SCIII Participates in 2024 Annual National HBCU Week Program in Philadelphia

he South Carolina Institutes of Innovation and Information (SCIII) leadership participated in the 2024 Annual HBCU Week Program, themed “Raising the Bar: Where Excellence and Opportunity Meet,” from September 15 to September 18, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pa. The annual conference is sponsored by the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. 

SCIII was selected as a conference exhibitor and leveraged the opportunity to engage with HBCU leadership, including South Carolina college and university presidents and student-scholars, representatives from numerous agencies, businesses and higher education partners.

U.S. President Joe Biden addressed the conference on Monday, September 16, 2024, and noted his administration’s ongoing investment in and support of HBCUs.

The conference was a valuable opportunity for the SCIII team, with more than 50 sessions and workshops that centered on a wide range of topics within the following paths: Career Pathways and Economic Mobility, Research and Innovation, Economic Development, STEAM, Infrastructure and Emerging Leaders.

The annual conference, sponsored by the Office of the President and U.S. Department of Education, is a testament to the power of collaboration. It provides a unique platform for federal agencies, private sector companies, philanthropic organizations, and educational institutions like ours to come together. This collective effort aims to share useful information and successful models, thereby improving instruction, degree completion, and federal engagement, and ensuring the sustained elimination of systemic inequities. SCIII’s active participation in this collaborative effort underscores the commitment to HBCUs and their missions.

SCIII held conversations and meetings and interacted with representatives from leading government agencies to help increase SCIII’s capacity to expand the initiative’s outreach, grant opportunities and funding, and marketing efforts. 

Agencies included the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Science and Technology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, Fortune 500 businesses onsite at the conference included HP, Inc. and PepsiCo, and national media, such as Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.