All HBCUs and PBIs Invited to Participate in Unprecedented Summit on Future of Black Education

For the first time, representatives from every Black college in the nation offered complimentary access to UNITE Summit

Washington, DC, Jan. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) today announced the opening of registration for its UNITE 2025 Summit. Held July 20-24, 2025, at the Signia by Hilton Hotel in Atlanta, GA, the UNITE Summit will offer a comprehensive agenda on the future of Black higher education for institutional leaders and their researchers, advocates, partners, supporters and champions.

For the first time in the event’s history, the

UNITE team has extended five complimentary invitations to every historically Black college and university (HBCU) and Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) in the nation. 

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to the success and sustainability of Black colleges and universities,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “These institutions are vital engines of opportunity, resilience and innovation. At the UNITE Summit, we will provide a platform to advance strategic initiatives, enhance institutional effectiveness, and collaboratively shape the future of higher education.” 

Hosted by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, the UNITE Summit is rooted in its five Guiding Pillars: Institutional Excellence, Student Success, Research & Innovation, Economic Mobility and Systems Change. UNITE 2024 was a record-breaking event, surpassing previous summit milestones for attendance, programming and sponsorship. This year’s five-day summit will feature an opening gala and summit commencement address, over 100 sessions and special events, and pre-summit workshops on institutional transformation, executive leadership, endowment growth, industry collaboration, artificial intelligence and more. 

“For the last 19 years, UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building has built an infrastructure to support a network of Black colleges and universities seeking transformation,” said Ed Smith-Lewis, vice president, strategic partnerships and institutional programs, UNCF. “We are clearer than we have ever been on the need for shared strategies, shared approaches and shared decision making among this incredible network of higher education institutions.” 

Codified in the Higher Education Act of 1965, HBCUs are institutions established prior to 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. HBCUs currently operate in 19 U.S. states, one U.S. territory and the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. PBIs are designated annually by the U.S. Department of Education and play a significant role in serving student populations that have been historically disenfranchised from the U.S. higher education system.

Institutions seeking to learn more about the UNITE Summit are invited to designate a representative to attend one of two webinars being held later this month.