Building a Diverse Workforce with Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Less than two months ago, I had the honor of connecting with Dr. Glenda Glover, President of Tennessee State University. Over the years, Dr. Glover has tirelessly advocated for academic progress, increased funding and partnerships, and community engagement for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country. 

 Building on Dr. Glover’s vision, several weeks ago Hyatt had the pleasure of hosting a Presidents’ Roundtable to discuss the continued opportunity of building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforces. For years, Black students have turned to HBCUs to not only receive a quality education but for professional opportunities, mentorship, and a direct line to future employers.  

 Over the last decade, Hyatt has collaborated with partner HBCU schools to help educate aspiring students on future careers in hospitality and tourism, including providing hands-on, interactive, and invigorating programs to forge a clear path for HBCU students to establish long-term careers in the industry. We are always thinking of how we can advance our efforts even further. Our collaboration with HBCUs is critical in not only making travel more inclusive for all but also giving new graduates the chance to hone their professional skills with a global, leading hospitality brand.  

 Along with Dr. Glover, this year’s event featured several brilliant speakers, including Dr. Nicholas Pearce, professor of management and organizations at the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Keith Sanders, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, and talent engineering at CDW, and Jim Reynolds, Founder and CEO at Loop Capital as well as Hyatt’s own Ronisha Goodwin and Alexia Huggins. Here are some practical and tangible ways they said schools, companies, and organizations can help advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and at Hyatt, we are committing to:

 1.    Participate in mentorship programs with young students in middle school, high school, and college. Mentorship is needed at all ages.  

2.   Hire more People of Color for leadership positions. Young students need to see themselves in these roles to help build confidence and feel a sense of belonging. 

3.    Provide access to more business and personal finance courses throughout schooling to set young people up for successful careers and financially healthy livelihoods.  

4.    Form more strategic and intentional partnerships and collaborations between companies and schools that enhance the student experience and offer pathways for future internship and employment opportunities.  

 At Hyatt, we have a long history of focusing on DE&I since our founding 65 years ago, and we are committed to holding ourselves accountable for continued change across our business. I am particularly proud of the progress we have made in the last two years since announcing our Change Starts Here commitments that address who we employ and develop, who we support, and who we buy from and work with. In order to employ, develop and advance diverse leaders in hospitality, we must first cultivate strong working relationships with the communities, schools, and organizations where these future leaders are coming from – including HBCUs. 

 In the same spirit of always bettering ourselves and doing more, as part of our Change Starts Here commitments, Hyatt is focused on having a stronger recruiting presence at universities and colleges where there is a higher representation of first-generation degree-seeking undergraduates or students who identify as people of color. We know that an internship can be a life-changing opportunity and a pivotal launching pad for new graduates who are looking to enter the workforce. 

 Through this commitment, we can help the next generation build their confidence for careers in hospitality. We can form meaningful relationships with HBCU grads, give back in more consistent and impactful ways and cultivate real change. This collaboration enhances not only our business but also our colleague experience. We look forward to reconvening with this group of leaders later this summer to follow up on the progress made and how we can continue expanding our efforts in this space.  

 If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that we can’t keep having the same conversations that we did before. It’s time to advance the dialogue toward action-based solutions. 

Photo credit: FBP Studio | Fred Brown