Perspectives in Global Development: Fall 2022 Seminar Series
Speaker: Olga Bolden-Tiller
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. (continued on our website: cals.cornell.e...)
11 сен 2024
