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White House Advisors to HBCUs Get First Meeting With Clinton: Financial. Aid Focus of Talks With Secretary Riley
by B. Denise Hawkins
WASHINGTON -- Members of the president's board of advisors to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) spent roughly an hour behind closed doors with President Bill Clinton discussing such issues as Title III, financial aid and implementation of the executive order, late last month.
"The president reiterated his commitment to the institutions [HBCUs] and reiterated his commitment to the executive order that he issued Nov. 1, 1993," said Catherine LeBlanc, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. "I felt like the meeting went extremely well."
The meeting was held in the Cabinet Room of the White House, a place normally reserved for high-level officials. LeBlanc said she took that as a sign of the president's commitment. "I think that this administration appreciates and recognizes the importance of this board and the institutions that they represent, and they are being treated with the highest level of respect."
Members of the board began by discussing student financial aid concerns with Education Secretary Richard Riley, said Dr. Lloyd Hackley, chairman of the board of advisors and the official spokesman for the board. Only about 30 minutes were actually spent talking with the President Clinton, who arrived later in the session, said Hackley, who is also president of the North Carolina Community College System.
Alexis Herman, assistant to the president and director of the office of public liaison, also attended the meeting.
"We talked about one of the big issues that we have been fighting for...