DSU’s HBCU Philanthropy Symposium – article and photos
Delaware State University’s Division of Institutional Advancement held its 14th annual HBCU Philanthropy Symposium from June 30-July 3 in National Harbor, Md.
The four-day event – which attracted officials from 53 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, representatives from Minority-Serving Institutions, and corporate, nonprofit, and federal government entities – was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center.
For images from the HBCU Philanthropy Symposium, click on the below link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48216028@N03/albums/72177720318535198
The annual HBCU Philanthropy Symposium – founded by DSU and Dr. Vita Pickrum, Vice President of Institutional Advancement – brings together a diverse mix of HBCU development and advancement professionals and administrators to share and discuss best practices in fundraising and how to maintain institutional sustainability effectively.
The event’s keynote speaker, U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams, praised the work of the symposium.
“It is no surprise that it takes money to run a college or a university, and lots of it,” Congresswoman Adams said. “So, gathering as you have today, gathering the best and the brightest development and advancement professionals in higher education to discuss best practices guarantees that HBCUs will continue to thrive in the years to come.”
Noting that HBCUs provide the nation with $15 billion in annual economic impact and produce 40% of black engineers and 50% of black lawyers and teachers, Congresswoman Adams said the nation needs to do a better job supporting black colleges and universities. She said that help is especially needed for infrastructure improvements.
“(There are) schools that are over a century old and are still getting by with some of the same facilities that they had when they first opened in the 1800s. And that is unconscionable,” the Congresswoman said. “By my estimation, our schools more than qualify for a face-lift.”
To address that, Congresswoman Adams noted that last spring, she introduced a fuller version of her IGNITE Act, renaming it RE-IGNITE (Realizing Excellence and Institutional Grants, New Infrastructure Technology and Education), to help HBCUs address the historic backlog of needed repairs, renovations, and restoration.
This year, the DSU HBCU Philanthropy Symposium established a Dr. Alma Adams Leadership Award. It honored its first recipient, Dr. Harry L. Williams, CEO and President of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and former President of Delaware State University (2010-2017).
The Symposium presented its annual Advancement Leadership Award to two recipients – Dr. Angela Minniefield, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine, and Rodney Trapp, Vice President of Advancement at the University of the District of Columbia.
The event’s Corporate Partner Award went to the Walt Disney Company.
The Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation also held an HBCU Innovation Winner Competition during the Symposium and awarded the $10,000 first-place prize to Connie L. Cochran, Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations at Texas Southern University, for her submission of “I Love My HBCU Day of Giving.”
Dr. Pickrum was also honored with a proclamation in recognition of her contributions to the HBCU community through her founding and leadership of the annual Philanthropy Symposium.