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HBCU Online

Our Commitment

Accelerating online student learning at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Strategic Education, Inc. (Strategic Education) is focused on advancing career and economic mobility for all. We have invested in innovation and reimagined our role as not just an educational institution, but as an enabler of socioeconomic mobility—to ensure that our graduates have the skills and tools to navigate the future of work. Delivering on the promise, potential, and mission of our institutions demands that we share what we’ve learned with the broader higher education community.

HBCU Online is about taking the tools and strategies we have developed to enable the collective impact of HBCUs nationwide. This effort is rooted in a belief that we have much to offer—but far more to learn—from deeper collaboration with institutions that, in many ways, share our experiences and values.

Our Work

Strategic Education is partnering with HBCUs to:

  • Ease the disruption caused by COVID-19
  • Provide greater flexibility in meeting students’ educational needs
  • Accelerate online capabilities

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Access to classes through our Sophia Learning platform, many of which are ACE-recommended courses for college credit

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Students at participating HBCUs can take online courses that may transfer to their home university

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Professional development training is available for faculty transitioning to online education

Leadership profiles

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Leonard Haynes, PhD, Senior Advisor

A former senior director with the Department of Education, and former executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as an HBCU president, Dr. Haynes brings a combination of policy and practical experience that will strengthen Strategic Education’s support of HBCUs and the students they serve. Widely recognized for his work in education, he has also counseled numerous organizations, such as the Ford Foundation and the Merck Corporation. He earned his BA from Southern University, an MS from Carnegie Mellon University, his PhD from Ohio State University. He is also the recipient of 14 honorary degrees, the 2018 White House Initiative on HBCUs Distinguished Service Award now known as the Leonard L. Haynes III Distinguished Service Award, and the Servant Leader Award from the United Methodist Church for his work on behalf of HBCUs.

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Jacqueline M. Palmer, EdD, Special Assistant to the President, Student Relations

Dr. Palmer serves as the special assistant to the president for Strayer University. Working in close collaboration with senior university leaders, Dr. Palmer is responsible for developing and maintaining strategic programs that support the mission and values of the university. She has held various positions of increasing responsibility in the Office of Student Affairs. Prior to Dr. Palmer’s tenure with Strayer University, she held positions of leadership in higher education and in corporate telecommunications. She will lend her expertise in higher education as an advisor to the HBCU Online initiatives. She earned her BS in administrative science from Yale University, an MS in administrative science, technology management from Johns Hopkins University, and her EdD at the University of Pennsylvania.