4 HBCUs Come Together To Launch Groundbreaking Digital Learning Platform

The HBCU community is celebrating a major milestone with the launch of the eHBCU Consortium Portal, a groundbreaking digital learning initiative led by Delaware State University, Southern University and A&M College, Alabama State University, and Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design (PLC) in Detroit, the first design-focused HBCU in the U.S. The innovative platform offers a flexible and inclusive online learning experience, providing over 33 degree and certificate programs designed to support diverse learners. It features academically rigorous coursework that reflects the historic excellence and unique teaching approaches of HBCUs, along with mentorship and career preparation led by accomplished HBCU alumni and faculty. 

In addition to academics, the portal fosters a vibrant virtual community that encourages connection, networking, and lifelong relationships. Open to everyone—current HBCU students, alumni, and even individuals who have never attended an HBCU—the portal launches with these four founding institutions but aims to grow and extend its impact across the broader HBCU landscape and beyond.

During an interview with NewsOne over Zoom, PLC President D’Wayne Edwards shared that the idea for the eHBCU Consortium Portal sparked in 2020 when the world shut down from COVID-19.   

“HBCU students were probably the most affected because the schools weren’t prepared to transition from in person to virtual learning,” he explained. “So, Delaware State’s Dr. Tony Allen and Chancellor John K. Pierre at Southern, myself here in Detroit, we really felt like there [was] an opportunity to make a historic statement, and that historic statement is the ability for four HBCUs—all doing different things in all different parts of the country—to actually come together and collaborate on creating virtual programming that allowed students to curate their educational journey.”

Students at PLC will gain the academic and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in their creative careers upon enrolling at eHBCU.

According to President Edwards, PLC students will gain access to a wide range of courses focused on creative career development through the eHBCU Consortium Portal, equipping them with the skills needed to harness their creative talents in ways that open doors to future employment opportunities. In addition to coursework, each program will provide both individual and group mentoring, along with essential coaching from industry professionals in their respective creative fields. These mentors will not only guide students academically but also help them to develop the social and professional skills critical for thriving in their careers. 

Students will explore everything from building a strong personal brand to managing their digital presence, learning how to present themselves on social media and the skills needed to market their creative talents. They’ll also learn how to create personal websites, with extra attention on the small but significant details—like establishing a unique domain name—that are often overlooked. These details are critical and shape how they are going to be perceived in both creative and professional spaces, said President Edwards.

“Talent and the knowledge is definitely one element, but being a professional, how to carry yourself, how to present yourself, how to network—those types of things you don’t always necessarily get or retain when you go to college, because you don’t realize how important they are until you get off into the real world. We want to bring those things to the forefront. You need the skills and the knowledge, but you also need professionalism and interpersonal skills to survive.”

President Edwards added that he’s committed to showing students that it’s possible to build a successful and financially rewarding career in the creative industries. With over 36 years of experience in fashion and design—including 30 years as a designer at the Jordan Brand—he brings real-world insight and inspiration to the classroom. The HBCU leader achieved a major personal milestone by opening JEMS, the first Black-owned footwear factory in the United States, further proving that creative passion and business success can go hand in hand.

“Even though artists have become much better business people over the years, people still don’t think you can have a career in creative fields. So, what we want to show at PLC Detroit is [that] we have the ability to be amazing creatives with amazing long careers. I’m going on 37 years myself as a designer, and our instructors are all industry veterans as well, at a high level for multiple decades.”

The eHBCU Consortium Portal is open now and scholarship opportunities are available. Visit the website here. 

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