The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Academic Engagement (OAE) supports the DHS mission by building, improving and leveraging relationships with the academic community.
 
Through this ongoing series, read how OAE actively engages with the academic community in the United States and leads initiatives related to international students, among other key focus areas.

February is National African American History Month, also referred to as Black History Month. To celebrate this month-long tribute, we are spotlighting Florida Memorial University and Tougaloo College. Both are designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) whose presidents were recently appointed to the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC).

The HSAAC welcomed Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president of Florida Memorial University, and Dr. Beverly Wade Hogan, president of Tougaloo College, in October 2015. Dr. Artis serves on the Subcommittees for Student and Recent Graduate Recruitment and Homeland Security Academic Programs, while Dr. Hogan serves on the Subcommittees for Campus Resilience and Academic Research and Faculty Exchange.

Both Florida Memorial University and Tougaloo College are Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified schools that enroll international students. The two institutions enroll more than 200 international students, and around 40 percent of these students are from the Bahamas. Nearly a quarter of the international students at the two schools study business-related majors.

President and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Dr. Lezli Baskerville has also served as a member of the HSAAC since its establishment in 2012. Dr. Baskerville serves as a representative member on the Council for HBCUs and Predominately Black Institutions. She serves on the HSAAC Subcommittees for Student and Recent Graduate Recruitment, Homeland Security Academic Programs and International Students.

The HSAAC is a diverse group of university presidents, academic leaders and interagency partners that advise DHS leadership on matters related to homeland security and the academic community. It has six subcommittees, including one that focuses on international students. To learn more, visit DHS’s HSAAC page.

Do you want to learn more about HBCUs in the United States? Read about the White House Initiative on HBCUs. You can also celebrate African American History Month by sharing this blog post on social media using the hashtag #BHM.