Most senior leaders talk a good game. Many, of course, do more than talk. But I wonder, nevertheless, how many CEOs and other top executives have ever stepped foot on the campus of one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities or Tribal Colleges and Universities?
Let’s start with some numbers:
107: The U.S. Department of Education identifies 107 colleges nationwide as HBCUs. (Others put the number slightly lower.) You’re probably familiar with at least a few—Howard University in Washington, DC; Spelman and Morehouse colleges in Atlanta, and Tuskegee University in Alabama. That leaves about 100 others. Check them out.
32: There also are nearly three dozen accredited TCUs. Few business leaders are likely familiar with them, including top-ranked Salish Kootenai College in Montana.
450: And, to fully widen the net, the Education Department also lists more than 450 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs): two- and four-year colleges and universities, mostly in the West and Southwest, with enrollments that are at least 25% Hispanic.
9,500: That’s the approximate number of U.S. corporations with annual revenues of $500 million or more. That’s 9,500 CEOs; the number of senior executives and Board Members is some multiple of that.