need to thank a few organizations and individuals that have helped to make USAID and me very proud. First let me thank Singleton McAllister and the Minority Serving Institutions Committee she chairs. Ms. McAllister and the Minority Serving Institutions staff and Committee have been doing a wonderful job of providing USAID and me with policy advice, guidance and recommendations on how USAID can increase the participation of HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions. One of the many recommendations made by this group was that USAID produce a video which informs people about the contributions that HBCUs and other MSIs are making in the international development arena. The video project has been completed, we have seen it, and I was very impressed with the way it informed people about the international development work of MSIs.
Let me also thank Dr. Shelby Lewis, Dr. Kathie Golden and The College Fund/UNCF. They administer two programs which have served to involve HBCUs through partnerships with other institutions of higher education utilizing USAID funding: the International Development Partnerships program, or IDP; and the Tertiary Education Linkages Project, which is more commonly referred to as TELP. I also have to thank Dr. Joan Claffey and the Association of Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development for their work in providing opportunities for HBCUs and other U.S. institutions of higher education to receive USAID funding for linkage grant activities. And last but not least, I want to thank the staff members in the Center for Human Capacity Development in USAID's Global Bureau, and USAID's mission in South Africa, that are responsible for managing the IDP, TELP, and ALO programs. The reason I can be proud of USAID's partnership with HBCUs is because of the work of these organizations and individuals that administer and manage these programs.
Over the past 18 months, USAID funding has made it possible for 21 linkage grants with a total value of nearly $5.8 million to be awarded to 15 HBCUs. Today, I want to recognize the work being done by these HBCUs under the linkage grant activities awarded under the IDP, TELP, and ALO programs. One of the criteria for receiving funding under these programs is that the work to be performed under the activity has to be consistent with the strategic objectives of the USAID mission in the country they are working. Since these linkage grant activities will help USAID missions around the world achieve their strategic objectives this truly makes the HBCUs involved in such activities "Partners in Development" with USAID.
This morning, I have the pleasure of presenting USAID Partnership Awards to each HBCU that is currently engaged in a linkage grant activity under IDP, TELP or ALO programs. As I call the name of each HBCU, I would like for the President, or his or her designee, to come forward to receive their USAID Partnership Award:
- Coppin State College
- Grambling State University
- Hampton University
- Howard University
- Langston University
- Mississippi Consortium for International Development
- Savannah State University
- Southern University System
- Tennessee State University
- Texas Southern University
- Tuskegee University
- University of Maryland - Eastern Shore
- Virginia State University
- West Virginia State College
And today, ladies and gentlemen, I have the pleasure of not only presenting a Partnership Award to Florida A&M University, but I can also announce to you that USAID has just awarded a cooperative agreement to Florida A&M University, in cooperation with the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, for a distance education program which will enable African students to earn doctoral degrees in several technical areas. Therefore, I present this ceremonial check, in the amount of $700,000, to Florida A&M University.
Please join me in a round of applause to congratulate all of our awardees.
As I said last year, the genius of USAID's partnership with HBCUs is that our activities with HBCUs benefit three groups - our own historically black institutions, in this country - people and institutions all around the world - and USAID. There are only winners in this partnership.
I want to reiterate that I believe in the HBCU programs, and I want to assure you that we at USAID are proud of the work of all of you who help make these programs so meaningful. We value our long-time partnership with the HBCU Community, and I anticipate that it will grow even stronger and more productive in the years to come.
I am sure that the International Workshop sessions that will be held immediately following this breakfast on the campus of the University of the District of Columbia will provide valuable information for all of you in developing partnership activities for your institutions.
Thank you for joining us for breakfast and God bless all of you and the work of your institutions.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
