
The Going for Gold initiative seeks to include all 101 HBCUs in the U.S. and the 27 four-year HSIs with at least 60% Hispanic enrollment. Our goal is to bring on 25 university partners each year. The 50 HBCUs with health-affiliated programs such as medical schools, nursing, pre-med, health information, and health communication, provide opportunities for further engagement by partnering on clinical trials, developing health materials, and shaping community outreach.
Recruiting for additional corporate and university partners is ongoing.
In 1969, Caribbean Junior College, the predecessor institution of Caribbean University, was founded in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico as a private, non-profit, co-educational and non-sectarian educational institution. Caribbean University has the vision of promoting social and economic change that increases the intellectual and personal maturity of society by offering an excellent higher education. Caribbean University is committed to the principle of accessibility for the most disadvantaged, comprehensibility in its offerings, and adaptability to meet the needs of the community it serves. It is committed to intellectual and social ethical development and accepts the responsibility of fostering respect for human dignity among its students and their personal commitment to improve society.
An historically Black institution located in New Orleans, La., Dillard University cultivates leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely, and act courageously to make the world a better place. Dillard is a private faith-based liberal arts university that offers 22 majors and two certificate programs. Founded in 1869, Dillard is Louisiana’s oldest HBCU born from the union of Straight College and New Orleans University. Dr. Yolanda Page has developed the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center on campus to research health and healthcare inequalities among races and people. The center has four objectives: advance academics in leadership in global health, enhance the academic environment by recruiting racial minority students, develop diverse research, and provide unique hands-on education. A dedicated Going For Gold Partner, Dillard is focused on serving underserved communities in New Orleans.
Huston-Tillotson University, the oldest institution of learning in Austin, Texas, has roots dating back to 1875. HT is an independent, church-related, historically black, four-year liberal arts institution located on a 23-acre tree-lined campus near downtown in East Austin. Huston-Tillotson University’s mission is to nurture a legacy of leadership and excellence in education, connecting knowledge, power, passion, and values. The University offers associate and master’s degrees in addition to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 19 areas of study.
Livingstone College is a private historically Black college, founded in 1879, with a strong commitment to quality instruction, academic excellence, and student success. Through a Christian-based environment suitable for holistic learning, Livingstone provides excellent business, liberal arts, STEAM, teacher education, and workforce development programs for students from all ethnic backgrounds in a way designed to promote lifelong learning, and to develop student potential for leadership and service to a global community. Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins serves as the twelfth president of the college, which earned a place in history when it hosted the first black intercollegiate football game played in America in 1892. The College was founded by a group of A.M.E. Zion ministers and strong ties with the church continue.
Medgar Evers College, a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) of the City University of New York (CUNY), was established in 1970 with a mandate to meet the educational and social needs of Central Brooklyn. The College, named for the civil rights leader, Medgar Wiley Evers, is committed to the fulfillment of this mandate.
Medgar Evers College's mission is to develop and maintain high quality, professional, career oriented undergraduate degree programs in the context of liberal education. The College offers programs both at the baccalaureate and at the associate degree levels, giving close attention to the articulation between the two-year and the four-year programs. The College has a commitment to students who desire self improvement, a sound education, an opportunity to develop a personal value system, and an opportunity to gain maximum benefits from life experience and from their environment.
Founded in 1876, is the nation’s largest private, independent historically Black academic health sciences center dedicated to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The college is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Meharry is a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.
Norfolk State University was founded in 1935 and is the largest HBCU in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a thought leader positioned to continue educating the current and future workforce for generations to come. The University is home to one of the highest rated “Clean Room” research facilities on the East Coast and is strengthening its presence in the research and technological sectors as a place to go for 21st Century initiatives. The institution hosts several superior academic colleges and schools including the College of Science, Engineering and Technology; the College of Liberal Arts; the School of Business; the School of Education; the Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work; the School of Graduate Studies and Research; and the Robert C. Nusbaum Honors College.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a leading doctoral research university, the largest historically Black university in America and the nation's No. 1 producer of degrees awarded to African Americans in Engineering and Agriculture. Nationally recognized for excellence in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) education, A&T is home to an extensive scientific enterprise, one of the state's three most productive among its public universities. Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. worked with the system for many years before becoming Chancellor, and thanks to his leadership, A&T is one of the most successful HBCUs in the country.
Founded in 1877, Philander Smith College is a small, privately supported,historically Black, four-year liberal arts institution related to the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. The College offers four degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Bachelor of Social Work. The College's mission is to graduate academically accomplished students, grounded as advocates for social justice, determined to change the world for the better. Philander Smith College, the only United Negro College Fund member institution in Arkansas, strives to provide a quality education for all regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin or ethnic background.
Ponce Health Sciences University
Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) is the largest private medical school in Puerto Rico that provides a world-class education. Recognized in Puerto Rico and St. Louis, MO, for educational service and research achievements, the university continues its focus on the disciplines of Medicine, Clinical Psychology, Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, and Nursing. By combining expanded academic and professional educational offerings in a cooperative and intimate learning environment, Ponce Health Sciences University graduate highly competent healthcare professionals dedicated to their community and the expanding future needs of their profession.
Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public Historically Black College or University in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. Students select majors from 30 undergraduate and five graduate programs in four colleges — Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology.
Founded in 1865, Shaw is the oldest HBCU in the South and the first to admit women. When Shaw hears the call for action, they are the first to jump and answer the call, an approach that made them one of the first universities to partner in the Going for Gold initiative. Shaw is known for their great private liberal arts education. Affiliated with the Baptist Church, Shaw is home to the oldest historically black theological institution in America. Undergraduate studies at the university focus and connect with community outreach through the justice, social work, and health tracks. When the COVID vaccine was being rolled out, they opened a vaccine clinic to serve the community greatly affected by the virus. Dr. Paulette R. Dillard, President of Shaw, is a marine biologist and a Co-Director of the academic enrichment programs for the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) funded Research Infrastructure in Minority Institutions (RIMI) project.
South Carolina State University
Since 1896, South Carolina State University has maintained a legacy of excellence in education. They have been home to generations of scholars and leaders in business, military service, government, athletics, education, medicine, science, engineering technology and more. Located in Orangeburg, SC, SC State was founded as a land grant college with a mission of providing education and service to the citizens of the state.
Southern University Law Center
Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Law Center is one of five institutions comprising the Southern University System – the only HBCU system in the nation. The institution is nationally recognized for its diversity, racial justice initiatives, and community outreach efforts. SULC is a progressive, innovative institution that provides access and opportunity to a diverse group of students from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups to obtain a high-quality legal education with training in both civil and common law.
Stillman College is a liberal arts institution with a historical and formal affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is committed to fostering academic excellence, to providing opportunities for diverse populations, and to maintaining a strong tradition of preparing students for leadership and service by fostering experiential learning and community engagement designed to equip and empower Stillman’s students and its constituents. Stillman College, authorized by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1875, held its first classes in 1876 and was chartered as a legal corporation by the State of Alabama in 1895.
Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University is a private, state-related and nationally ranked land-grant institution that serves a racially, ethnically and religiously diverse student body of 3,000-plus students. The institution was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington and is one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since 1933, Tuskegee’s academic programs — many accredited by their respective accrediting bodies — currently lead to 41 bachelor’s, 16 master’s and five doctoral degree opportunities.
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems.They are the number one producer in North Carolina of Bachelor’s degrees for African Americans in Nursing, health professionals, and rehabilitation and therapy. They also are one of the few HBCU’s to have a PhD in physical therapy. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.