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HBCU "Think Tank" Struggles in Third Year

By Meridith M. Miller
Black College Wire

Insufficient funds and poor communication during the third annual HBCU Student Think Tank, held this year at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C., resulted in a drastic decline in student attendance.

Photo credit: Aaron Daye/Campus Echo Photo Editor NPR radio host Tavis Smiley urged students from 19 HBCUs to become leaders.

Last year’s conference involved 34 historically black colleges and universities and more than 400 student participants. This year, according to representatives from North Carolina Central, only 19 HBCUs attended.

“The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund was supposed to help with funding,” said Jamie Riley, 2002-03 Tennessee State University Student Government Association president and creator of the Think Tank. “But all I’ve gotten are non-returned phone calls and e-mails.”

The HBCU Think Tank is a student-run conference dedicated to educating and uniting HBCU students from around the country so that they may work together to solve problems and tackle issues affecting the HBCU community. This year it was held Feb. 13-15.

During last year’s Think Tank, Marshall Fund representative Damien Travier came to observe the conference’s proceedings. After his observations, the Marshall Fund agreed to fund all costs for this year’s Think Tank, which cost North Carolina Central approximately $250,000. That university's student government association funded the event from its account, with help from the city of Durham.

“I don’t know why (the Marshall Fund) would not want to support the Think Tank, since the majority of participating schools are members of their organization, ” Riley said.

According to April Thomas, Tennessee State student government association representative, many schools were not able to attend the conference because the length of the conference was cut from three days to one a week before the start date.

“Administration didn’t want to put on a poor conference, so they condensed everything without consulting the SGA,” said Timothy Gibson, coordinator of the Think Tank and vice president of North Carolina Central's SGA.

In addition to Tennessee State and North Carolina Central, this year’s HBCU participants included Wilberforce, Xavier, Alabama A&M, North Carolina A&T and Allen universities.

Among the others were Shaw and Lincoln universities, Winston-Salem and Fayetteville State universities, Norfolk State University, Central Piedmont Community College, Charles R. Drew University of Los Angeles, Langston, Morgan State, Saint Augustine and Bennett colleges, Wilberforce and Claflin universities, and Voorhees College.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Preparing Our Young Black Leaders for the Future.” North Carolina Central provided sessions and activities, including workshops on budgeting and investing money and the importance of a post-undergraduate education. Keynote speaker Tavis Smiley, who hosts programs on both public television and public radio, spoke about the potential in every HBCU student.

“Even though there were some obstacles, great strides were made towards the growth of the HBCU community,” said Timothy Gibson, vice president of event management for North Carolina Central's SGA.

“I attended the session discussing the future of Greek life and it was a wonderful networking experience,” said Tenesha Weaks, history education senior at the Durham, N.C., school.

With the third Think Tank over, Riley is working to continue the Think Tank legacy. He is trying to find organizations that will successfully sponsor the event and is selecting the site for next year’s event.

Riley said Morgan State University in Baltimore is one possibility.

“The Think Tank was too unorganized this year,” said Solomon McClain of Tennessee State, a junior speech communications and theater major who attended. “Because of what happened this year at NCCU, the Think Tank should return to TSU for a few more years so other universities can observe how the conference should be properly planned.”•

But Kian Brown, SGA president at North Carolina Central, said, “It was a big success and I am very pleased with the turnout,” “I can truly say the participants left empowered, and that was our goal.”

Meridith M. Miller, a student at Tennessee State University, writes for The Meter. Trish Hardy, a student at North Carolina Central University who writes for The Campus Echo, contributed to this story.

Posted March 1, 2004