A Role for HBCUs in Global Food Security

Perspectives in Global Development: Fall 2022 Seminar Series

In recent years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) have gained the limelight with the VP of the US being a graduate and the likes of Deon “Prime Time” Sanders followed by a slew of top athletes flocking to the institutions.  In recent weeks, even the likes of Angelina Jolie being seen proudly escorting her daughter to one of the top HBCUs in the country.  But it was not long ago that individuals were asking, if HBCUs were still relevant in the 21st century.  Without hesitancy, the continued impact of HBCUs on training minorities in STEM and beyond clearly demonstrate that HBCUs are not only relevant, but necessary in 21st Century America.  More than 80% of African Americans who earned degrees in dentistry and medicine attended HBCUs and 70% of African Americans who earned degrees in veterinary medicine attended an HBCU.  Further, HBCUs have accounted for training of 75% of African American officers in the U.S. Armed Forces, 75% of African Americans with PhDs, 80% of African Americans holding federal judgeship positions, and 50% of African American faculty who teach at predominantly White institutions. The success of HBCUs is believed to be a result of “high impact practices” for which HBCUs are known, from providing community service opportunities to mentoring from mirror role models to celebrating cultural and historical contributions, all of which form the basis for greater self-esteem and subsequently long-term successes. As such it is not surprising that the impacts of HBCUs most often lauded are a result of these institutions’ contributions to educating minorities, especially African Americans; however, the reality is that HBCUs contributions extend beyond this important work.

About the speaker

Dr. Olga U. Bolden-Tiller serves as the Dean for the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences(CAENS) at Tuskegee University (TU) as well as the 1890 Research Director. She holds a BS degree in Agricultural Sciences (Animal Sciences) from Fort Valley State University and a PhD degree in Animal Sciences (Reproductive Biology) from the University of Missouri-Columbia where she matriculated as an USDA-National Needs Fellow. Dr. Bolden-Tiller continued her training at the University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center as an NIH Fellow in Reproductive Biology. In 2005,she joined Tuskegee University as an Assistant Professor. Prior to obtaining her current position, Dr. Bolden-Tiller served as the Coordinator for the Animal, Poultry and Veterinary Sciences Program, Assistant Dean of Development for CAENS as well as the Assistant Head for DAES. In these roles, Dr. Bolden-Tiller established numerous partnerships with a variety of domestic and international organizations supporting Tuskegee University’s efforts to build collaborations that promote Sustainable Agriculture Research, Teaching and Extension. Dr. Bolden-Tiller served as the Director for the NSF funded Integrative Biosciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Tuskegee University for almost eight years and directed several summer pre-college programs, including AgriTREK, AgDiscovery, SciTREK, FNR-TREK and DiscoveryTREK for over a decade. She also currently serves as the co-director for an USDA funded Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates, the State Coordinator for the Alabama Youth Institute held in collaboration with the World Food Prize Foundation oversees TU’s Tomorrow’s Agricultural Professionals Symposium and the current Past President for the National Society of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). She is also the Tuskegee University Lead for the 1890 Center of Excellence to Motivate and Educate for Achievement/Student Success and Workforce Development. In addition to her administrative duties described above and teaching duties, which include Introductory Animal Sciences, Reproductive Physiology, Advanced Reproductive Physiology, and Domestic Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Dr. Bolden-Tiller maintains a small, but robust research program that focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of gonadal function in rodents and ruminants, with a particularly emphasis on the testis. Her research and training programs are funded by the United States Department of Agriculture ,the National Science Foundation, HHMI, and the state of Alabama (Alabama Agricultural Land Grant Alliance). Collectively, Dr. Bolden-Tiller has served as a research mentor for over 60 high school, undergraduate and graduate (MS and PhD) students. She is the author/co-author of numerous of refereed journal articles and conference proceedings and is an active member of numerous professional societies, serving in leadership roles in many, including the National Society of MANRRS(President [current-past], President-Elect and Historian); American Society of Animal Sciences; National Goat Consortium (Founding Member and Program Committee) and the Society for the Study of Reproduction(Board Member; Public Affairs Committee Liaison and Past Trainee Representative). For her contributions, Dr. Bolden-Tiller has received several awards, including the TU College of Agriculture, Environmental and Natural Sciences’ Faculty Performance Award for Service (2008, 2017) and Teaching (2010) as well as the Russell Brown Distinguished Scientist Award (2013).She is also recognized as an Opportunities for Under Represented Scholars(OURS) Fellow and is an alumnus of the LEAD21 Program, the Fielding/Conclave Leadership Academy as well as the Food Systems Leadership Institute Fellows Program.

About the seminar series

The Perspectives in Global Development seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. eastern time during the semester. The series will be presented in a hybrid format with some speakers on campus and others appearing via Zoom. All seminars are shown in Warren 151. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend. The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science as part of courses GDEV 4961, AEM 4961, NTRES 4961, GDEV 6960, AEM 6960, and NTRES 6960.