The CEO Roundtable on Cancer is pleased to announce the latest additions to its Going for Gold initiative, a partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PRIs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the nation.

Going for Gold extends the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ employer accreditation to recognize universities that champion health and well-being by advancing prevention, diagnosis, and quality treatment for cancer for their students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and communities. The initiative also enables universities to contribute to research efforts through CEO Roundtable’s Project Data Sphere®, which helps expand access to clinical trial research and offers an open-access digital platform for aggregating and analyzing data to advance health equity efforts.

The newest members of the initiative are:

• Caribbean University in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
• Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Tex.
• Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark.
• Savannah State University in Savannah, Ga.
• Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.

Going for Gold is intended to reduce disparities in cancer diagnoses and deaths among minority populations in the United States. Black Americans have the highest mortality rate of any racial and ethnic group for all cancers combined and for most major cancers. Hispanic Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to be diagnosed with breast and prostate cancer, and more likely to die from cervical, liver and stomach cancer.

Going for Gold is focused on the 27 four-year HSIs with at least 60 percent Hispanic enrollment and seeks to include all 101 HBCUs in the U.S. Of those HBCUs, 50 institutions have health-affiliated programs such as medical schools, nursing, pre-med, health information and health communication, which provide opportunities for further engagement by partnering on clinical trials, developing health materials and shaping community outreach.

About Caribbean University

In 1969, Caribbean Junior College, the predecessor institution of Caribbean University, was founded in the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico as a private, non-profit, co-educational and non-sectarian educational institution. Caribbean University has the vision of promoting social and economic change that increases the intellectual and personal maturity of society by offering an excellent higher education. Caribbean University is committed to the principle of accessibility for the most disadvantaged, comprehensibility in its offerings, and adaptability to meet the needs of the community it serves. It is committed to intellectual and social ethical development and accepts the responsibility of fostering respect for human dignity among its students and their personal commitment to improve society. Learn more at https://caribbean.edu.

About Huston-Tillotson University

Huston-Tillotson University, the oldest institution of learning in Austin, Texas, has roots dating back to 1875. HT is an independent, church-related, historically black, four-year liberal arts institution located on a 23-acre tree-lined campus near downtown in East Austin. Huston-Tillotson University’s mission is to nurture a legacy of leadership and excellence in education, connecting knowledge, power, passion, and values. The University offers associate and master’s degrees in addition to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in more than 19 areas of study. Learn more at https://htu.edu.

About Medgar Evers College

Medgar Evers College, a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) of the City University of New York (CUNY), was established in 1970 with a mandate to meet the educational and social needs of Central Brooklyn. The College, named for the civil rights leader, Medgar Wiley Evers, is committed to the fulfillment of this mandate.

Medgar Evers College’s mission is to develop and maintain high quality, professional, career oriented undergraduate degree programs in the context of liberal education. The College offers programs both at the baccalaureate and at the associate degree levels, giving close attention to the articulation between the two year and the four-year programs. The College has a commitment to students who desire self-improvement, a sound education, an opportunity to develop a personal value system, and an opportunity to gain maximum benefits from life experience and from their environment. Learn more at https://www.mec.cuny.edu.

About Philander Smith College

Founded in 1877, Philander Smith College is a small, privately supported, historically Black, four-year liberal arts institution related to the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. The College offers four degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Bachelor of Social Work. The College’s mission is to graduate academically accomplished students, grounded as advocates for social justice, determined to change the world for the better. Philander Smith College, the only United Negro College Fund member institution in Arkansas, strives to provide a quality education for all regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin or ethnic background. Learn more at https://www.philander.edu.

About Savannah State University

Established in 1890, Savannah State University is the oldest public Historically Black College or University in Georgia and the first institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah. Students select majors from 30 undergraduate and five graduate programs in four colleges — Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and Sciences and Technology. Learn more at https://www.savannahstate.edu.

About Tuskegee University

Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University is a private, state-related and nationally ranked land-grant institution that serves a racially, ethnically and religiously diverse student body of 3,000-plus students. The institution was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington and is one of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since 1933, Tuskegee’s academic programs — many accredited by their respective accrediting bodies — currently lead to 41 bachelor’s, 16 master’s and five doctoral degree opportunities. Learn more at https://www.tuskegee.edu.