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Corporate Life
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: AMERICA’S HBCUS
By editors@ccgmag.com
HBCU Engineering deans pose with industry and government partners in AMIE during the 2015 BEYA STEM Conference. The Council of
Engineering Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities convened its annual discussion with business and industry leaders at
the Black Engineer of the Year Awards conference in February.
The round table of the
15-member Council of
Engineering Deans at the
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities is where educators,
industry, and business find common
cause at the Black Engineer of the
Year Awards STEM Conference.
During the meeting this February,
the audience deep dived into
the ecosystem andpipelines that
historically Black college and
universities are fostering through
initiatives and program outreach to
federal agencies, driving innovation
and next generation development.
Here are excerpts from the discussion.
John James, the sharp-shooting, straighttalking
executive director of the Missile Defense
Agency (MDA) couldn’t be more direct.
A student at the 2015 BEYA STEM Career
Fair had walked up to him and asked for
an internship. Sadly, he had to tell him that the
Department of Defense section responsible for
developing a defense against ballistic missiles
didn’t have one.
“I helped to put one in place at MAPC but
there’s not one at MDA. I’m going to get one in
place,” he said.
Internship programs provide college and
graduate students with paid opportunities to work
in federal agencies. The intern’s work is related
to their field of study or career goals. Each
John James, Executive Director,
Missile Defense Agency
agency decides how many interns they will hire.
Getting a more diverse workforce has become
important to the Department of Defense (DOD), James said.
www.blackengineer.com
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