President Joe Biden made the announcement today to name Dr. Tony Allen as the chair of the president’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, according to a White House release. Ironically, this coincided with National Historically Black Colleges and Universities week, which lasts from Sept. 5 to 11. 

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“I call upon educators, public officials, professional organizations, corporations, and all Americans to observe this week with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that acknowledge the countless contributions these institutions and their alumni have made to our country,” Biden said on Howard University’s newspaper, The Hilltop. 

The mission of the board is to enhance the capacities of HBCUs to provide the best education to its students, according to the White House release. Recently, the Biden administration reestablished the White House HBCU Initiative, which would do things such as expanding pathways for HBCUs to access federal funding and improving the availability of information about HBCUs to the public. 

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Dr. Tony Allen would know something about HBCUs, as he has been the president of Delaware State University since January 2020. Previously, he was provost and executive vice president at the university since July 2017. 

According to his biography on the Delaware State University website, Dr. Allen was awarded with the Excellence in Education Award given by the Delaware Barristers Association, the National Urban League’s highest honor, the Whitney M. Young Award for Advancing Racial Equality and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Urban Fellows and Public Allies. 

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He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.