Health and Human Services Partners with Governors State
By Zion Banks, Agora Editor
In a historic move to create opportunities and career pathways for Governors State University (GovState) students in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leaders signed a partnership agreement on Wednesday.
“Today’s formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding solidifies a sustaining partnership between the department and the university, this partnership is a win-win,’’ said Cheryl Green, President of Governors State University. Dr. Green was joined by Assistant Secretary for Administration Cheryl Campbell and Great Lakes Regional Director Michael Carbonagi.
Designed to boost the visibility of jobs and internships in the HHS, from cyber security to communication disorders, the agreement will also improve the University’s access to grants from member agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr. Green said GovState was a perfect fit for the HHS agreement because of the communities it serves.
“We are delighted and honored today to formalize our partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recognizing Governors State University as a minority serving institution (MSI), emerging Hispanic serving institution (eHSI), and now officially a predominantly black institution – the only public university in the state of Illinois with all three designations.”
Campbell, HHS’s first African American female Assistant Secretary of Administration, said the agreement will impact generations of Black and Brown families.
“When you bring first-generation individuals into college and college graduates have careers in the federal government, these are changes for families, because it gives a great example of being a public servant and giving back to their communities. That’s what we're trying to build. It's that multiplier effect that we're putting in place.”
Campbell said the GovState partnership advances the missions of both HHS to enhance wellbeing of Americans, as well as Governors State’s to offer exceptional and accessible education that prepares students with the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in a global society.
It also furthers the mission of the GovState Social Justice Initiative to transform vulnerable populations, racial and economic injustice, and structural and social barriers of underrepresented individuals, families, and communities in the Chicago Southland.
Though the agreement is forward-looking, Campbell, who brings 30 years of experience and expertise in executive information technology, with an emphasis on health care, said her vision is rooted in the past.
An emotional Campbell shared with signing ceremony guests that on her way to her office in the nation’s capital, she passes a monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights icon who fought for African Americans to have equal rights in education, housing and employment.
“Every morning, I say, ‘Dr. King, I’m here… I stand on your shoulders,’ and I want (Governors State’s) students to know they stand on mine.”