Washington, D.C. – January 26, 2017 – Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) and Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, praised the creation of the new Center for Advancing Opportunity.
The Center for Advancing Opportunity will focus on expanding educational, social, and economic opportunities for fragile communities through original research and direct engagement with residents.
The Center is a project of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and is supported by a $25.6 million gift from the Charles Koch Foundation.
Adams said: “I applaud Thurgood Marshall College Fund for their continued investment in HBCUs. Under Johnny C. Taylor’s leadership, TMCF has continued to expand programming and available resources to HBCUs and their students. On behalf of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, we look forward to continuing to partner with TMCF to advance HBCU opportunities in the 115th Congress.”
Byrne said: “I applaud Thurgood Marshall College Fund for their continued efforts to expand opportunity and support our nation’s HBCUs. Far too many barriers stand in the way of Americans as they work to achieve their dreams. HBCUs can and should play an important role in studying and addressing the wide range of issues limiting opportunity. Ultimately, organizations like the Center for Advancing Opportunity are exactly the type of efforts we need to support in order to make progress in our push to expand opportunity.”
According to Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Center for Advancing Opportunity will focus on five major areas:
- Original Research: supporting faculty at HBCUs working to develop research centers studying critical issues
- Scholarships: awarding scholarships to HBCU students pursuing careers in education, sociology, economic, and criminal justice research and fellowships that will allow graduate researchers to study and research issues related to barriers to opportunity
- On-Campus Programing: supporting HBCU faculty working to bring speakers such as entrepreneurs, educators, and economists to campus to facilitate conversations for students about removing barriers and advancing opportunity
- Research and Polling: partnering with Gallup to create an opportunity index that will capture real sentiments of individuals living in fragile communities and foster public dialogue
- The State of Opportunity in America Forum: convening HBCU researchers, faculty, and other national thought leaders annually to examine research findings and develop solutions.
Source: Congresswoman Alma Adams / Congressman Bradley Byrne
