Alabama A&M President Andrew Hugine recently wrapped up his first year at the helm, receiving a glowing evaluation from constituent groups that included trustees, students, faculty and staff and alumni. Hugine spoke with Diverse about his first-year experience as president and the future of the university.

DI: What changes have you made in your first year?.

AH: A restructuring of university and academic affairs areas has been proposed and accepted by the board. The process will combine schools and create colleges. This effort aims to make more efficient and effective use of our resources.

DI: What are the challenges facing AAMU, specifically, and HBCUs, in general?

AH: Alabama A&M University and its sister HBCUs are facing numerous challenges. Foremost is the constant demand for more fiscal resources during a point in history when the nation is confronted with far-reaching economic challenges. In the case of public Black universities, in particular, it is usually fair to assert that many have rarely received equitable funding from their respective states. But, faced with hard times, the long-put-off problems, like deferred maintenance and salary benchmarks, for instance, become more forbidding. …