The UC-HBCU Initiative is a great opportunity to strengthen campus programs/departments, enhance research by expanding frames of reference, and to impact the academic pipeline. Learn about mentoring outstanding students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Launched in 2011 by the UC Office of the President, the UC-HBCU Initiative is a faculty grants program that seeks to increase the number of HBCU graduates in UC PhD programs by investing in relationships between UC faculty and HBCUs. Fostering cross-institutional faculty partnerships in which PIs, faculty mentors, postdocs, and graduate student mentors all contribute. UC has hosted over 315 UC-HBCU summer interns across nine campuses since summer 2012.

UC has 27 PhD fellows enrolled as a direct result of the UC-HBCU Initiative: 44% in STEM fields and 56% in Social Sciences. The Initiative is also credited with raising awareness of UC opportunities at partner campuses and in some cases impacting applications from those campuses.

In 2013-14 President Napolitano allocated $2M to be used over three years to provide fellowship support, in partnership with campuses, to enroll former UC-HBCU interns into UC PhD programs. Following the program’s early success, in 2015 Provost Dorr allocated permanent resources to provide those cost-share fellowships.

On behalf of this important effort in support of equity and inclusion at all UC campuses the Berkeley Office for Graduate Diversity encourages you to consider the grant application process. If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Ladd-Viti.

Applications are now being accepted. The deadline to submit a proposal is Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 12 noon (PT). For more information, see the UC-HBCU Initiative website.