Advancing rigorous, interdisciplinary research that documents the contributions, challenges, and opportunities of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
HCRN Research Network
Welcome to the HBCU Center Research Network
The purpose of the HCRN is to build a community of HBCU and HBCU-ally researchers, practitioners, and leaders who work collaboratively to identify, study, and solve issues that hinder HBCU success and to amplify the collective capacity of HBCUs to empirically document the strategies that have resulted in African American postsecondary excellence. Core HCRN initiatives include: The HBCU Center Fellows Program, the HBCU Researcher Repository, the HBCU Researchers’ Spotlight, and the HBCU Center Annual Research Conference. An integrated approach, the HCRN will accelerate the implementation of anchor HBCU Center programs, strategically intensify the HBCU Center’s outreach to perspective partners, sponsors, and donors, and create formal opportunities for meaningful stakeholder participation in HBCU Center programs.
Research & Scholarship
Leadership & Professional Engagement
Creating opportunities for researchers, practitioners, and institutional leaders to exchange knowledge, cultivate partnerships, and advance institutional excellence.
Policy & Advocacy
Connecting research findings with institutional practices and policy conversations that influence the future of HBCUs.
HBCU Center Research Network (HCRN) Initiatives
HBCU Center Fellows Program
Cultivating a community of scholars and practitioners conducting research relevant to HBCU success.
HCRN Research Conference
Convening researchers, policymakers, and institutional leaders to exchange scholarship and advance critical conversations.
Researcher Spotlight
Elevating the scholarship, contributions, and achievements of researchers within the HBCU ecosystem.
HCRN Research Conversations & Conference Archives
Explore conversations, conference presentations, and scholarly discussions that examine the evolving landscape of HBCU research, leadership, institutional excellence, and public policy.
From Community to Collective Power: Advancing Black Women’s Leadership in HBCU Research and Policy
Melanie Carter, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Director, Center for HBCU Research, Leadership, and Policy
Howard University
Natasha K. McClendon, Ph.D.
Director, Center of Excellence for Black Women in STEM
Spelman College
Sherice Janaye Nelson, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Harris-Stowe State University
Sosanya Jones, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies
Howard University
Financing Access: Grad PLUS Reform and the Political Economy of HBCU Graduate Education
Reginald K. Ellis, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor of History
Clark Atlanta University
Desideria Hacker, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Research
Norfolk State University
Scott Challener, Ph.D.
Dean, Graduate College
Hampton University
Schools of Education as Democratic Anchors: HBCUs and the Future of the Teaching Workforce
Dawn Williams, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Howard University
Tony Latiker, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Education and Human Development
Jackson State University
Paula Groves Price, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, College of Education
North Carolina A&T State University
Power, Persistence, and Possibility: Reimagining Black Male Success at HBCUs
Calvin Hadley, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for Student Engagement and Academic Partnerships
Howard University
Robert T. Palmer, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Leadership
Howard University
J. Elijah Bratton, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Academic and Student Affairs
Howard University
Nickolas Gabriel, MSW
Program Coordinator, You Lead Male Initiative
Howard University
Knowledge as Power: HBCU Research, Narrative Control, and Policy Decision-Making
Ivory Toldson, Ph.D.
Professor and Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Negro Education
Howard University
Melanie Carter, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Director, Center for HBCU Research, Leadership, and Policy
Howard University
From Pipeline to Power: HBCU Leadership Development in K–12 Systems
Shannon Waite, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Howard University
Gregory Hutchings, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor and Ed.D. Program Coordinator, School of Education
Howard University
Eugene Pringle, Ed.D.
Associate Director, Ed.D. in Education Policy and Leadership
American University
Courtney Wilkerson, Ed.D.
Educator, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
From Data to Leverage: Translating HBCU Research into Institutional and Policy Change
Jorge Burmicky, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Howard University
Sosanya Jones, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies
Howard University
