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RAYMOND – As a prelude to National HBCU Week Sept. 15, a group of educators from Historically Black Colleges and Universities held a workshop on the Utica Campus to discuss establishing a platform for exchanging ideas and building relationships leading to retaining more college-bound students in Mississippi.

“We would like to bring state leadership to the table to … create pathways to promote our institutions to our students and let them know that they can transition to places like Valley, Jackson State, Alcorn, Tougaloo, Rust,” said Jonathan Townes, Vice President Instruction-Career and Technical Education and HBCU initiatives. “It’s going to take all of us to continue moving the needle forward for our students. It will take all of us working together, all HBCUs in the region and all HBCUs in the state of Mississippi.”

�²��� President Dr. Stephen Vacik said the college is a minority serving institution, with a 55 percent black student population.

“Because all of our numbers are so limited as higher ed institutions, we tend to fight over students. But we don’t want to fight over student populations, we want to work with you and make sure our students are getting to the institutions and the programs that will best help them reach their purpose and their passion,” Dr. Vacik said.

“The more we engage in a unified movement, giving the student the information they need, resourcing all of us, and all of us having some differences in what we offer, this would make it better for our students. When a student comes to �²��� or to Utica, and if they already know what they want to study, we can reassure them all the while that they are here, that we are here for them when they finish at �²���. We are here to help them make that transition,” said Tougaloo College Assistant Provost & AVP of Academic Affairs Dr. John Smith Jr.