COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy allenuniversity.edu) — Google has announced 16 new schools are joining its Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program, including Allen University and South Carolina State University in South Carolina. Through a $1 million investment in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the program provides digital skills workshops in HBCU career centers to help Black students prepare for the workforce. Announced in October, the initiative’s goal is to reach 20,000 students during the current school year. Today’s announcement brings the number of participating schools to a total of 20, and the program will be available to all HBCUs by fall 2021.

“Google believes investing in HBCU students strengthens the future workforce and increases economic opportunity,” said Bonita Stewart, vice president for Global Partnerships at Google and Howard University alumna. “We’re proud to expand our Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to reach more HBCU students with the digital skills they need to thrive in the workforce.”

TMCF—the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community—has a track record of successfully connecting HBCU students with scholarships, training and jobs as they navigate college and careers. Its long history of on-the-ground work ensures the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program is tailored to meet student needs.

“I am thrilled that the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness program is coming to Allen and South Carolina State Universities,” said House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn. “These partnerships will enable students to gain the necessary skills to ensure their equal access to workforce opportunities. I applaud Google and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for investing in historically underfunded HBCUs, which will guarantee their students’ inclusion in the highly-skilled, diverse workforce of the future.”

Started October 2020, the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program provides HBCU career centers with funding and a semester-long in-person and online digital skills program. The program combines existing Grow with Google workshops with custom job seeker content for Black students, including design thinking, project management, and professional brand building. TMCF, which is contributing to the program’s design, will work with HBCU career centers to onboard the program.

This $1 million Grow with Google investment is part of a $15 million commitment to upskill Black workers. Announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai last June, the investment aims to help Black job seekers learn new skills in partnership with national workforce development organizations.

“A central part of the mission of TMCF is to prepare the next generation of workforce talent. Our partnership with Google enables this mission and ensures students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities are positioned to compete for meaningful careers”, said Dr. Harry L. Williams, President and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Grow with Google is Google’s initiative to create economic opportunities for all by providing free tools and training. Since 2017, the program has trained more than five million Americans on digital skills. The Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program builds on the company’s ongoing investments in HBCU students. Since 2013, the Google In Residence program has placed Google software engineers at HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as faculty. The company also hosts Tech Exchange, a virtual student exchange program that teaches HBCU and HSU students applied computer science courses.

Please click here to learn more about the Grow with Google’s HBCU Career Readiness program.

ABOUT GROW WITH GOOGLE
Grow with Google was started in 2017 to help Americans grow their skills, careers and businesses. It provides free training, tools, and expertise to help small business owners, veterans and military families, jobseekers and students, educators, startups, and developers. Since Grow with Google’s inception, it has helped more than five million Americans grow their skills, careers and businesses. Grow with Google has created a network of more than 7,500 partner organizations like libraries, schools, small business development centers, chambers of commerce and nonprofits to help people coast-to-coast.

ABOUT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND
Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, enrolling nearly 80% of all students attending black colleges and universities. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the PK-12 and higher education space. The organization is also the source of top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs. TMCF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable organization. For more information about TMCF, visit: tmcf.org.

ANDERSON, S.C. (courtesy andersonuniversity.edu) — Women are increasingly entering science-related fields, but are still underrepresented in the big picture.

That’s part of the reason International Day of Women and Girls in Science exists. A United Nations initiative, it seeks to highlight the need for gender equality in the sciences.

Dr. Lindsey Cain, chair of Physical Sciences in the Anderson University College of Arts and Sciences, is grateful to have grown up with a “can-do” attitude and an opportunity to cultivate an interest in science early in life.

“I kind of grew up with this attitude of ‘I can do anything the boys can do.’ I played baseball with the boys until I was about 10 years old; I always felt that if they could do it, I could do it,” Dr. Cain said. As a third-grader, Cain remembered Project Challenge, a science initiative that took her beyond what girls her age would normally experience at the time.

“I got to dissect a chicken and had to learn the Periodic Table of the Elements,” Cain said. “I actually had to get in front of the class and they would call out the name of the element and I would tell them the symbol. I had one of the toy microscopes and would go out into the yard and get different samples.”

In high school, Cain developed a love for chemistry and went on to major in the subject in college.

Cain, along with Dr. Joni Criswell and Dr. Jessica Nicks, helps to coordinate “It’s a Girl Thing,” where the College of Arts and Sciences works with Anderson District 5 and McCants Middle School. The grant-funded project aims to attract girls into a STEM field. Cain said that AU science majors would visit McCants Middle sixth-graders to do science activities. Female AU students would work with more than 40 McCants Middle girls, breaking up into groups and performing dissections and other science experiments.

The students would also hear from a guest speaker. One year, she says, the director of PAWS in Anderson came and sparked a lot of interest in veterinary medicine. They also heard from Dr. Nnenna Igwe from the Anderson University Center for Medical Simulations.

“You would expect girls to get grossed out by nasty stuff,” Dr. Cain said. “We had some dissection trays set up. They loved that kind of stuff, dissecting a cow eyeball and other animals.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic Cain says they were unable to return to McCants Middle, but she hopes to return soon and resume the program.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy benedict.edu) — Benedict College has been selected as one of eight HBCUs nationally for the 2021 HBCU Cultural Heritage Stewardship Initiative Grants offered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Initiative seeks to provide technical assistants, fund new Cultural Heritage Stewardship Plans, and empower HBCU with the resources to protect, preserve, and leverage their historic campuses, buildings, and landscapes.

“We are grateful to the HBCU Cultural Stewardship Initiative for their generous $65,000 award. This grant will support the ongoing transformation of Benedict’s 150-year old campus. We are working diligently to renovate and preserve all of our historic buildings,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, Benedict College president and CEO. “ This innovative program and the funding awarded as a result thereof, helps to preserve the unique and important legacy of HBCUs and will ensure that Duckett Hall will serve as a symbol of pride for generations of future Benedict Tigers.”

Benedict College, founded in 1870, will use the funding to develop a stewardship plan for Duckett Hall (1925). The stewardship plan will prioritize Duckett Hall’s repair and guide Benedict College’s future preservation efforts. In 1870, Benedict College was built to educate newly emancipated slaves after the Reconstruction Era. The College served as the center of black activities before desegregation.

The historic resource, Duckett Hall, is of great significance to Richland County, Columbia, the state of South Carolina, and the nation. It is one of five buildings in the college’s Historic District.

Built in 1925, Duckett Hall is a three-story brick building with a tipped roof.

The building’s façade has a central pavilion topped by a parapet. Decorative elements include the cornice with modillions and plain frieze, row-lock arch and panel brick door surround, and central bays separated by brick pilasters with Ionic capitals, resting upon a broad belt course that separates the first and second stories. The windows have twelve-over-twelve panes and are capped by flat arches.

Duckett Hall, designed by noted South Carolina architect James B. Urquhart, is one of the oldest buildings in the Benedict College Historic District. The building was named in honor of Professor Thomas L. Duckett, a devoted faculty member, and it served as the science building until 1966.

Professor Duckett, a native of Newberry, South Carolina, enrolled at Benedict College as a high school student in 1897 and was hired to teach biology following his graduation in 1905. He organized the first science division at the College and served as secretary of the faculty for many years. The building now houses the Tyrone A. Burroughs School of Business & Entrepreneurship, which welcomes over 300 students or 17% of the student population.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (courtesy charlestonsouthern.edu) — Charleston Southern University intends to resume on-campus, in-person instruction for the fall 2021 semester. According to the University Pandemic Task Force, evidence from this year’s careful adherence to classroom health protocols shows CSU classrooms among the safest spaces on campus. In fact, there are zero cases on campus at this time (Feb. 22).

“With our campus community adhering to our BUCSAFE protocols, the number of active cases as well as the number quarantining due to exposure remains low. Once the COVID-19 vaccine is available to the general public by the summer, we can anticipate a return to academic and student life activities more closely resembling the traditional college experience in the fall,” COVID-19 Infection Control Coordinator Laurel Glover said.

The summer sessions will remain a time of transition back to the traditional college experience. Further information on course schedules and offerings will be released at a later date.

“Because of God’s faithfulness and the resilience of our Buccaneer family, we have weathered the pandemic storm and will continue to adjust our sails to stay on course,” said President Dondi Costin. “I’m grateful for each one of our students, faculty and staff who have done what it takes to keep CSU moving in the right direction. With God’s help, we are making our way to the first of May and know that the best is yet to come.”

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (courtesy claflin.edu) — Due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Claflin Presidential Scholarship Gala has been rescheduled for Fall 2021 during Homecoming Weekend.

Initially, the Presidential Scholarship Gala was to be held virtually on February 19, 2021. However, the Presidential Scholarship Gala Planning Committee agreed that it is best to reschedule this event due to the attention and resources dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of the campus community as the university begins the 2021 spring semester. This includes COVID-19 testing for all students, faculty, and staff and following state and federal COVID-19 guidelines related to sanitizing buildings and facilities.

The gala is one of the region’s premier cultural, entertainment, and social events. Proceeds from this fundraiser supports scholarships for Presidential Scholars, high-achieving high school graduates who receive tuition, campus housing and other support because of their outstanding academic accomplishments and leadership skills. They are also members of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College.

Rescheduling the gala will allow the university to appropriately highlight and provide the recognition that Presidential Scholars, donors, and other supporters truly deserve. It may also allow for an in-person event based on the status of the pandemic and recommendations by public health officials.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (courtesy coker.edu) — Coker University has appointed Carolyn Hart, Ph.D., as dean of nursing. Dr. Hart will develop and launch the institution’s inaugural bachelor’s degree in nursing program, which is planned to start in the fall of 2022, pending approval from the South Carolina Board of Nursing.

“Coker University is happy to have Dr. Carolyn Hart on board to lead our bachelor’s of nursing program,” says Coker University President Natalie Harder. “Dr. Hart’s career has centered on student success and her track record in building strategic partnerships, both inside and outside higher education, will strengthen Coker and the Pee Dee region overall.”

In her new role as dean of nursing, Dr. Hart will provide collaborative leadership as the university establishes its bachelor’s degree in nursing program. In addition, she will work alongside Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center and other health care providers to establish clinical sites and partnership initiatives. She will secure external funding from federal agencies, corporations, foundations, and interested donors to support the program. In addition to teaching courses, Dr. Hart will plan and develop program policies and its curriculum.

Before coming to Coker, Dr. Hart was the chair of nursing at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla., where she provided leadership within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences on all nursing academic programs. Prior to her position at Barry University, she was associate dean of academic affairs and chief nursing administrator at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. Throughout her career, Dr. Hart has strongly supported student-centered learning, student access, and student success initiatives, all of which complement Coker University’s mission. Her areas of specialization include leadership, program development, and student persistence.

Dr. Hart received her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, an M.S.N. in nursing education from South University (Florida), and a B.S.N. from Chamberlain University (Missouri).

COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy columbiasc.edu) — With the support of a Social Justice Fund grant from Colonial Life and its parent company Unum, Columbia College President Dr. Tom Bogart announced the establishment of the Institute for Building Resilience through Trauma-Informed Practices.

“Organizations are seeking innovative ways to address systemic racism, economic equity, criminal justice, and educational opportunity. For Columbia College, we have chosen to focus on building resilience through trauma-informed practices—an area of expertise for the past several years,” said Bogart

The goals of the Institute for Building Resilience through Trauma-Informed Practices include:

• Offering relevant and rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs in education, social work, criminal justice, nursing, health care, business and the arts
• Providing training programs on building resilience through trauma-informed practices for business, industry, health care, and nonprofit organizations
• Conducting research on the implementation of trauma-informed practices that build resilience and publishing the Journal of Trauma-Informed Practices
• Serving as an advocate and resource for including trauma-informed training that builds resilience in schools, organizations and communities across the state and the nation.

Alana Stroker, Program Director for Corporate Responsibility at Unum and Colonial Life, complimented Columbia College. “We are excited to support this innovative new institute because it is addressing root causes of racism and racial inequality with a planning grant. We see tremendous potential for Columbia College and its Institute to train teachers and health care professionals to build resilience in our children through trauma-informed practices.”

Dean of the Education Division, Dr. Tracy West, added, “This fall, the College offered an M.Ed. in Trauma-Informed Education (TIE) to equip teachers, school administrators, school counselors and social workers with the knowledge and skills to address the pervasive problem of children from trauma-impacted families and neighborhoods, a problem dramatically exacerbated by the spread of COVID-19.”

The TIE program enrolled 50 students during its first cohort through word-of-mouth and social media advertising. This overwhelmingly positive response convinced the College that building resilience through trauma-informed practices holds great promise and was the catalyst for the creation of the Institute for Building Resilience through Trauma-Informed Practices.

Dr. Shirley Huisman, assistant professor of social work, assumed the role of facilitator to develop the new Institute, and worked with President Emeritus Peter T. Mitchell on the design of the Institute. “There is not an area of human life that is untouched by trauma. Trauma is underdiagnosed, undertreated and overrepresented in vulnerable populations. In K-12, higher education and in the workforce, lingering effects of trauma emerge as obstacles to success and worse, as reasons for failure. The Institute will help children and adults build resilience through applying proven trauma-informed practices,” Huisman noted.

President Emeritus Mitchell highlighted the ambitious vision for the Institute, “To serve as a national advocate, resource and model for applying trauma-informed practices to build resilience and thereby improve the quality of life for tens of millions of people who have experienced trauma.”

President Bogart concluded, “The Institute for Building Resilience through Trauma-Informed Practices is a dynamic alignment of the strengths of Columbia College in this field with the importance of addressing the root causes of many problems facing our state and nation. We are grateful to Unum and Colonial Life for underwriting the planning for the Institute.”