 My name is Molly Martin and I'm the director of New America Indianapolis. New America is a nonpartisan, non-profit think tank based in Washington DC, but home is here for me. And I've been in Indianapolis for almost 20 years and I focused my work on the Midwest. I want to thank you for joining us today. New America and the Indianapolis Recorder are proud to partner on this series. This is our fourth event in the series. And today we're going to focus on the unique impact of COVID-19 on Black students and Black students' success as they make their way from high school into post-secondary education and from post-secondary education into the workforce. This partnership is incredibly important to us. We want to thank, again, our partners at the Recorder, but also our community partners at WFYI Public Broadcasting and their Side Effects Media Project, as well as our partners at InnoPower for helping to design the event. New America Indianapolis talks about issues impacting the Black community. We have a couple of principles and understandings that we like to lay out on the front end. First and foremost, Black voices are critical. They're critical and they must be included in conversations about public problem solving, policy, cultural issues and beyond. Systemic racism and biases impact every aspect of our personal, social, economic and individual lives, including our health, Black lives matter. Race and ethnicity are different. And the Black community is not a monolith. We also strive in these conversations to be really explicit and sometimes explain the terms that we use. You might hear terms like vulnerable and we always challenge ourselves to kind of define that. Do we mean vulnerable personally, economically in terms of health or due to systemic bias and racism? I'd like to welcome our panelists before turning it over to my co-moderator. We're so honored today to be joined by public education, private education and education leaders and advocates all from Indianapolis and Indiana. First, we have Dr. Danette Howard, the Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Lumina Foundation. We have Dr. Sean Huddleston, the President of Martin University. We have Mrs. Andrea Neely, the Regional Development Director for Indiana and Michigan of UNCF. We have Ms. Denisha Posey, the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Belonging at Ivy Tech Community College. We have Dr. Ronald Roshan, the President of University of Southern Indiana. Before we dive in with our panel, I want to thank you again for joining us online and handed over to my co-moderator, Marshawn Wally, who is an Indianapolis Recorder Commentator but also a Civic Innovator and Entrepreneur. Marshawn, would you like to say a little bit more about the conversation today? Thank you, Molly. We at the Indianapolis Recorder are celebrating our 125th year and we believe that it is important to continue the discussion on the chronicling of Black life, particularly in Indianapolis, but also throughout the Midwest. Education has been a critical issue for the African American community since moving out of slavery. The long, the big conversations have ranged from, you know, what do students need to know? Should it be a trade school where they have a skill versus a political education? We've had great thinkers like W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington and even Carter G. Woodson weigh in on this issue. Today, we are talking about education and Black students within the context of COVID-19. And we have representation from a predominantly Black institution, from a predominantly white institution, a two-year college, and then other actors including UNCF and a Lumina Foundation involved in this conversation. And so we're hopeful to have a good exploration of the issues. And what I'd like to do is actually start out with a very basic question and we'll go to Ms. Andrea Mealy. Post-secondary education. UNCF has been a champion of post-secondary education. Can you talk about, you know, what that means for Black students and really Black families? In the past 76 years, it means that we've invested five point, about $5 billion in providing post-secondary education and removing the barriers. And so what's happening with the current pandemic, you're looking at first-generation low-income students and families being heavily impacted by the current situation. So UNCF has made a point of being an advocate K through 12 in addition to removing the financial barriers of providing scholarships in addition to completing their education through internships and placing it into the workforce. So for 76 years, it's been a commitment and focus of making sure we're with students to and through college and also advocating K through 12 to make sure that the first day they step on any college university campus. They're prepared to be successful over four-year period with, again, financial support, not only for our students but also our institutions which are the 37 private HBCUs. Thank you for that. And one of the, one of the, one of the part aspects of the discussion when we're thinking about Black education more broadly has been, you know, get a job, get, go to the military or go to school. Now, even if folks go directly to trying to get a job, one of the things we've learned is that oftentimes they need some additional training beyond high school. So, Mr. Danisha, Ms. Danisha Posey, can you talk to us about what Ivy Tech's mission is and how they are approaching COVID-19 high level? Thank you for that question. So Ivy Tech is the state's community college. We have campuses and several sites across the state. We are the largest singly accredited community college in the nation. So we are making sure that we are doing our part to ensure that Hoosiers are receiving the credentials that they need. Research by various institutions have shown that economic mobility and specifically movement in wages and income has been and is influenced by post-secondary attainment rates. So we see that individuals with less than a high school diploma or a high school diploma or just some college, they, without any credentials, have actually seen their wages and income go backwards. In addition, the supply and demand analysis today and for the past several years show that it's important to focus on post-secondary credentials that are tied to high demand and high wage jobs, occupations, careers. So wages that correspond to that supply and demand. So what we do at Ivy Tech is to focus on those credentialing. How can we make sure that our students, that the community at large has the credentialing that they need to move up in their wages and income and to make sure that the credentials can also be stacked. So for example, a student might earn an industry certification in IT, information technology, that allows for them to have a high demand job, but then also stacks and transfers into a college certificate or a technical certificate so that that person can grow in their career without losing their credits and their learning. So our job at Ivy Tech is to continue that learning path. So no matter where you are in your career, whether you're off or you've been working for 20 or 30 years and you need to come back to get more Ivy Tech is that institution. It sounds like Ivy Tech serves as a great bridge for folks to get both the trade, but then maybe go to a career, or also go to a university and I know we have a two university presidents, one of the Pete predominate black institution and one with the predominantly white institution. But actually what I want to do first is go to Dr. Danette Howard with Lumina Foundation. I'd like for you to just kind of talk about Lumina's role in this space and how you all are thinking about college readiness and getting folks involved in college, the college experience. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. Lumina is the only national foundation that is exclusively focused on increasing the attainment of post secondary credentials and learning beyond high school. And you know the research and data are very clear as to why that's so important. More than 60% of the jobs that are available today require some sort of learning or credential beyond high school. And we know that there are an array of benefits that accrue to those who are able to earn those high quality credentials, including higher earnings and wage potential, but also being more civically engaged access to health insurance, all these issues that play right into the COVID-19 pandemic. And so we're working to help support not only access to post secondary education, but the completion of those credentials because we know that so many individuals start college with the best of intentions, but never earn those credentials that they so desperately need. In fact, there are 36 million people across the nation today that have some college experience, but no credential. And that's really a shame because many of those individuals also accrued significant debt and trying to earn those credentials. And we see significant kind of gaps and unevenness in terms of the extent to which black Americans have been able to earn those credentials. So, while over the entire nation, about 44% of individuals have a certificate or an associate degree or a baccalaureate degree. Within the black community, that's about 32%. And so I really think that we need to explore the integration of all these issues and high quality education credential attainment and some of the health disparities and outcomes that we're seeing, even in light of the current pandemic. The current pandemic is definitely exacerbating a lot of the disparities that we have already seen and we've also come to appreciate college as really a, at least a hope in changing some of those. I'm going to go to Dr. Huddleston. Dr. Huddleston, can you talk about your institution and address a question that just is a little bit confusing. Are you all an HBCU or a PDI and can you kind of, you know, help us with that alphabet suit there. Yeah, good question. So, first of all, I want to certainly thank you, Marshawn and the recorder, as well as New America for the opportunity to participate in this really kind of outstanding and stellar panel we have here today. So, your question is a fair one and it's asked a lot, you know, if we have historically black colleges and universities. Why do we also have predominantly black colleges and what's the difference between the two. It's a fairly simple answer. Institutions that were founded before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which I think was around July 3, when it was of 64 was ratified. Those are historically black colleges and universities, even one day beyond that, then you're designated as a predominantly black institution. What's interesting, though, about the designation of a predominantly black institution is that across all minority serving institutions, whether it be a tribal college and a PC Hispanic serving institution or any of those classifications. The predominantly black institution designation at the federal level is the only one that requires a number of students enrolled at the institution. All others simply state a percentage of students. So even with predominantly black institutions, at least 40% of those students must be from an African American background. But you also have to have a thousand students enrolled, which, by frankly, puts an additional barrier on predominantly black institutions who serve low income students at a much higher rate. So there's a little bit of, I'd say, some inconsistency inequity there but yet still it shows a very strong distinction between predominantly black institutions and other institutions. Thank you for that. I always wondered about that. Before I go back to Molly, what I'm going to do is allow Dr. Roshan to talk about USI and his institution. It is a predominantly white institution and we have an African American president, which is wonderful. Can you talk about how USI kind of differentiates itself with respect to other institutions of higher learning in the state of Indiana. Thank you to Roshan and Molly. I want to thank you all for the invitation. This is an honor to be here with this esteemed group of panelists. USI is a young institution in the state of Indiana. We were founded in 1965. In fact, it was part of Indiana State University. It was actually indicated as Indiana State University Evansville. In 1985, USI became an independent autonomous standing institution on its own. We are a comprehensive campus. We focus primarily on teaching. We have faculty who are engaged in research efforts as well. Primarily applied research. You look at the kinds of work that our faculty are engaged in. They're looking at ways in which we can improve pedagogical skills on a daily basis within classrooms. One of the things I want to kind of go back to when Ms. Posey said earlier with regard to Ivy Tech's role, which is so significant in the state of Indiana, we play a role with Ivy Tech in making sure that we have seamless transfer from her campus to our campus. This is really significant for students to be college ready, to acclimate very easily, and have the kinds of wraparound services that are provided at a campus like USI. We're just under 10,000 students with regard to a full-time equivalent. And we have the ability to provide these kinds of intentional efforts to make sure that our students are successful on campus. I'm really proud of the campus. And it's an honor to serve as president. I'm in my second year. I'll tell you that in presidential school, we never learned anything about COVID-19. I don't think Dr. Huddleston got to meet any curriculum about that either. But we're pivoting. We're maintaining flexibility and our very supportive kind of response to the needs of our student body. So they didn't tell you about how to handle COVID-19 in presidential school. That's fine. Fair enough. Molly. Excellent. Thank you, Marshawn. It was really great to hear from everyone about the different roles that you play in securing student success period and black student success. And that kind of gets to my question. So here we have a private institution, a public institution, a community college system, and two strong advocates and policy leaders represented. And I think we've all acknowledged so far that black student success takes something different, not because of the students themselves, but because of the systems that have kind of historically marginalized and impacted those students differently. And with COVID-19 impacting all of us differently and kind of exacerbating systemic bias, we know that students have been disrupted in being able to complete their high school careers in moving on to post-secondary or been disrupted in their post-secondary careers. I'm going to go around, I'd love to hear from the entire panel, on how you think black student support looks different after this disruption. So here are some specific things that you think we might need to do. And I'm going to start on a campus and I have to say I'm biased because Martin and founded in 1977 really speaks to me. Same, same. So Dr. Huddleston, what sort of specific supports do you think black students will need to recover from this disruption. Yeah, thank you very much for the question. As we have all really tried to shift and kind of move into what has been described as finding our way to the new normal. I think, you know, it's got to be more than just finding our way to the new normals. It's got to be inventing the new normal on our campuses. And there's been a lot of discussion and talk about teaching and learning online right how we move students who may be used to more face to face or traditional modalities of teaching and learning how we move them out of that to a virtual space and rightly so there's been good discussion, certainly opportunities for faculty development but the thing that does not get talked about the most and I think quite frankly that causes a lot of the marginalization of African American students on campuses is the idea of the of how you build community and how you have wrap around support. You know, I think that the title that the Denisha post holds is perfect because in her title is the word belonging. How do you create a sense of belonging for all students. So whether it be on at a minority serving institution predominantly black institution. When they look at Martin University, we, you know, we're over 90% of our students are African American, but within the African American context as I think you mentioned before it's not a monolith. So we've got different generations at our university we've got people from different backgrounds different cultural identities different places. And so how do we still create this sense of belonging in a virtual environment, and how do we make sure that the support is there, which is most important. One of the things that we do is we have picked up the phone and we've called every one of our students and we check on on a weekly basis because we recognize that the relationships that we work very hard to build and maintain can be easily broken by this one issue that we have right now that the distances from each other. So once those relationships get broken. Once that connectivity gets broken, it's hard to maintain and that's why you have so many students particularly black students who go to college, come home and don't go back is because they haven't found that sense of belonging so for me. So that's one of the most important things that we have to do is to build that to maintain those connections, make sure the support is there, and do it in a way that still resembles how we would do it in a in a non virtual environment. Thank you so much Dr. Huddleston. Dr Howard, Dr Huddleston touched on a lot of issues that we tend to see a lot of stopouts across black students. And can you give us an idea of why I mean what does today's student look like in the first place, what might be a special challenge to a group as diverse and non monolithic as a black community of students. Yeah, that's a great question Molly and you know if you go out on the street and ask the average person to tell you what today's college student looks like. Many would paint a picture of a young person who graduated from high school and right to a four year residential campus and is being supported by mom and dad. But actually the profile of today's student is so much different. Now we have the majority of students who are adults who are attending part time working their way through school working more than 20 hours a week by the way. Many of whom are parents themselves and of course, a majority of students are coming from diverse communities and even attending community colleges. And so what sorts of institutional supports need to be in place to support a student body that is reflective of that description that I just provided. I was on a webinar last week and heard from Tony Jack who is the author of the book The Privileged Poor, and he spoke very eloquently about a college being so much more than just a place that you take classes for so many students. For many students their college campus is their employer for many students it is a safe haven and a safe home and one that they did not have. They did not have the opportunity to go back to a safe home. And so we said that for some students when their campus is closed as a result of COVID-19 they got both an eviction notice and a pink slip on the same day. So what sorts of supports are we providing for those students, not only to continue their learning in a completely virtual environment, which many were not prepared to do, but also to provide some of those basic needs and I hope that we can come back to talking specifically about what this quick pivot to remote learning has meant for black students, given that under 60% of black families own a desktop or laptop. Given that one third of black families do not have access to high speed broadband internet access and so that means many students are trying to be completely engaged via their smartphones. So what does that experience mean and how can we think about that as we connected to the importance of them actually attaining these high quality post-secondary credentials. Thank you. Thank you, Jeanette. I think it is really important and we will come back to the remote learning concept and you've talked and Dr. Halston has talked about the importance of wraparound supports communities and also understanding what your students face when you leave campus. So Miss Posey, I'm coming straight at you. Ivy Tech serves all kinds of students and you see some of our most vulnerable students come through the door, the ones most likely to be impacted by that flat tire by that lost job by lack of childcare. What sorts of supports is Ivy Tech already putting in place and what would you advocate that Ivy Tech and others do more of as we try and help black students navigate out of this crisis. Thank you and thank you Dr. Huddleston for bringing that belonging piece to the forefront that is so very important that we are thinking about our students as individuals and how do we ensure that they belong in the in the broader system and in regards in regards to that the wraparound services are extremely crucial, especially in this point with Dr. Howard speaking about, you know, less than 60% of black learning computers. Ivy Tech is making sure that we get every single student a laptop if they need one, so we are actually going out in giving laptops. Students not having access to high speed Wi-Fi. All of our parking lots, we've expanded Wi-Fi that if you just come and sit in your car in the parking lot, you can still get Wi-Fi. So we're trying to figure out ways in which we can reach students across the state in different ways. And, and we can't forget about our faculty and our employees either right that, you know, Ivy Tech we have over 7000 employees, you know, everyone is on the edge about what's going on with this pandemic. We've canceled so many things people are wondering, are we still going to have graduation what is that going to look like. How do we, how do we look at gap funding needs for our students who are losing their jobs or family income is is decreasing. What are the specific and intentional things that we can do. So, with the CARES Act are, you know, I think it's what $2 billion that's being distributed around the country to higher education institutions. We are working at Ivy Tech to figure out what exactly can we do for all of our students and to make sure that we are not coming up against any equity issues, you know, how can we ensure that all of our students get what they need. When it comes to this federal funding so, you know, it really comes one day at a time. But we have to think about all students at the same time so. Thank you so much Miss Posey. Can you share me one second about what she brought up about the CARES Act which I think is really important I'm sorry I just want to include this so as institutions are getting their allocations for the CARES Act 50% of what they get has to go back out to students in their hands to kind of offset some of the costs that they've had to experience relative to COVID-19. So what's important is that not every student is equal so you have students who have greater need, have higher expected family contributions than others when it comes to financial aid and so schools are now trying to figure out how does that distributed in an equitable way. How do we make sure the neediest students get the most support and those less needy aren't still getting the same amount as everybody else. So we've got to think about equity as we're even looking at that stimulus funding that the schools are receiving. Thank you so much Dr. Hiddleston I think that drawing the line between equity and equality is a really important one I think I may add that to the points we tee up at the beginning of our conversations and to that point actually Dr. President Roshan I'd like to come to you. When you are navigating the fact that equity requires some calculus that some folks might get more depending on what they need how do you navigate that for black students at a predominantly white institution. You know, I'll tell you one of the things that was important for me that I learned a long time ago was that, you know, when we have diversity on campus. Lots of folks talk about numbers, they talk about, they talk about statistics and percentages and I get all that. But one of the things that I've really tried to institute wherever I've gone is helping folks to understand the significance of a complex story, the essential story about human life about people. I had that I had the honor of meeting Dr. Dr. Danette Howard by phone just recently. And she and I had a great conversation about about Lumina and I was just really so taken back by her brilliance and what they're doing at Lumina. But I described there's something that's really important to me and that is the end of one, you know, helping folks to understand that the significance is real because we talk about, you know, Ms. Child or her niece or nephew, or Ms. Neely's children, which we're talking about the significance of their, their life. Lots of times we're looking for, you know, some grandiose number of making policy that's going to improve the lives of many, but I want folks to understand that, you know, in USA and Martin at Ivy Tech, you know, we're working to deal with the end of one. UNCF is always talking about the significance of the complexity of lives of community, and also how that really kind of imparts our attention to pay close attention to what's happening on a university campus. I'll give you one quick example. You know, Dr. Howard was just talking about displacement. I'll tell you right now that I overlooked as president, you know, that the power and the significance of students being evacuated. I mean, you know, just literally leaving campus immediately. And I'm getting phone calls from students who are not going home, but going to a terrible situation. You know, a dangerous situation. And so we had to go ahead and pivot immediately to find out ways in which we can open those residence halls back up and get those students who need safety, who need food, and who needs some kind of security immediately back into a place where they, they call, they call home. And so this piece of being able to be able to pivot, be flexible, be responsible, be responsive, you know, to the students needs are so significant to the work that we're doing collectively. And so I just, I applaud my colleagues on what we were speaking about with it, but what you're asking about is so significant for us and how we, how we move this thing forward. That's incredibly helpful and powerful. The end of one, I love that. And I think when we talk to black students and black parents, no one wants to be told, you are statistically insignificant in the area you're in, no one is statistically insignificant. And so that brings me to Mrs. Neely. I think UNCF has the greatest story in the history of higher ed advocacy in the phrase of mind is a terrible thing to waste right it's something we all know and we all resonate with. And when you think about what UNCF would like to advocate for in the face of this unprecedented crisis and how you engineer an experience and a story for an end of one. What do you think campuses and practitioners and advocates should be focused on in addressing the crisis. Oh, Mrs. Neely, could you unmute please. Thank you for for UNCF. The goal has always been to remove the barriers, the financial barriers and providing them the necessary support. So let me talk about Ivy Tech and the University of Southern Indiana and Martin you, you can see it as one common denominator is that we're providing those dollars to support those students of which 70% of our students low income and 80% of those students are impacted significantly by this pandemic. And therefore it's going to have to be innovative and creative of looking at what partnerships and resources that can be brought to the students, not just limited to the campuses that they are currently residing on. But what are some of those community partners that we're able to bring alongside that can support replacing the need for laptops providing hotspot. So our students don't just attend HPC use we've got students here in the state of Indiana that are being supported through all of our resources. So we're trying to be innovative, creative and saying, what are some of our partners, if it is from, you know, working with Sprint, are they able to support is it working with that fine so you and Sam is taking an approach because of our students are across the country at over 1100 college universities that are faced with students, but more importantly of making sure we're providing resources so that the on learning is not a town just previously said they don't have the technology, and not only that, they are in the household that we're trying to find support to make sure they have not only food, but their lights are on so that they're able to actually complete their, you know, their coursework, as well as looking at our students who are our high school students who are now looking to transfer into college and our selective universities, making sure they're also supported to be successful as they matriculate on to their next post secondary education, but again UNCF raising $5 billion over 76 years to put over half a million students to and through college, not only our HPC use that any institution that we can align with and advocating on the front end with our K through 12. Yeah, it's so important because we're dealing with students that need to be prepared day one, and we're still dealing with challenges within the household that they need to even be successful and so it's really the one is a partnership we're all in it together. We are basically ensure that being innovative in how we partner, the programs that we develop are addressing those needs. That's what UNCF has consistently done over 75 years, in addition to advocacy for our teachers advocacy for our faculty and providing the necessary support through our leveraging of partnerships if it's with Alouina if it's with strata if it's with anthem. One is that we're collectively facing this pandemic and being strategic about the outcome and that's the success of our students and our families who are required to be successful with an education they're not going to receive that we don't remove the barrier outside of the components that there was here on campus. Thank you so much Mrs Nealy with that Marshawn I'd like to hand back to you for some more questions. So we are in the midst of really an unprecedented. Well, okay it's a unprecedented but in a in the midst of a unique and seemingly evolving public health and economic crisis. There are students who are weathering this storm with institutions alongside them. As an institution leader either from a funding perspective, or where you said either at your Ivy Tech or USI or Martin University. But you wish you knew that you don't know right now about black students that you're trying to that you're you're trying to figure out that you can maybe concerned about as you're planning for what Dr Hudson referred to as this normal that you kind of have to be prepared for as an institution and I'll start with I'd like to start with the institutions first and then move to the funders here so Dr Hudson. Yeah. So it's interesting because my my pathway to the presidency actually came through diversity, equity and inclusion work so I did this work at predominantly white institutions for my entire career in higher education, and a focus always for me was how do we close the gaps how do we close the clapstick retention and graduation and persistence how do we create better outcomes. So that African American students particular and even more particular African American males fall into the bottom of every demographic or every data point that we're seeing at institutions. So for a predominantly black institution. I think it goes back to what we've talked about when I was talking about before and that is that we've got to recognize the diversity and inclusion that needs to be inside of the diversity and inclusion. So what did I not know about black students that I know right now. It really is more so related to the assumptions or perceptions of other people related to black students. And it's a clean, clean recognition that there is so much of a deficit focus on black students that it becomes pervasive and almost ingrained in the thinking of black students. So our job is to move it from a deficit mindset to an asset focus and recognize the benefits and the positive and the excellence that comes out of each and every student that is walking our campuses whether it be at a HBC you a PBI, or a predominantly black institution. We have to recognize that as inherent and our primary responsibility to ensure that they do not feel the gaps that are being placed on them. That's what I think is important. And if I can add to that I think he just hit the nail right on the head. When we talk about black students and we and we say that all black students are not we're not a monolith. I mean that is extremely true when it comes to our students at Ivy Tech we have so many black students who are also international students black students who are undocumented students who have different needs different cultures that we all need to be aware of. So how are we how are we looking at all students to ensure that we can we can create those that we can decrease the equity gaps there. And I think that's extremely important for leadership at all higher education institutions need to understand that we are not one size fits all we all come from different places and spaces. And with that being said there is there is an internal synergy that we need to create. You know that's that's something that I'm really focused on in my position at Ivy Tech. With the belonging piece how do we ensure that everyone belongs and if and if students and faculty and staff belong then the equity gaps will it will decrease because everyone will be working together for the for their greater good. I'm sure Matt man chime in please as well. One of the things I want to contribute with this point because I agree with both my colleagues fully. But one of the things that I'm struggling with you know I'm having a campus that I'm leading in Southwest Indiana the history, you know for African Americans has not been so incredibly strong with regard to relationship building. One of my things is that I'm working hard on this helping helping black students understand that they are full fledged citizens that not only do they belong at US side but they have the full rights of ownership. This is their campus is a public institution. You know so I want students to understand that they, they come on campus. I want them to walk with confidence, walk with ability and walk with query all the time, but understand that this is their space. And I'll tell you I'm a Tuskegee graduate and I'll tell you real quickly I remember going to Illinois graduate school and and I was a graduate student. I'm entering the doctoral program and I remember I had an African American advisor and homecoming was coming to Illinois and he asked me about my participation at Illinois is homecoming that weekend and I remember as a young man. I told him very frankly that it was, it was in my homecoming, it was it was that belong to somebody else, and he queried me so listen he said I thought you were from Chicago, so yes sir, I am. He said I thought your parents pay taxes in Illinois. I said yes sir they do. He said well this is your homecoming. This homecoming will never change it will never reflect you if you don't participate. So we're working hard to make sure that our students when they walk on that campus that they understand the significance of their belonging is Dr. Hudson so so eloquently put it earlier. So I just wanted to kind of stress that point as well sir. So thank you, thank you all for that so the idea of deficit, moving from a deficit kind of mindset surrounding black students more to an asset based approach. So the decision is needing to be more nimble as well as responsive to the various, the diaspora actually the black diaspora that we find even here in Indiana, and then also the idea of citizenship now, you know, Miss Andrea nearly as a funder. So big ideas these are a lot of things. What are you seeing as a funder that you think are this particularly concerning for black students and that you're learning right now you engage with other institutions. So from a standpoint UNCF being, you know, providing the scholarships and internships. We, there's not enough when you talk to applying demand, particularly with the pandemic we are going to see a large increase for the fall as parents now no longer have jobs, they can no longer qualify for parents plus loans, the demand and increase of the scholarship that those students now need. We're going to see a ripple effect of students not returning to school that's going to have a ripple effect on our institution. We're going to have parents now have debt sooner because they're unemployed and they're going to have to pay So UNCF is focused on how we make sure our students have access again is the barrier is is economic and it's financial. Our scholarships and our partnerships are key. We need institutions to be supported with multiple year scholarships. If a student is not faced with gap. What am I going to do in your two. So you never working with partners, such as strata, who supported UNCF with a program that's providing not only scholarship dollars to our scholars particularly right now. Let's talk about the juniors and the seniors in college, they're looking for their internships to pay for them over the summer that's going to help reduce some of their debt in the fall. We're working with partners such as strata and anthem who said let's change our ability to go from face to face to now go virtual. Now our students understand they now get the experience, the income and position to be hired by our partner. The need that we have is that our partners are being flexible, innovative and creative to meet our family and our students where they are to complete their sense. So scholarship is just one way in which we remove the barriers, but to get them to and through college that means we need them to complete their program within four years. And then in a program such as our corporate scholar program, in which as Anthem is a great example that we're able to place them for two years in a scholarship program. In addition to an internship program and then placing them within that organization following the footprint. And so having community partners and corporate partners come alongside becomes very important because we have IU health that looks to Ivy Tech for their nursing program, being able to change and pivot during COVID-19 is that how do we continue to ensure that those students are getting the training that they really need under a time which there's no engagement for such skills that to be gained for employment. UNSAD is on the front front, I mean on the forefront of making sure we are actually challenging our partners to deliver on the programs that we have to our students outside of the scholarship for the programs asking about online abilities to ensure that they're able to have access to get the training and things that they need online. Change in way in which you do business because we're in a new normal and the new normal is nothing normal about how we've conducted our business in the past. And the students that we're speaking of have the greatest the greatest need of financial support, community support and leveraging to ensure that they're successful. Oftentimes they're going to stop and give up. But when they know they've got the community support and partners are willing to to assist them, then our success is not going to be one by happenstance it's going to be intentional and it's going to be part of what we need in our workforce. You said quite a bit you've talked about the new normal and how UNCF is attacking that new normal by leveraging corporate partnerships, you hit on the economic realities that are probably really are actually going to be traumatic. They're going to be traumatic to both the students and the families and UNCF is doing sounds like great work and trying to attack that new normal and shape and craft that new normal, particularly for black students. When we are talking about the black students and really what we're learning in your work and engagement with institutions, what are you learning about black students, what are you hearing from institutions in your work at Lumina and what's just been new and kind of surprising to you. Well, I think that one of the things that has been amplified I will not say that it's a new learning is that there were already inequities that existed between black students and others in terms of their access to post secondary education and of course their ability to complete and we know that there are all kinds of factors, including affordability being a big one that impact students ability complete particularly African American students. So those inequities that we were already aware of have just been amplified and there is like a significant spotlight that has been applied to them. When you look at again the pivot to online and remote learning and individual students abilities to make that shift very quickly. But also many of the institutions that African American students are well represented or even overly represented at may not have been well resourced in order to make that pivot to online learning very quickly. Many of those faculty members may not have had the faculty preparation to teach effectively in an online learning environment. And then as some of the other panelists have said, we know that African Americans have been especially hard hit by the economic implications of COVID-19. So many black Americans and many members of our community were working and some of those jobs overly represented and some of those industries that had to completely shut down. We're more likely to be hourly and wage employees and not salaried employees. So when our jobs closed, we didn't have any income coming in. More likely to also be frontline workers so overrepresented and you know grocery stores, Walmart, food delivery, which also leads to our higher diagnosis and death from COVID-19. So I would say that while we are learning some things, what's more stark for me is the amplification of those inequities that have already existed. And while we will have a new normal, we will we don't quite know yet what that new normal is going to be because the ground is shifting beneath us in real time. We don't know if campuses are going to be able to open back up in the fall. We don't know if students are going to be able to return to campus because of all the economic implications that they themselves and their families have suffered. Will they be able to return to the same campus? What are transfer policies going to look like? Will they be lifted perhaps to allow for the ease of transfer? So there is a lot to consider, a lot to think about. And what I would say is we've got to keep our eyes on this in real time because things are changing and shifting so quickly that we've got to be prepared to support our students and learners as best we can as these situations evolve. And as Dr. Howard mentioned quite a bit before I pitch back to Molly, the idea of, you know, the new normal still shifting. Universities now I'm seeing are saying that they are forgoing standardized tests, which maybe have been a barrier in the past, but you know, that's that creates maybe some opportunity, but still you have the economic issues, the trauma, the concerns about financial aid positions are going to look like that create the additional challenges, especially through the exacerbation of basically, you know, everything, everything has just become more severe and worse. Thank you, Dr. Howard for those insights. Molly. Thank you so much. So Dr. Howard talked about the fact that we don't know what the new normal is going to look like. And the panel also touched on the idea that focusing on asset language is really important. We're we're leaving a tremendous amount of talent on the table. If we don't figure this out for black students, black students matter so much and could add so much better being kind of kept at bay. So when we think about the opportunities in the new normal, and we think about the fact that students after this initial disruption and trauma of displacement are in a place where they are maybe less likely to face some of the microaggression and violence that they may have faced in the workplace or in classrooms and they're at home, which which may or may not be a good thing that depends on the American right regardless of their color. So we have a chance here to build a new infrastructure that engages black students in new ways through remote learning. And so I'd love to hear a holiday wish list from the panelists about that tech play that remote learning play that you think could benefit all students, but also might be an opportunity to engage black students in a new sense of community. So put on your tech hats, and Dr Roshan I'm going to start with you. How are you thinking, and even if you take off your president hat, what would Ronald Roshan like to see in terms of new tech opportunities to engage black students in meaningful ways. So for me it's just not just technology, it really is curriculum, curriculum offerings, you know, it's about understanding who we're teaching. It's about understanding communities in which you know that the people are coming from. It's understanding what communities are needing. She has laid out so many amazing statistics today, you know that are just so so daunting so real. And she's right this is nothing new for any of us this is only being amplified. So the question is you know, you know when do we really began to take black communities, you know seriously from the standpoint where we really engage, and not only dictate or take to them policy but but but engage people and listen to them. What do they need. What do they want. What are their aspirational goals, you know what what what what are what are they seeking with regard to uplifting their families. You know, the main thing that I want to stress always you know is that, you know the more I travel across this globe and across our nation, you know I meet people that have so much in common with regard to wanting for their you know, wanting safety, you know, wanting resources, wanting more for their children because this is what we work for this is this is this is our legacy right. So I'll tell you right now and I when I put on my tech hat you know I'm thinking about ways in which we can explore technology very definitely where we do, and what we do increase and enhance equity with our question, we do increase accessibility with our education, we do increase ways in which we can learn about technology so we can see it as a friend, you know see it as something that we can engage and not just looking at a screen and and playing around I just got a new computer the other day. And I'm trying to get this young man working with this this this box and I'm just simply I said I'm simply amazed about what he can do with it right. And so I want students to understand what technology means from the standpoint of developing new ideas, new new possibilities. This is where I am I'm I'm going to focus on curriculum I really want to enhance that ability for us to understand who and why and what we're teaching to people to communities. Last but not least, I want to stress the importance of of stressing black communities and not just consumers, and the curriculum has to focus on that, so that we are producing ideas, we're producing outcomes we're producing policy, we're producing new revenue, we're producing scholars that understand their possibilities. You know, I mean, Miss Miss Posey she she she put that out with the first comment, she began to speak about Ivy Tech. This is what I want to focus on this is where I reside. The black community is idea of producers as producers of culture and science and design, and as big players major players that had to have been on the mind. Dr. Huddleston of Martin founders in the late 70s, a place where black culture was elevated. Talk a little bit about what what President Roshan just said your own wishes, Martin's legacy in this. Yeah. So, you know, I couldn't agree more I think he said it probably best but you know I'll just say that, for me, I just believe that it needs to be more descriptive and less prescriptive. We push technology out and it's iterative. And so it learns kind of as it goes and it tells us what to do by the end of the day, we're constantly being told what the platform should be, we're constantly being told what the, what should be involved and engaged in that platform, and what we should turn our attentions to, but nobody's asking the consumer, nobody's asking black people or anybody for that matter, what it should be so I would love to see more platforms that allow different cultures certainly not just African Americans but Hispanic and Latinos and Asian Americans and anybody else for that matter I'd love to see platforms that allow more creation and more development from the cultural lenses of the people within those various populations to create those environments. It happens in some respects and sometimes we even see it coming through in video games for example but I don't think we see it in enough enough in the day to day technology and so that's one of the things that we're going to be looking at we're going to be looking at getting more African Americans into the IT space to be creators of content and less consumers of that content. Excellent, I suppose I saw you nodding so I'm coming to you next something to add. Yeah, if I could add anything in putting on my, would you call it my tech hat. Something that we can really focus on with our students is, you know, building those soft skills or, you know, building social capital for our students, making sure that they are ready for the workforce when when they've completed their credentials here at Ivy Tech. One initiative that we have currently is called career coaching and employer connections CCEC. So this new strategy focuses on coaching students beginning in their first semester by building a career action plan that they keep going back to each semester and updating that. So they'll be coached one on one each student who who chooses to be in this program. They'll be coached one on one. Updating their resumes their LinkedIn profiles mock interviews with employers, and they have to have at least one work and learn, whether it's an internship or co op or something like that. During this time of our virtual world. You know it's okay it's CCEC is called career coaching and employer connections during this virtual world. How can we reach our students one on one and I think us focusing on the career coaching will help our students at least feel that this time is not just, you know, they're not idly, you know, spending their time that they're getting the credentials that they need to succeed in this workforce, and we're also helping them with those others necessarily learning in the classroom. Thank you so much. But Mrs Nealy this may present a challenge or maybe it's an opportunity for the UNCF model how do you foresee funding students to partake of post secondary education in a new way, versus we're funding you to go to the campus to be a residential student to be a part time student. Does technology change that calculus for UNCF. It's an ambition to because we know that we have to have the technology in place, we also have to have the programs in place to allow our students to be successful so it's not, it's not stuck to an institution. We also have the ability to follow the students, but we also have programs as opposed to share that we know that our students need to be job ready. And so we have leadership conferences that are now virtual that we understand that those students need to be prepared, whether it's virtual, or they won't walking into a position that we're having programs in place. But how do we get them there. We're a college we need to be working with them with our current platform, getting them prepared with resumes, the soft skills and a lot of times, those soft skills are very, very important to help those students transition. So technology is going to allow us to do that because we're in a virtual world that's something that we've been doing, we've been investing, ensuring that we're creating online platforms to reach all of our students, regardless of their HPCU. We have to go to our state schools where our students again are attending our dollars follow them. So, for, for us. I think everyone is in that same space, we have to identify the challenges of the demographic that we serve, first time low income, first generation students and families. And so the value add and the feeling of home that their value. We have to make sure that our community partners, the institutions are getting them ready. We know you've got the curriculum. We've got to have the workforce ready to receive them and acknowledge them for where they are. And so that we can diversify our workforce, based on the pipeline of students of color that may not be the ones that are graduating with a three nine, but the same students that are putting the working effort that are graduating with the three to are the two nine that are strong and ready to enter the workforce. And we're going to have to be innovative through our online classes and training to get them prepared. And UNCF is already doing that because they're again, 76 years, we supported first generation low income and so being fair and equitable. We've seen that from the beginning we wouldn't have ever been established in 1944 to address and to remove the barriers of our students. And so for us, our corporate scholar programs are very important. We want to be able to recruit students from all the institutions throughout the state to give them position and prepare over four years to be able to work in a workforce and be competitive and live the life that we know that they can and that they will because they have the ability to. And oftentimes we focus on this one piece, but UNCF is looking at the entire life cycle of a student K through 12, get them ready day one on on campus. The next four years, you know, I didn't say five or six, I said for to get them ready to transition into the workforce and doing that. We're going to be able to continue to incrementally change, you know, the demand for our talent by making sure our students are prepared or moving those barriers and not just financial. Thank you so much. So tonight you talked about the importance of coming back to this pivot to remote education and virtual learning and how that was a real shock to the system of a lot of Americans. What is on your tech wish list or if you could go out and kind of decree that institutions and policymakers would would act on some things. What would you say I have a very long wish list. So I'll try to just give you a few of the highlights. I'd like to start by going back to something that President Rashan mentioned, which is that, you know, in the black community, mothers and fathers and, you know, all sorts of leaders within our community. We want the best for our children and, you know, survey data show that among all racial and ethnic groups, aspirations for post secondary education are highest within the black community. So it's not a matter of not wanting the degrees or the credentials. It's a matter of how can we acquire and attain them. Given the increasing costs of attending post secondary education given all of the other priorities that we are juggling. How can we develop robust pathways to actually get the credentials that we know we need. So that being said, I think that moving perhaps more of our post secondary learning to an online environment presents tremendous opportunity, perhaps for those who did not consider it before, perhaps for those who are juggling competing responsibilities and do not have time to go to campus or even take a hybrid courses with some on site requirements. I think that there is a window here that we want to capitalize on. I do want to offer some caution though, because again, just another data point when we look specifically at black students, those who took traditional face to face education, compared to those who took online education, there was about a 10 percentage point drop in terms of academic achievement and success when African American students were in a completely remote and online environment. So we have to think about what sorts of skills do we need to make sure our students are equipped with what sorts of abilities and competencies do they need in order to thrive in that environment before we completely move more students into the online environment. And finally on my wish list is to ensure that all learning, including learning that happens online or in a remote environment is a very high quality. So we know that there are some actors out there are some institutional actors that actually prey on our students that do not always offer the highest quality credentials. And this is even more so the case within a distance and remote environment. So how can we make sure that our students, regardless of the interface that they engage in to get their post secretary education and training, have access to the highest quality teaching and learning experiences, such when they earn that credential that credential actually mean something right it demonstrates that they have some mastery some expertise some competence. And it's not just kind of not worth the paper that it was written on so high quality is something that we have to ensure as we think about moving more of our coursework and programmatic work into that online and learning environment. Thank you, Jeanette. Marshawn I want to come back to you for a few more questions. I'm going to go off screen for one minute to kind of gather up all the excellent questions that we've gotten from the audience so far. Marshawn. We've been talking about, you know, I want to return to the idea of this, the new normal and taking control of it I know we just talked about technology and Dr Howard kind of hit on new skills. What will our institutions need to do to make sure our black students get what they need and what what's going to be different, particularly about you know Ivy Tech and Martin University and USI, maybe not, you know, in the fall, but maybe two years down the road three years down the road what I think is going to be different. I know it's happening in an evolving environment in an environment that's changing but going back to that wish list again, and I'm going to Ivy Tech as well. What are the things that are going to change and Dr Hudson almost start with you. Yeah, so it's a very good and really a timely question for us I think there's a couple things. The first is is what Dr Howard hit on and that's making sure that the degree that we provide for our students is truly a high quality degree that can be connected to a career opportunity of some sort. We actually are planning for a new model to be ushered in the Martin University that's based on the urban work college model if you're familiar with model Paul Quinn was the was the institution really pioneered that within the higher education landscape and so we want to make sure that we are integrating experiential learning opportunities in a work environment into our academic program and so it's connected with students graduate they have an academic transcript and a work transcript. The second thing that we want to do is we want to make sure that we are re emphasizing ways for students to be able to take the the experience that they already have and have that translated into college credit. So we have a program called prior learning assessment where we essentially say that credits from the College of Life is available to Martin University. A student can or a person can earn up to 60 credit hours from their previous experiences in the workplace or through volunteer and through other methods. We want to make sure that we are acknowledging that and so that that that type of learning that they are receiving are integrated into their outcomes and their experiences and their degree plan at Martin. The last thing I would say is what I think Danisha pose you talked about that stack both credentials we want to make sure the students have the opportunity to earn important credentials that can be taken to the marketplace and they can capitalize on as they are earning their college degree. So the combination of the Urban Word College our prior learning assessment program and stackable credentials I think that's the path where we're going. The last thing I would say is we largely serve a a non traditional or an adult student population. Non traditional at other institutions are traditional at Martin University 62% of our students are between the ages of 25 and 34. And so we want to make sure that we are having specific a specific focus on how you support that student. So instead of pedagogy as approach we're using andragogy as an approach where it's more learn based on learning from your own experiences and being able to share that. So those are just a few things that are kind of on the the docket for Martin University. Opportunity here to more closely align, you know the lived experiences with the education experience that kind of propels students into the workforce based on some work that you all will do at Martin University. Going to Dr. Rashan with us I same question what you know two years down the road three years down the road, you have this crisis but it also presents itself as an opportunity we've talked about technology. But what are some other things that you're thinking about right now that will impact positively impact the experience of black students at your institution that you want hope to put in place. So primarily right now, you know on my mind is ways in which we can enhance relationship development. You know, this is a key component, you know, I'm learning, even with this particular event that communication and trust are essential. People are concerned about what they're hearing and who they're hearing from the concern about making sure that people understand when they came prior to occupying particular seats dealing with policy dealing with decision making. So, you know, one of the things that I'm looking for a ways in which we can really teach students about the about the importance of pivoting. You know, so right now, you know, we have faculty and staff across campuses that are that are finding out, in fact that we are all including the president beginning with the president, they were all vulnerable. That if in fact we are not evolving with regard to change and with regard to nuances that are current with within society that that we will be expendable. It goes back to to a business, Mrs. Neely said earlier today just making sure that folks understand the significance of that degree, making sure that that degree is not only purposeful and it's in hand, but that you're doing something with it to evolve it, you know, with regard to society's society's pressures and society's needs. So I'll tell you, you know, I am, I am really trying to focus on ways in which we can convey to students the significance of their actions on campus proper their actions within classrooms within laboratories within internships externships clinicals and working with working with professionals. You know, someone mentioned earlier about this. I think it was Mrs. Miss Posey mentioned something earlier about both soft skills. What does that mean with regard to development of these students over the next couple of years. This this pandemic, you know, it is teaching all of us significant lessons about about organizational structures about stress pressure, but most importantly, about responsiveness about opportunity. And that's why I'm leaning. I'm really leaning on these ways in which we can kind of reinvent you know that that that that framework that narrative are closed by saying this right here. I go to this I said what I said earlier about going to people and asking them about their opinions because quite often you know we get panels that have expertise that have, you know, have things to contribute but but really do we go to people and ask them about what it is they want to do. You know, what is it that they need and what are the, what are they seeking. And quite often I'll tell you right now, you know, we've seen scholars go into black communities over the over the last many decades, you know, go and collect data, develop scholarship, get 10 year and really connect with those community communities. Well I'm saying let's stop doing that. Let's go to communities and let's talk about transformative behavior, transformative policy that's going to enhance and uplift families. And I want to be involved in that as a president. You know, I've been talking to Dr. Huston about ways in which USI and Morgan can partner. You know, I haven't met Miss Posey today but I can't wait to talk to her offline. I am excited about this new relationship. I just told you I met Dr. Howard just recently by phone. Ms. Naly, you can count on me coming to meet you too ma'am. I'm telling you right now. You know, and I'm inviting you to come to Southern Indiana. Come and see me as well. But what we can do collectively as a group, you know, partnering, utilizing our resources, you know, things that I don't have that you have and vice versa. There are ways in which we can uplift the community. I want to focus on that on the next couple of years, building relationships to to to to to to Marshawn to serve. That is our role. That should be our goal to serve. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Rashan. Miss Posey, before we come to you to kind of think about the opportunity on the other side of COVID. I wanted to give Dr. Naly and Dr. I mean, I just miss Naly and Dr. Howard. When we come to them. I would have asked the university presidents this question but they, they got a little skin in the game. What will be the, the, with the reason to continue to go to college, particularly with this economic challenge. So, Dr. Posey, I wanted y'all to have some time. That's a heavy question. So I wanted y'all to have some time to think about that. Miss Posey, same question. What's the opportunity for Ivy Tech, you know, one, two years from now to really support black students post COVID-19. I love this question and it's something that we're thinking about every day and I, and I, and what President Rashan and Dr. Huddleston, President Huddleston has also said, you know, on top of that, we need to be thinking about our K-12 students. How are we getting into the middle schools in the high schools to make sure that students are ready for higher education or going to the workforce or whatever their next opportunity is. And what that also means is that our community, the black community, we also need to start looking at the labor market demand and supply and what are the jobs that are going to be high wage and high demand in where you live, right? So how can we start efforts on, you know, looking at, you know, labor market trends. Since 2020, you know, just completed, what information are we going to gather next year that's going to help us determine where are the jobs going to be? What are those jobs and how can we start working on that right now to ensure that our students are in the right jobs and in the right educational opportunities. So I think that's something that IB Tech, when I focus on, especially with, you know, us providing credentials and associate's degrees and opportunities to four-year universities and colleges, what specifically can we do to ensure that our students understand supply and demand, what are the jobs that are going to be available for them in five years and 10 years. And I think that's going to be really important for us in the next couple of years moving forward. Thank you. So to our funders and our folks that really support these institutions, we're going to have to go through a tough time right now. Families are going to have to make a decision about, you know, you know, sending their child back to school or a student's going to have to make a decision about, you know, taking on loans in an uncertain economic environment. We know whenever, you know, the larger economy gets a cold, we experience pneumonia. And that even when you look at educational attainment, it's while education certainly helps, certainly increases your income potential, there's still some challenges along the way. What is the best argument? What would you tell those families and even that students who's, you know, sitting here probably doing e-learning right now about the fall and going back and the decision to go back? Dr. Howard? I love this question. This might be my favorite question ever that I got on a panel. And, you know, for me it's really simple. The best way to lift yourself and your family out of poverty or out of a lower income to a middle class or a higher income place is by earning a college degree. The best insurance against being caught in the crosshairs of the economic downturn or recession is by having some sort of credentials learning beyond high school. So what we learned from the economic recession of 2008 is that 98% of those who did not have a post-secondary credential had jobs that did not come back during the recovery period. And so, you know, higher education is an investment, but it is a worthwhile investment. Even as we look at, again, the jobs that have been most impacted by the pandemic, it is not those jobs that are kind of associated with post-secondary education and degrees. Even those of us who have the luxury of still being able to do our jobs from home, typically those are associated with post-high school learning. So there are all sorts of arguments and cases that have been made to support the importance of higher education and post-secondary credentialing. So I would just compel students and families who are going to be facing a really difficult time and continuing on in college might not be at the top of their priority list. But if we can just look at the long-term outcomes and not necessarily only kind of the short-term predicament, then the longer-term outcomes are very much supported by kind of credential attainment and degree attainment. Dr. Howard, so even in this period of economic uncertainty, the data suggests that in the long run it is still the best option. Ms. Nealy, I know, well, I'll just let you, this is what you do, so I'm going to let you go ahead and do what you do. Dr. Howard, thank you for answering my question perfectly. I would add to what you just shared. So education is also speaking for those students that are on the track for two-year degree attainment. Ivy Tech is so important because to the point the data is showing now that because of the pandemic, 60% of those that are currently out of jobs right now are questioning what can I do differently to go back to get the education that I need so when a scenario like this comes and a pandemic will come again, that families and individuals are aware of the value and the importance of having that education. But one side doesn't fit all. There are some students that right now we see that are saying, Ms. Nealy, you know, I'm not going to go immediately into college. I'm going to opt out a year. And so those students need to understand they can go to an Ivy Tech and get credentials that will allow them to take care of their family and then work with, you know, get a position with a UPS that's willing to help them go back to get their degrees. The path forward is very different. Our standard students, they don't look like I'm going to graduate from high school and go straight into college. And so the education is a broader sense of not just a degree, but it is a credential that gets you to a degree that aligns with the workforce. And so right now through the chamber that shares, there are a lot of open positions that aren't requiring degrees. So there needs to be a different thought process to say you can only be successful if you have a degree. It's the credentialing that gets you to the degree they get you to where you ultimately want to be. So it's really changing the thought process. The online is very important. Things that my children right now who I've got two sons who are seniors in high school and something we didn't we didn't talk about. They're getting ready to go and embark on the time that online could be the new normal and they need to be prepared to be successful and get everything out of that to ensure that their degree and the quality that we've heard about the education is going to be there based on the platforms in which we change. That is all to say I agree with with Dr Howard. It is not a question. Should you it is how can we help you complete to get your your credential and or your degree. And if you're talking about the long game. The long game is better late than never get the degree get the credential because your life will be better because of it. And so UNCF is looking at every aspect of where we can partner with our institutions of providing resources and programs and internships working with organizations and foundations like Lumina to do the data and the research on how we change and pivot. In addition to working with strata and and our corporate partners are saying how can we bring the diversity of our talented students who are credential and degree to change and diversify the workforce that we need to happen. And so that is in addition to what Dr Howard to share UNCF and me personally with with children that I expect them to go on to be successful because of their degrees. And I advocate for that as a mother person in my community to ensure that all of our students of color are given the chance the opportunities and the berries are removed for them to be successful regardless if we're faced in a pandemic or not. As my father said, if you are educated, people cannot take that away from you because it is your education and they cannot remove it. So that is the passion that you hear, not as Andrea with UNCF but also Andrea as a mother and a person committed to my community that looks just like me. Well, thank you. It still remains that even in a pandemic that a mind remains a terrible thing to waste. And that is it is an insurance and inoculation against the economic downturns that will inevitably come over someone's lifetime with that I will transition to Molly I know we want to get into some of the questions from the audience. Sure thing and a note to our audience members. Thank you so much for all the thoughtful questions and remarks. If we're unable to get to them live today will share them with our panelists and share them back with you after that. First and foremost, one recurring theme in the comments has been the mental health of black students important always, but knowing what we know about the disproportionate loss that the black community is facing from COVID-19 you're going to returning to campus with deep loss and deep grief. Would anyone like to chime in so I'll look for kind of thumbs ups or nodding about mental health supports for students returning to campus after the pandemic crisis. Dr. Huddleston I see you nodding a little bit can I come to you please. Yeah, certainly so that's one of the things that is top of mind and Martin in fact one of our most our fastest growing undergraduate program is our psychology program and our most successful graduate program is our community psychology program. We've been fortunate to have students who graduate from those programs and they're licensed to track the graduate programs license to track. So we're fortunate students who go on and open up their own practices as a matter of fact one of our students has a practice on our campus. And we want to make sure that those services are accessible to our students as well it kind of goes back to what I was saying before about the the supports that we need to be able to provide any virtual environment and not just focus on the teaching and learning. We've got to figure out how do we do counseling for students or provide that as a service in this environment and how we make sure that it's not a bolt on or an add on but it's central to what we do and so it is it is critically important. I'm very thankful that some of the some of the taboos associated with mental health have been are starting to remove themselves from the African American community community and we're starting to see more and more African Americans take advantage of counseling and things of that nature. But they're not completely gone. And so I think we as a community need to make sure that we are all embracing the importance of seeking help as it relates to mental health but also acknowledging in our own families in our own communities in our own circles when someone might need that help and make sure that we are able to get the support there whether it's in a virtual environment or we get to this point face to face. I think that that is it almost has to be a companion issue that we're facing or dealing with as we're dealing with access to education in this virtual environment. Wonderful. Anyone else like to add to that. Can I come to you. Dr. Howard. Thank you. So, Molly in terms of this question I like to speak from my experience as a current board member of Howard University and also a proud alum of Howard University since President Rashan shouted out his alma mater. But as we've been grappling with the challenge and opportunity of moving all of our teaching and learning into a remote environment, we've also also had to think about moving some of our support services into that same remote environment. And one of those key services has been those offered by our counseling department to make sure that our students are getting the adequate mental health services that they need it. So even before we had to move all students off campus, there was an increased demand for mental health services. And that demand has not gone away. If anything, it's only grown exponentially. And your question was, how can we support students when they return to campus. I think it's a great question. I would add to that. I'm even more concerned about how students who will not be able to return to campus will be able to get the mental health supports that they need. We know that this pandemic has caused a great deal stress, more anxiety, perhaps more depression. We've heard that incidents of child abuse and interpersonal violence have increased. So the needs and the demands for mental health counseling throughout the black community for those students who will be returning and for those who will not has to also be considered as a key priority. Certainly. Noting the time I hate to do this because this is an amazing group and we could go on a lot longer. But I promise we will take the conversation and the questions offline and perhaps we'll have an opportunity to sit down with this amazing group of people again. I'm going to hand it back to Marshawn for some final words in a moment, but a few housekeeping notes. We will be sharing the transcript and video of this session with all of you. We will be reaching out to answer questions that we could not get to. And we will be reaching out to audience members to see if some of you out there in the audience might be willing to share some one-on-one perspectives with us about your experience as students and parents. A nod to the parents and students who are in the audience today who have chimed in talking about the importance of support from faculty and campus administrators and folks in the community. Keep your chin up. We're very, very proud of you. We're very excited for you to continue. And if New America, the recorder or the folks you see on screen can help, I know that all of us will. I hope you'll join New America and the Indianapolis Recorder for next week's, the fifth session in COVID in the Black community. We'll be talking about wealth building in the community during and after COVID. Marshawn, would you like to close this out and thank our panelists? So while we are facing a new normal in the Black community, some things still have not changed. We recognize that this experience has exacerbated some of the disparities that we have already experienced in half for a long time, particularly with health-related conditions as well as economic conditions. To get out of this, I think the Black community will rely on the things that have gotten us through before our resiliency, our ability to think about partnerships, our ability to think about belonging and having an asset-based orientation, even for ourselves. And the idea of recognizing our power as citizens, to be true citizens, we take control of our environment and we get to define what that new normal means for us. Now, this is still a space of great uncertainty. We will still be in an evolving context for some time, but we've been here before. And I think, you know, you never bet against Black, and I'll just leave it like that. With that, I'll turn it back over to Molly. I just want to say thank you to our panelists. It's been a tremendous honor. Thank you, Marshawn. Thank you to everyone who has joined us, literally from across the country. And we hope to see you on a new America and Indianapolis Recorder event soon. Thanks as always to our community partners at WFYI, Side Effects Media, and their excellent education reporting team. Thank you so much. Stay well and have a wonderful day.