Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council
Notice of extension: The deadline to submit an application or nomination to serve as a member of the council has been extended. The new deadline is Saturday, June 22 at 11:59pm ET.
EPA established the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council (HBCU-MSI AC) in 2023 to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Administrator on how to increase EPA's efforts to leverage the expertise within Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCU-MSI’s) and provide opportunities to HBCUs and MSIs to help diversify the agency’s workforce and nurture the next generation of environmental leaders and ensure that these vital institutions of higher learning have the resources and support to continue to thrive for generations to come. MSIs are institutions of higher education that serve minority populations and include HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANHPISIs).
The EPA is currently seeking HBCU-MSI AC membership applications and nominations from a variety of sectors including but not limited to representatives from business and industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and local, county, and tribal governments that have experience working at or in partnership with HBCUs and/or MSIs. For more information on how to apply for this committee, please see EPA’s posting in the Federal Register Notice.
Authority
HBCU-MSI AC was established by the Office of the Administrator at EPA. As such, this is a discretionary committee and will operate under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C. 10.
Structure
The HBCU-MSI AC will be comprised of 15-20 council members as identified by the Administrator. Council members will serve two-year terms.
Read the link Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council Charter (pdf)
Designated Federal Officer
Pradnya Bhandari
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
(P) 919-937-1989
Email: hbcu-msi.ac@epa.gov
For media inquiries please contact press@epa.gov.
Information for Applicants
How to Apply
The EPA is seeking membership applications and nominations from a variety of sectors including but not limited to representatives from business and industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and local, county, and tribal governments that have experience working at or in partnership with HBCUs and/or MSIs.
Applications must be in the form of an email sent to HBCU-MSI.AC@epa.gov and must include the following materials:
1. Contact information as outlined below:
Full legal name, preferred name if applicable, pronouns, date of birth, current home, and phone number.
2. Resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
3. Statement of interest, explaining why you would like to serve on this committee:
The statement of interest should describe how the individual's background, knowledge, and experience would add value to the committee's work, and how the individual's qualifications would contribute to the overall diversity of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council. To help the Agency in evaluating the effectiveness of its outreach efforts, please include in the statement of interest how you learned of this opportunity.
You may include a letter or letters of recommendation, but it is not required as part of the application nor will it inherently give an advantage to an applicant.
Eligibility
Any interested U.S. citizens may apply to be considered for an appointment to serve on the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council.
Current students, graduates or employees of an HBCU and/or MSIs that meet the eligibility requirements may apply, but prospective, current, or previous enrollment at an MSI is not a requirement. MSIs are institutions of higher education that serve minority populations and include Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANHPISIs).
Nominations
If you would like to nominate someone, please ensure that parts one and two are original content of the person you are nominating. For part three (statement of interest), please feel free to include your recommendation for the person you are nominating instead of a statement of interest by the nominated person. Applications and nominations should be sent to HBCU-MSI.AC@epa.gov and will be weighted equally. Multiple applications or nominations will not give an advantage to an individual.
Selection Process
Serving on the HBCU-MSI AC means you will get to share your thoughts, ideas, and recommendations to give advice directly to the US EPA Administrator as part of the committee. You will serve for two years, and that means at least two meetings (only once per year), with additional meetings possible. It is an approximately 10-15 hours a month commitment, and those hours will be spent attending meetings, writing and drafting materials, and talking to your fellow committee members. Meetings will either take place virtually, in Washington, D.C, or will be hybrid.
Applications and nominations submitted before the deadline of Saturday, June 22 at 11:59pm ET will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The selection process timeline is still to be determined and will be influenced by the volume of applications received. That said, we are committed to taking a holistic approach to our application review, and we understand that people may submit various kinds of application materials within the guidelines.
The following criteria will be used to evaluate applicants:
- The HBCU-MSI AC will be composed of approximately 15-20 members who will generally serve as Representative members of non-federal interests appointed by the Administrator.
- Members must have strong affiliation with HBCUs and/or MSO
- Members must demonstrate a knowledge of the student continuum from college to career, preferably through related experience with HBCUs and/or MSIs. In selecting members, EPA will consider candidates from business and industry, academic institutions, state, local and tribal governments, public interest groups, environmental organizations, service groups, and more. In determining a fair spread across categories, no more than 60% of the advisory committee can come from a single categorical entity.
- Members must demonstrate notable commitment to environmental issues with extensive involvement, knowledge, or engagement with relevant material and/or affected communities.
- Members must demonstrate a working knowledge of Federal, state, and local government operations and systems.
- Members must demonstrate a notable commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, including for underserved communities.
- Members must demonstrate an ability to work in a consensus building process with a wide range of representative from diverse constituencies.
- Members must be able to contribute approximately 10 to 15 hours per month to HBCU-MSI AC activities, including the attendance at meetings and participating in the development of advice letters/reports and other material.
- Members must demonstrate potential for active and constructive involvement in HBCU-MSI AC work.
Members will not be paid per federal advisory committee protocol since they serve as representatives on the HBCU-MSI AC. For in-person commitments, EPA will pay for travel, lodging, and per diem.
EPA will host four virtual webinars to provide more information about this call for applications. These webinars will be a space for the public to ask their questions live to EPA staff.
These webinars will be on Zoom and will be hosted at the following time:
- April 9, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET - Register for the webinar
- April 24, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET - Register for the webinar
- May 22, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET - Register for the webinar
- June 11, 2024 at 4:00 PM ET - Register for the webinar