Obama Speaks on Importance of Black Colleges and Universities - Video

It's because of these schools that a young broadcaster with a funny name could make that name into an empire. Name that broadcaster! Obama signed an executive order to strengthen the nation's HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities). Apparently, Obama reduced HBCU funding for the 2010 budget, but this move boosts HBCU funding in the 2011 budget.

The Nation's 105 HBCUs are located in 20 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and serve more than 300,000 undergraduate and graduate students. These institutions continue to be important engines of economic growth and community service, and they are proven ladders of intergenerational advancement for men and women of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds, especially African Americans. These institutions also produce a high number of baccalaureate recipients who go on to assume leadership and service roles in their communities and who successfully complete graduate and professional degree programs.