Obama signs the executive order in the East Wing (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Last week President Obama signed an executive order which renews the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“It was because of these schools that America’s middle class was filled with black doctors and educators and judges and lawyers and engineers and entrepreneurs,” President Obama said at a White House ceremony to commemorate the signing. “And today, it’s because of these schools that one out of every two wide-eyed freshmen who arrives on their campuses with big backpacks and bigger dreams is the first in his or her family to go to college.”

Dr. John Wilson will lead the initiative, and stressed that the order requires “enduring” measures, rather than merely promoting transient efforts to create small grant programs. “We want to focus on the relationship of black colleges with the government in a more strategic way,” he said.

Another key provision of the order include establishing a President’s Board of Advisors on HBCU’s. The full order is available here, as well as the Initiative press release from whitehouse.gov.

Hustletown readers: Are you satisfied with President Obama’s efforts for education so far? Share your thoughts below!