14 The Hampton Roads Messenger Education


Historically Black Colleges Make Multi-Billion-Dollar Economic Impact, New UNCF Study Finds


HBCUs Make America Strong America’s historically black


colleges and universities (HBCUs) inject billions of dollars in economic impact


into the national economy,


according to HBCUs Make America Strong:


The Positive Economic


Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a landmark study released today by UNCF (United Negro College


Fund). The impact


described in the report includes almost $15 billion annually in economic impact. This study clearly enumerates the significant economic contributions of 100 HBCUs by focusing on the


institutions’ far-reaching


economic effects that can be felt in communities and nationwide, as well as the increased earning power of their students.


Offering data by institution,


as well as a national analysis, the UNCF study – underwritten by Citi Foundation and prepared by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth – also reports that HBCUs significantly increase local and national job creation and economic development. For example:


Total economic impact of HBCU


spending in the United States is $14.8 billion annually; the equivalent to a ranking in the top 200 corporations on the Fortune 500 list.


Every dollar spent by an HBCU and its students generates $1.44 in initial and subsequent spending for the institution’s local and regional economies; particularly significant as many HBCUs are in southern communities where overall economic growth has lagged.


The strength and vitality of


HBCUs prepares a critical sector of the workforce, people of color from low- and moderate-income families, to fill the economy’s demand for college- educated workers.


HBCUs generate roughly 134,000 jobs for their local regional economies, including


and


on-campus and off-site jobs, equating to approximately 13 jobs created for each $1 million initially spent by HBCUs.


HBCU graduates, over 50,000 in 2014, can expect work-life earnings of $130 billion—an additional $927,000 per graduate—56 percent more than they could expect to earn without their HBCU degrees or certificates.


evidence that HBCUs not only provide a


college


students every year, but they are a powerful economic engine:


students they


“This study is conclusive education


for 300,000 locally,


through the jobs they create and the expenditures they make in the cities where they are located, and nationally, through the


study demonstrates conclusively that HBCUs are not only relevant to the country’s economic health and vigor, they are necessary.”


“The education that HBCUs provide to their students, many of them from low-income families and the first in their families to attend college, helps the national economy fill critical jobs with college-educated workers who otherwise would not acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to compete in the evolving workforce,” said UNCF’s Vice President of Research and Member Engagement Dr. Brian Bridges.


The first of its kind, HBCUs


Make America Strong sets forth those benefits in detailed dollars-and-cents terms. It shows that money spent in, around, and by the nation’s HBCUs and their students drives economic growth on- and off-campus—and the effect of that spending is multiplied over time. Each dollar spent creates far more than a dollar’s worth of productive activity as it moves through the economy.


“The Scholarship Watch Blacks at Microsoft Scholarships


Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) is a company-sponsored employee dedicated


network


the continued growth and development


employees at Microsoft Corporation.


to supporting of black This year,


BAM will award two US$5,000 scholarships to outstanding high-school seniors who are interested in


pursuing careers


Requirements To be considered for a BAM Scholarship, you must:


Be a high-school senior of African descent (for example, African American, African, or Ethiopian).


Plan to attend a four-year college or university in the fall of the year following high-school graduation.


Plan to pursue a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems, or select business programs (such as finance, business administration, or marketing).


Demonstrate a passion for technology. Demonstrate leadership at school or in the community. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher. Require financial assistance to attend college.


in


technology. The scholarships are renewable, so winners who continue to meet the criteria can receive an annual $5,000 award for up to four years.


How to Apply


To apply for a BAM Scholarship, print and fill out the application. Enclose it in an envelope with the following items:


Two letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from a faculty or staff member at your school. Letters of recommendation should be original and should not be duplicates of college recommendation letters. (Letters must be on letterhead.)


Résumé. Your résumé should include the following information: —Extracurricular activities (school and community related)


—Honors and awards that you have received (if possible, include awards that are technology related) —Work experience Picture of yourself.


Transcript. Include an official "sealed" copy of your current academic transcript. (Unofficial copies will not be accepted.) Two essays.


1. In no more than 500 words, describe how you plan to engage in the technology industry in your future career. (If you have done exemplary work using technology during high school, please describe that also.)


2. In no more than 250 words, demonstrate your financial need for this scholarship.


Mail your completed application to the following address by March 1. You will receive a response by April 15. The Seattle Foundation c/o BAM Scholarship 1200 5th Avenue, Ste. 1300 Seattle, WA 98101


future economic


Volume 12 Number 3


competitiveness of our nation hinges on the positive economic outcomes of our young people,” said Brandee McHale, President,


“HBCUs are developing our next generation


of business and


December 2017


Citi Foundation. civic


leaders. These impactful institutions have long contributed to the fabric of our nation and continue to fuel economic


profound ripple effect on the strength of our families, communities,


progress, which has a and


businesses.” HBCUs have long been bastions


of academic achievement—it is clear to see that the value of HBCUs is not solely confined to economic impacts. HBCUs are 3 percent of America’s public and private nonprofit colleges that receive federal student aid, but enroll 10 percent of African American undergraduates,


award


and prepare for an information-age workforce,” said UNCF president and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax.


FROM PAGE 10 17 percent


educate Medical Tech “The


of African American bachelor’s degrees and award 24 percent of African American STEM bachelor's degrees. When the economic impact of these same schools is examined, it becomes clear that HBCUs are not only a sound economic decision for students, but that investing in HBCUs is beneficial for the communities they serve, potential employers of HBCU graduates, and the nation at large.


The


HBCUs Make America Strong: Positive


Economic Impact


of Historically Black Colleges and Universities


economy. Please


development visit


demonstrates


conclusively: HBCUs matter—not only to students, but also to employers, economic


and the UNCF.org/


HBCUsMakeAmericaStrong to access the full report.


does not get much career coverage and exposure so, understandably, most people are unaware it exists. We are not medical assistants and we are not nurses. We do, however, work closely with nurses, as well as, doctors to deliver results to assist in diagnosis and treatments for patients. You may never see us because we work behind the scenes in the laboratory, which is why sometimes this profession is classified as non-clinical. The nurse or phlebotomist collects


the


samples and transports them to us. We run several tests depending on the patient’s condition and symptoms, and we report these results to the doctor who determines the patient


status,


diagnosis, or treatment based on these results.


Those that do have limited knowledge of the profession, call us “button pushers” or robots, but the profession is much more extensive. While working in this field I have found


that medical


day. Medical technologists are a vital member of the hospital team.


Labor statistics (2015), the job outlook


According to the Bureau of for medical


laboratory technologists is promising, at 16% it is growing much faster than average. Education


fulfilling a bachelor’s degree in medical


and clinical includes technology or the life


sciences. The field includes clinical chemistry, microbiology, hematology, as well as blood bank, also known as transfusion services. A technologist can specialize in any of these fields, or can work as a generalist. Lastly, a medical technologist must be licensed within their state, which is achieved by registering and taking


a test


administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.


Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.


Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Medical


and Clinical technologists


receive minimum notoriety and are extremely under-recognized. Although you may never see us or even be aware we do exist, we help save lives every


at Laboratory


Technologists and Technicians, on the Internet


healthcare/medical-and-clinical-labo- ratory-technologists-and-technicians. htm (visited July 27, 2017).


https://www.bls.gov/ooh/


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