Feb. 22: Bank of America Supports New Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges

Bank of America Supports New Center for Black Entrepreneurship at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges

The Black Economic Alliance Foundation, Spelman College, Morehouse College and Bank of America recently announced the collaborative development of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, the first-ever academic center designed to empower a new class of Black entrepreneurial talent.

Powered by a two-year, $10 million grant from Bank of America, and located on the campuses of Spelman and Morehouse, the CBE will guide students through an entrepreneurship curriculum that will support the creation of new businesses, and help bridge the gap between students with competitive ideas and venture capital firms.

"Bank of America’s gift to Spelman and Morehouse enables our institutions to create a dynamic academic experience for aspiring Black entrepreneurs. Our students will learn to build strong businesses and create wealth for their families and their communities, all while obtaining a first-rate liberal arts education," said Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., president of Spelman. "We plan to hire top tier faculty, support our students financially, continue to grow co-curricular programs that offer real world experience, and offer courses online for those adults who are already in the workplace. We appreciate Bank of America for its investment in institutions that affirm the identity, history and culture of the next generation of Black entrepreneurs."

Spelman plans to house the CBE’s curriculum in the Department of Economics. Co-curricular activities, like Spelpreneur, will live in the College’s dynamic Innovation Lab, where many of Spelman’s entrepreneurs already gather. The CBE will be a feature of the Innovation Lab, which will reside in the Center for Innovation & the Arts, a new state-of-the-art learning environment, slated to open in 2023.

Spelman Students Benefit From Goldman Sachs Commitment to HBCUs

Fifteen Spelman students will benefit from Goldman Sachs’ recently announced five-year $25 million commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The commitment is tied to the Market Madness: HBCU Possibilities Program, a four-month class in finance fundamentals that offers students in-depth training and insight from Goldman Sachs professionals.

At the end of the program, students will participate in the Market Madness case study competition, where they will have an opportunity to present to senior leaders at Goldman Sachs and compete for financial gifts to their institutions.

"I am interested in financial services and saw this program as an opportunity to supplement my classroom experience with exposure to ‘real-world’ business problems," said economics major, Alexandra Jenkins, C’2023. "Additionally, collaborating with fellow HBCU students and Goldman Sachs professionals will broaden my perspectives and introduce me to new problem-solving methods."

Professor Pens First Book on Somalis in the Neo-South

Dorian Brown Crosby, Ph.D., C'91, assistant professor of political science at Spelman, published her first book.

"Somalis in the Neo-South: African Immigration, Politics and Race" chronicles three years of research conducted by Dr. Crosby with Somali communities in Clarkston, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee. The book offers a balanced and insightful look at Somalis in the southern United States.

A recipient of Spelman's 2017 Vulcan Teaching Award, Dr. Crosby skillfully analyzes Somali political and community engagement, entrepreneurship and discrimination challenges as they settle into their respective communities.

A teacher and scholar-activist dedicated to bridging cultures through education, Dr. Crosby's global and local activities infuse her teaching and research. Her recent work rests on her more than 20 years of experience working with, and advocating on behalf of resettled African refugees in the United States.

Former Miss Spelman Among 2021-2022 Luce Scholar Class

Eva Dickerson, C'2019, has been named a 2021-2022 Luce Scholar.

Launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974, the Luce Scholars Program is a nationally competitive fellowship program committed to enhancing the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society.

"Being selected as a Luce Scholar is much less of a reflection of my own work, as it is an exciting reflection of the people and communities who believe in me and what I call a freer, greener future," said the former Miss Spelman who is committed to innovating the way that communities care for each other and the earth for social good.

Each year, the Luce Scholars Program aims to provide scholars with great leadership potential and limited experience of Asia with an immersive experience.

"The chance to build community in Asia with people who are invested in the collective future, and survival of our planet is really precious to me," said Dickerson. "More than anything, this is an opportunity to scale-up the community building and constellation architecture I've been practicing in Atlanta and across the Black Southeast."