Leaders Say Black, Tribal Colleges Need More Than Broadband

Broadband connectivity alone doesn’t make a postsecondary institution inclusive or competitive, said tech leaders from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) during a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) webinar. The main point at the webinar was that HBCUs and TCUs must view cyberinfrastructure from a broad lens in order to better serve students and capitalize on research opportunities that can bring dollars to educational organizations. Deborah Dent, CIO at Jackson State University (JSU), said institutions need the right trained workers and tools to take advantage of what one can do with a high-speed network.