N.C. Central University held its first industry summit Oct. 24-25. Major corporations helped the university establish new internships, co-ops and scholarships. The Department of Hospitality and Tourism received $500,000 in scholarship aid from Marriott. Cisco contributed $40,000 to help the university develop a “cluster network.”

Representatives of corporations from all over the U.S. met with students who received job-search advice to help prepare them for post-graduation. At a session titled “The Forming, Norming, Storming and Reforming of College Industry Relations,” summit participants gathered to brainstorm ideas to improve internships, co-ops and scholarships for students at NCCU.

Florida A&M University Associate Vice President Thomas Haynes, a panelist at this session, said the university needed businesses partnerships to help students obtain foundations for careers.

“It is part of the major responsibility of the university to create pathways for every student that walks through the door,” said Haynes. “Those pathways are the in point to the greater society.” He also said that he wanted this industry partnership to use every vehicle possible to open up the pathways.

“In the whole notion of recruiting outstanding talent, I hope that businesses will partner with the university and sponsor recruitment fairs at other campuses and share with other students why you have partnered in this cluster with NCCU,” said Haynes. According to Haynes, these partnerships will provide NCCU with more funds, recruitment of top talent and increased enrollment. In return, the industry will come back through recruitment, helping students with jobs, internships and co-ops.

“This not a costly proposition, but it is a very effective technique in the recruitment of the most talented students,” said Haynes. “Students today want to know that there are opportunities out there, and through this method, you are showing them that there is opportunity.”

Keynote speaker Robin Smiles of “Black Issues In Higher Education”, described what corporations should think about when looking for the best and the brightest students for internships and scholarships.

According to Smiles, because there is such a vast resource in the Triangle area, she hoped that this forum will show major corporations the talent, not only at NCCU, but all HBCUs as well.

“They can see that HBCU students are real, talented, and that we are the best and the brightest and this is were businesses should be coming to recruit,” said Smiles.

Smiles’ speech addressed the under representation of minorities in science and technology. She also focused on low college enrollment among black males as compared to females.

Many representatives of corporations at the summit were NCCU alumni, and they appeared very impressed with the clustering concept that Chancellor Ammons and Leo Sams, interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement, decided to place at NCCU.

According to Lackey Barnes, sales representative of Xerox, this is a major step forward for NCCU.

“[In the past], there was not a summit such as this, where businesses and corporations sat down and helped create a future for students ... This is going to help the university become very successful,” said Barnes.

NCCU alumnus Harold Epps, general manager and vice president of Poly Hi Solidur/Menasha Corp., accepted the position of chairman over the cluster.