Central State joins Thurgood Marshall College Fund and five other HBCUs and for historic partnership

Above: Representatives from six Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Central State University, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund met with Binghamton University faculty and staff as part of the Emerging Technology & Broadening Participation Summit. Reprinted with permission. 

Central State University, Ohio’s only public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and 1890 Land-Grant Institution, is one of six HBCUs participating in a groundbreaking alliance in education, research, and service, Binghamton University and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) announced earlier this month. 

New Educational & Research Alliance (New ERA) aims to “foster holistic, equitable, and sustainable collaborations that will shape the future of academia and beyond” based on a shared mission, Binghamton wrote on its website.  

Central State will participate in the innovative partnership with HBCUs Alabama A&M University, Tuskegee University, Prairie-View A&M University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Virginia State University. Binghamton is part of the State University of New York. 

Arunasalam Rahunanthan, Ph.D., is chair and a professor of mathematics at the John C. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, and Agriculture (JWGCESTA) Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Central State. He told summit participants that JWGCESTA faculty members are engaged in unique research activities with many federal agencies.  

The agencies include the Air Force Research Laboratory, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. 

HBCUs unite in research alliance with Central State focused on cybersecurity, scientific computing, and AI

Central State brings its key strengths in innovative research in cybersecurity, scientific computing, and artificial intelligence to the partnership, said Emdad Ahmed, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science and New ERA co-lead for Central State. 

In a letter to University President Dr. Jack Thomas, TMCF President and CEO Harry L. Williams said Ahmed and Rahunanthan “were invaluable in framing New ERA.” 

Pooling resources, participating universities will co-develop education and research initiatives focused on artificial intelligence, data science, smart energy, future manufacturing, cybersecurity, material science, and biomedical engineering. 

“With esteemed academics working together, we will stimulate intellectual growth, foster innovation, and contribute to the academic enrichment of partner universities, while laying the foundation for a more diverse and inclusive enterprise in STEM,” Williams wrote. 

External funding and sponsored research are quickly growing strengths of Central State. Central State students and faculty researchers are contributing to cutting-edge projects every day. 

“Binghamton has a reputation of being a great research university, and some of our HBCUs are on the verge of becoming great in some areas,” N. Joyce Payne, founder of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, told Binghamton. “This was a prime opportunity to bring the two communities together to start the conversation.” 

The TMCF was founded in 1987 and today is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing Black community colleges, according to its website. Member schools are publicly funded HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs). It offers scholarships, research capabilities, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, supporting higher education and K-12 schools.  

Emerging Technology and Broadening Participation Summit rallies participants 

The announcement came after more than a year of planning that culminated in a three-day conference, the Emerging Technology and Broadening Participation Summit. Dozens of faculty members and students from the six HBCUs attended the conference organized by Binghamton’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.  

The partnership is a step in Central State’s aspiration to receive Carnegie Research II designation over the next five years. Rahunanthan called the partnership a win-win situation for all involved.  

New ERA is continuing discussions about how the collaboration can create remarkable opportunities for students and faculty.