President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., Vice President for Student
Affairs William Hudson, Jr., Ph.D., and leaders from the FAMU National Alumni
Association attended the nation’s largest HBCU recruitment fair “The Black
College Expo” on Saturday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where they
connected with thousands of students and local alumni. High school students
lined up at FAMU’s booth all day to learn about life on the “Hill” and attended
workshops. Robinson participated in a panel discussion entitled, “Why Attend An
HBCU.”
While in California, Robinson visited several key
players in Silicon Valley to discuss partnership opportunities, as the
University continues to emerge as a leader in helping to diversify the tech
industry.
Among his stops was a visit to the Intel headquarters in Santa Clara. Robinson participated in an HBCU presidents roundtable that was hosted by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich on February 12.
FAMU was one of six partner HBCUs participating in the
event.
The roundtable addressed:
- The impact of diversity on innovation in the high-tech sector
- Where the tech sector is headed and Intel’s role in it
- The role of academia in general and HBCUs in particular in diversifying the tech sector.
Last year, FAMU partnered with Intel and received a $550,000
grant to increase the number of African Americans who pursue degrees in
electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science. The grant
dollars are being used to help provide scholarships to junior to doctorate
level students majoring in these areas.