Federal HBCU Competitiveness Strategy Competitiveness .

Federal HBCUCompetitivenessStrategyFISCAL YEARS 2020–21 AND 2021–22AGENCY HBCU COMPETITIVENESS PLANS

This report is in the public domain. Authorization toreproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permissionto reprint this publication is not necessary, the citationshould be White House Initiative on Historically BlackColleges and Universities, Federal HBCU CompetitivenessStrategy: Fiscal Year 2021–22 Agency HBCUCompetitiveness Plans, Washington, D.C., 2020.DECEMBER 2020This report is available on the Department’s website es/.Availability of Alternate FormatsOn request, this publication is available in alternate formats,such as Braille or large print. For more information, pleasecontact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at 202260-0852 or by contacting the 504 coordinator via e-mail atofo eeos@ed.gov.Notice to Limited English Proficient PersonsIf you have difficulty understanding English, you mayrequest language assistance services for Departmentinformation that is available to the public. These languageassistance services are available free of charge. If youneed more information about interpretation or translationservices, please call 1–800–USA–LEARN (1-800-8725327) (TTY: 1-800-877-8339), email us at Ed.Language.Assistance@ed.gov, or write to U.S. Department ofEducation, Information Resource Center, 400 Maryland Ave.,SW, Washington, DC 20202.i

Table of ContentsIntroduction .1About the White House Initiative on HistoricallyBlack Colleges and Universities .1Letter From the Executive Director.2Definition of Terms.3Reference Documents .4Executive Order 13779 .4Agency Guidance and Reference Brief.4Framework for the Development of a FederalHBCU Competitiveness Strategy .5Strategy Snapshot.6By the Numbers .6Federal HBCU Interagency Working Group. 7Federal HBCU Interagency Working GroupComposition . 7Interagency Working Group Federal AgencyPartners .8Federal HBCU Competitiveness Strategy .9Framework Priority Areas.10Advisory Council on Historic Preservation . 11Agency for Global Media.14Agency for International Development.16AmeriCorps.19Appalachian Regional Commission.22Department of Agriculture.26Department of Commerce.29Department of Defense.33Department of Education.36Department of Energy.39Department of Health andHuman Services.42Department of Homeland Security.49Department of Housing andUrban Development.52Department of Interior.55Department of Justice.59Department of Labor.63Department of State.67Department of Transportation. 74Department of Treasury.79Department of Veterans Affairs.82Environmental Protection Agency.85Equal Employment OpportunityCommission.89National Aeronautics andSpace Administration.93National Endowment for the Arts.99National Endowment for the Humanities.102National Science Foundation.105Nuclear Regulatory Commission.108Office of Personnel Management.113Office of the Director of NationalIntelligence.115Peace Corps.119Small Business Administration.122Social Security Administration.124Contact the White House Initiative onHistorically Black Colleges andUniversities.130ii

IntroductionAbout the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesEstablished in Executive Order (EO) 13779, signed by President Trump on Feb. 28, 2017, the WhiteHouse Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is housed in the Executive Officeof the President, led by an executive director designated by the President and charged withimplementing EO 13779. The Initiative works with federal agencies, private-sector employers,education associations, philanthropic organizations, and other partners to increase the capacityof HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education, aligned with U.S. education and economicpriorities, to an increasing number of students.HBCU Competitiveness: The ability of HBCUs to successfully compete for public and privateinvestments to meet student needs and promote community prosperity.Winston-Salem State UniversityPhoto courtesy: Garrett Garms1

Letter From the Executive DirectorTo successfully implement Executive Order 13779, The White HouseInitiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically BlackColleges and Universities (EO 13779), the Trump administration dovedeeply into how the federal sector can best expand the overall impactof historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on the principalmissions of agencies. Our exploration uncovered numerous, fragmentedHBCU programs and initiatives across the federal government. Whilesome of these efforts have yielded good outcomes, there was no commonvision or strategy to link together federal HBCU activities. These disparate,uncoordinated efforts have invariably led to a less than optimal impact.The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities(Initiative) concluded that a new strategy was needed to build the internalfederal scaffolding required to safeguard HBCU success for years tocome and to continuously strengthen their role in delivering on agencygoals and objectives. Hence, the White House Domestic Policy Councilconvened an interagency policy coordination committee to create thefirst Framework for the Development of a Federal HBCU CompetitivenessStrategy (Framework), igniting the creation and aggregation of thefollowing federal agency HBCU competitiveness plans.For the first time, the federal government has developed this FederalHBCU Competitiveness Strategy (Strategy), informed by the goalsand practices described in the Framework. This Strategy is designedto improve HBCU alignment with, contributions to, and realization ofvalue from U.S. education and economic competitiveness priorities.Moreover, beyond guiding federal focus, actions, and investments, thisStrategy serves as a valuable “North Star” for nonfederal, state, local,and private sector engagement on the national goal to support HBCUcompetitiveness. Importantly, this Strategy establishes the foundation, i.e.,the floor, not the ceiling, of federal HBCU leadership bycodifying HBCU competitiveness into presidential policy.mandating minimum four-year federal agency HBCUcompetitiveness plans.aligning federal agency HBCU planning, goal creating, andmeasuring with the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010.establishing four federal HBCU priority areas that anchor all agencycompetitiveness plans.assigning federal agency HBCU quantitative metrics reporting to theOffice of Management and Budget.organizing the federal HBCU competitiveness ecosystem,comprising 32 federal agencies and facilitated daily by the Initiative.This Strategy fortifies the Initiative’s resolve to evolve the federalgovernment from a collection of disparate efforts serving HBCUs to acohesive and comprehensive government-wide plan that will improveconditions for HBCUs to compete for federal investments. It is my honor topresent this Strategy to HBCUs and to federal and nonfederal public andprivate partners.Sincerely,Johnathan M. HolifieldExecutive DirectorWhite House Initiative on Historically BlackColleges and UniversitiesWhite House Domestic Policy Council2

Definition of TermsDefinitions of the key terms that are used throughout this document:TermsDefinitionAgency missionStatement defining the fundamental purpose of the agency. Answer the question, “Why does the agency exist?”Agency goalsProvide not more than five agency goals excerpted from the FY 18–22 agency strategic plan. Identified AgencyGoals should be informed by broad areas of opportunity in which higher education institutions currently deliver orcan deliver value to the agency.HBCU goalsProvide not more than five HBCU goals linked to Agency Goals excerpted from the FY 18–22 agency strategic plan.Identified HBCU Goals should be informed by broad areas of opportunity in which higher education institutionscurrently deliver or can deliver value to the agency.Framework priority areasEducation21st-century InfrastructureEconomic Development and CompetitivenessAcademic Research EnterpriseSupplemental Opportunities(for detailed descriptions, see page 10 of the Agency Guidance and Reference Brief).HBCU MetricsDescribe not more than five impactful, quantitative HBCU metrics linked to identified HBCU Goals and AgencyGoals.StrategiesDescribe not more than five high-level, strategic approaches the agency will take to achieve identified HBCUGoals linked to Agency Goals.TacticsDescribe not more than 10 specific, detailed, tactical actions the agency will take to achieve identified HBCU Goalslinked to Agency Goals.3

Reference DocumentsExecutive Order 13779Presidential Executive Order on The White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities“Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have made, and continue to make, extraordinary contributions to the general welfare andprosperity of our country. Established by visionary leaders, America’s HBCUs have, for more than 150 years, produced many of our nation’s leaders inbusiness, government, academia, and the military, and have helped create a black middle class. The nation’s more than 100 HBCUs are located in 20states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and serve more than 300,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Theseinstitutions are important engines of economic growth and public service, and they are proven ladders of intergenerational advancement.“A White House Initiative on HBCUs would: advance America’s full human potential; foster more and better opportunities in higher education;strengthen the capacity of HBCUs to provide the highest-quality education; provide equitable opportunities for HBCUs to participate in federalprograms; and increase the number of college-educated Americans who feel empowered and able to advance the common good at home andabroad. ”Framework for the Development of a Federal HBCU Competitiveness StrategyFramework for the Development of a Federal HBCU Competitiveness StrategyEO 13779 requires agencies identified by the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the executive director of the Initiative to prepare annual plansdescribing efforts to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of HBCUs. To upgrade federal agency HBCU planning, goal-making, measuring, andreporting, the White House Domestic Policy Council convened a policy coordinating committee to develop a governmentwide HBCU strategy. On Feb.14, 2020, the Executive Office of the President of the United States issued the Framework for the Development of a Federal HBCU CompetitivenessStrategy (Framework) to bolster agency compliance with EO 13779. The Framework does not change agency missions or strategic goals andobjectives. Rather, the Framework promotes thinking and acting in new ways about how agency missions or strategic goals and objectives can beachieved with and through HBCUs.Agency Guidance and Reference BriefAgency Guidance and Reference Brief for Implementing the Framework for the Development of a Federal HBCU Competitiveness StrategyThe Initiative provides this guidance and reference brief to improve implementation of the Framework. Importantly, the guidance and referencebrief does not create binding requirements for federal agencies; however, it does warrant thorough review and consideration prior to developingrequired agency HBCU competitiveness plans. In sum, the purposes of the guidance and reference brief are to provide agencies direction tostrengthen compliance with requirements of EO 13779; and for agencies to reference this guidance when developing new or reviewing existing HBCUcompetitiveness plans and when proposing and carrying out HBCU-related activities.4