White House Initiatives group visits Redstone Arsenal

By AMC Public AffairsFebruary 25, 2014

PBA visits Redstone Arsenal
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Feb. 24, 2014) -- Members of the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities visited Redstone Arsenal Monday to learn more about the installation, the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and opportunities for partnership and collaboration.

The group of nearly 15 education, community and business leaders toured the installation before receiving a command briefing from Gen. Dennis L. Via, AMC's commanding general, and senior staff.

Both Via and PBA Chairman William R. Harvey, who is also president of Hampton University in Virginia, opened the conversation by noting the ties between the Army and HBCUs. Via highlighted Lt. Gen. Robert Ferrell, former commanding general of Communications-Electronics Command, who was recently promoted as the first African-American Chief Information Officer/G-6 in Army history and who is also an HBCU graduate.

After an overview of AMC, discussion turned to internship and career opportunities within the command and across the Army. William Marriott, AMC deputy chief of staff for personnel, briefed the group on programs that the Army uses to recruit talent, and stressed that opportunities exist in nearly every career field.

"We hope you'll share our message with your graduates," said Marriott. "We are hiring in a wide variety of fields, and we need bright new minds, especially in [science, technology, engineering and math]."

Focusing further on STEM and diversity, Grace Bochenek, AMC chief technology officer, shared that the Army is challenged today to find the next generation of scientists and researchers.

"We are at an inflection point coming out of 13 years of war," Bochenek said. "How do we become more innovative and make sure we have the right talent to maintain the decisive edge? Diversity adds another component of how we innovate."

The leaders shared a variety of Army Education Outreach Program and STEM Outreach initiatives available to students from kindergarten through graduate level.

A second conversation topic focused on research grants and partnership programs available to HBCUs. Both Via and Bochenek expressed that they expect research funding and grant funding to remain stable or even increase as the Army continues to focus on science and technology. PBA members discussed how they can ensure HBCUs are prepared and ready to compete for and receive those grants.

Missile Defense Agency and NASA representatives closed out the presentation with short discussions on opportunities available in their organizations, as well.

"There's enormous interest in the HBCU universe in a number of programs that you offer," said Harvey. "I'm impressed with AMC and the opportunities that may come from this visit. Now we must work together to make it happen."

The PBA is appointed by President Barack Obama, as part of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, to serve as advisors on matters of policy and programs, and recommend ways to increase participation in Federal Programs.

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