Atlanta, GA (December 7, 2023)—Clark Atlanta University (CAU) has become the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to launch a SMPTE Student Chapter.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Dr. Michele Wright, an HBCU alum herself as a Tuskegee University grad, and the larger SMPTE team—including president Renard Jenkins, executive director David Grindle, and membership director Zandra Clark—on dynamic projects to foster student success and professional sustainability,” said Dr. Brian Bentley, assistant professor and associate dean of arts and sciences at Clark Atlanta University.
Bentley continues, “SMPTE is the gold standard for the industry, literally setting the standard with its color bars, time code, and so many others. A SMPTE Student Chapter at CAU will create fantastic possibilities for student and faculty development. In building this relationship with SMPTE and reaching this historic milestone, I believe we’ll also open up opportunities for other HBCUs.”
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CAU will be home not just to the first SMPTE Student Chapter at an HBCU, but also to the 2024 Power of Color Symposium, a first-of-a-kind SMPTE event dedicated to the art and science of portraying aspects of color—diverse hues and human features—in film, TV, animation and gaming, February 6-7.
CAU was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Atlanta University and Clark College, both of which hold unique places in the annals of African American history. Atlanta University, established in 1865 by the American Missionary Association, was the nation’s first institution to award graduate degrees to African Americans. Established four years later in 1869, Clark College was the nation’s first four-year liberal arts college to serve a primarily African American student population. Today, with nearly 4,000 students, CAU is an urban research university and the largest of the four institutions (CAU, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Morehouse School of Medicine) that comprise the Atlanta University Center Consortium. It is also the largest of the 37-member UNCF institutions.
The CAU SMPTE Student Chapter will help to prepare students for success in future roles, providing both community and resources supporting their exploration of careers as media professionals, technologists, and engineers. Thanks to their close connection with SMPTE and its extensive professional network, SMPTE Student Chapters can host educational and networking events that are in tune with the skills needed, the knowledge most valuable, and the opportunities available for students as they move into the professional realm.
