Creating partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities comes down to creating strong relationships, university relationship manager with Fifth Third Bank Candice McPhatter told attendees of an American Bankers Association hosted webinar today.
“Building a brand on campus, amongst diverse college students, really any college students, requires consistency, requires authenticity and willingness. Realizing that, like any other relationship, these relationships take time and intentionality really is the key,” said McPhatter.
To build a relationship with a HBCU and the students takes deliberate planning to separate an organization from those that just sign a check or set up a table at a job fair once a year, McPhatter told attendees.
Thurgood Marshall College Fund President Harry Williams likened the importance of relationships to partnership building as similar to those that bankers build in their work. “One way of connecting HBCUs and recruiting diverse talent is through relationship building. I know we all know this. Bankers who are in small communities, there’s nothing more important than connecting with your local HBCU that’s in your community,” said Williams.
The webinar, “Diversifying Recruitment Strategies: Tips for HBCU Partnerships,” was hosted by ABA EVP James Ballentine and also included insights from Texas Bankers Association VP and University Alliance Director Brent Cox. A recording of the webinar is available and ABA members looking to start partnerships for recruitment are encouraged to view the webinar.
