Smith Institute Centers of Excellence

Center of Excellence in Diversity, Workforce and Small Business Development

The goal of this center is to ensure that JCSU and other institutions value and embrace diversity while preserving the legacy, tradition and character of JCSU as an HBCU. The Center partners with public and private organizations, serving as a resource in:

  • Responding to community needs for diversity sensitivity training
  • Providing a pool of well-educated, diverse candidates for the workforce
  • Assessing the effectiveness of organizations' efforts to implement diversity initiatives

Center of Excellence in Global Education

This center creates awareness of globalization among community members. It is currently working on:

  • Study abroad programs
  • A new concentration and certification in global studies
  • Increasing the number of foreign languages offered on campus
  • Conducting research on intercultural communication and understanding
  • Introducing globalization courses into the general education program

Center of Excellence in Homeland Security – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)

This Center pursues research programs to prepare students in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for the workforce and to enhance faculty research in this high-demand area. The Center will attract and support research related to:

  • Design of telecommunications networks that are equipped to handle national emergencies
  • Creating an electronic imaging application in homeland security
  • Surveillance of canine antibodies to monitor the expansion of parasitic disease following a catastrophic natural disaster
  • Robotics applications for homeland security
  • Management of highway networks in the event of disasters

Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Family Wellness

This Center engages in community-based research to understand and eventually eliminate differences in health care and health care outcomes for urban racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations.

The Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Family Wellness will support local and regional research partners and translate research findings into culturally relevant strategies and actions. Areas of focus include:

  • Aging Out Foster Care
  • Community/academic research to identify and target factors contributing to health disparities
  • Developing research partnerships with health care service agencies and houses of worship to communicate positive health practices both locally and regionally
  • Seeking long-term funding for the study of minority health concerns
  • Providing technical research assistance to neighborhood, local and regional health service providers