The HBCU Curriculum Enhancement Program (CEP) will support member institutions as they seek to strengthen academic programs and enhance areas of curriculum growth and need with the goal of creating “Centers of Excellence” in an array of disciplines critical to the success, stability and viability of our nation’s HBCUs.
A major component of this program will involve opportunities for small clusters of member institutions to share similar interests and goals via “Networks of Learning.” This team-oriented approach will enable 15-20 institutions to share valuable information, learn from each other’s experiences and respond to challenges together, in a setting that promotes mentoring and collaboration. Initially, these clusters will be focused on the following areas of curriculum reform:
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Disciplines
- Core Curriculum
- Professional Programs (including business, nursing, education, library and information science, etc.)
- Humanities
- Interdisciplinary Studies
Overall, the HBCU Curriculum Enhancement Program will enable the network of UNCF institutions to work collectively to enhance curricula that will better prepare African-American and other students of color for success in the 21st century workplace. More importantly, a greater number of member institutions will become known for their innovative curriculum and highly-qualified graduates. This will in turn help attract more students and greater public and private funding.
UNCF intends to launch the first phase of CEP in summer 2006 with a network-wide assessment that will determine and evaluate general education requirements, areas of anticipated growth, recruitment strategies, student outcomes, teaching methods, etc.
