Texas Southern University and the National Black Empowerment Council (NBEC) have signed an agreement establishing a strategic partnership to develop academic, cultural, and leadership initiatives that strengthen the global positioning of Black institutions and expand international educational and innovation opportunities for Texas Southern students, faculty, and administrators.
“At Texas Southern, our mission is manifold,” said President J.W. Crawford III. “We are here to educate some of the best and brightest minds. And we’re here to empower our students, faculty, staff, and community. This collaboration will connect our students and faculty to new academic exchanges, cultural dialogues, and leadership pipelines that reach from Houston to Israel and far beyond. We are proud to be part of an effort that affirms the global significance of historically Black institutions.”
The new agreement will offer exchange programs for Texas Southern students and collaborative research projects, along with other opportunities for global academic and cultural exchange. Under the agreement, the two will collaborate to facilitate international academic partnerships, support leadership exchanges and convenings, and explore innovation-focused programming that connects Texas Southern to global networks and opportunities.
“This partnership is about widening a world that young people will be able to step into, and giving them access, networks and experiences that cannot be replicated in the classroom alone,” said NBEC Founder and President Darius Jones. “
It is also about strengthening the ties between two communities whose histories have been intertwined in struggle and progress. The Black and Jewish communities have achieved some of the most meaningful civil rights victories in American history when we’ve come to work together, and at this moment where rhetoric can easily divide, partnerships like this remind the world what is still possible when we choose to build.
NBEC, a national organization committed to empowering Black communities through civic leadership, strategic convening, economic development, and international partnerships, will prioritize Texas Southern for participation in delegations, exchanges, and international convenings, including opportunities connected to NBEC’s formal partnerships with Israeli universities.
Key Areas of Collaboration
Through the agreement, Texas Southern and NBEC intend to collaborate in areas that include:
- Facilitating global academic partnerships through joint programs, exchanges, research collaborations, and innovation hubs connected to NBEC’s international partner network.
- Advancing Black-Jewish collaboration through joint convenings, leadership exchanges, and cultural diplomacy initiatives that position Texas Southern University as a leading HBCU partner.
- Exploring innovation ecosystem development to support student-led ventures, research commercialization, and international investment partnerships, with focus areas including clean energy, fintech, AI, and agriculture.
About Texas Southern University:
Texas Southern University honors our designation as a special-purpose institution for urban programming and research. As such, Texas Southern is a comprehensive university providing higher education access to the nation’s underserved communities with academic and research programs that address critical urban issues and prepares its diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. A distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas.
