About | HBCU Oratorical Challenge

Years of Leadership

HBCUs Nationwide

Pillars of Promise

Powerful Mission

Who We Are

About the HBCU
Oratorical Challenge

The HBCU Oratorical Challenge is committed to empowering individuals to become stronger and more effective servant leaders. Guided by our vision, mission, and core values — known as the “Pillars of Promise” — we strive to enhance the quality of life for our community members by offering programs and services that foster creative, occupational, professional, and personal growth.

United by a higher calling to serve a larger community for a greater purpose, we offer programs and services aimed at enhancing the quality of life for our community members. Our goal is to open windows of opportunity for their creative, occupational, professional, and personal growth.

Servant Leadership

Cultivating leaders who put community and service above self.

Community Growth

Expanding opportunity through programs that uplift and empower.

Excellence

Pursuing the highest standard in every dimension of development.

Our Mission

Empowering Tomorrow’s
Servant Leaders

“The HBCU Oratorical Challenge exists to empower individuals to become stronger and more effective servant leaders each day.”

Our Team

Visionary Leadership

Decades of higher education expertise driving the future of HBCU oratorical excellence.

Dr. Delores Scott

Chair of the Board

30+ Years in Higher Education

The HBCU Oratorical Challenge is led by Dr. Delores Scott, Chair of the Board, a seasoned student engagement expert with over 30 years in higher education. A native of Farmville, Virginia, Dr. Scott has served as Vice President for Student Success at several institutions, including her Alma Mater, Virginia Union University.

With the American Council on Education, she collaborated with institutional teams at seven historically Black colleges and universities to assess institutional policies and practices, develop internationalization strategic plans, and collaborate across key stakeholders to execute newly designed strategy for internationalization in the Creating Global Citizens initiative.

Virginia Union University ACE Fellow Student Success

Dr. Prince H. Brown

President & CEO

Managing Director, Scholars Institute

Dr. Prince H. Brown serves as President and CEO of the HBCU Oratorical Challenge and Managing Director of the Scholars Institute. With more than three decades of leadership in higher education, Dr. Brown has served at four HBCUs, including his Alma Mater, Albany State University, and Voorhees University, where he currently serves as Special Assistant to the President.

He is also a founding contributor to the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame Foundation, advancing the mission of HBCUs nationwide.

Albany State University Voorhees University NBCAHF

Our Core Values

Pillars of Promise

Six foundational values that guide everything we do.

Imagining Possibilities

Envisioning a future that transcends current limitations. Fostering creativity and innovation, encouraging individuals and communities to dream big and think outside the box. This core value promotes a mindset where the impossible becomes possible.

Birthing Potential

Nurturing and developing the inherent capabilities within individuals and communities. Providing resources, opportunities, and support systems that enable people to realize their full potential through education and mentorship.

Increasing Power

Equipping individuals and communities with the voice, confidence, resources, and systems to act decisively and justly. Shifting power dynamics so that those who have been silenced can step into leadership.

Cultivating Promise

An ongoing commitment to nurturing and sustaining growth and development. Creating environments where promise can flourish, fostering resilience, and building strong, supportive networks.

Pursuing Perfection

Striving for excellence in all endeavors. Dedication, hard work, and continuous improvement. A relentless pursuit of the highest standards in every aspect of our work, inspiring others to achieve their best.

Achieving Purpose

Fulfillment of our mission and the realization of our vision. Aligning actions and initiatives with core values and goals, ensuring that every effort contributes to meaningful and impactful outcomes.

The Power of Voice

Why Oratory
Matters

Public speaking is more than a performance — it’s a catalyst for leadership, critical thinking, and civic engagement. For students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, oratory provides a platform to affirm identity, elevate discourse, and lead with purpose.

Rooted in a rich tradition of African American eloquence — from the church pulpit to the courtroom, from the classroom to Congress — public speaking empowers HBCU students to become advocates for their communities, articulate their visions for justice and innovation, and confidently take their place as voices of change in a global society.

“We believe that investing in the oratorical excellence of HBCU students is investing in the future of informed, courageous, and transformative leadership.”

From Our Founder

A Message from
the Founder

The HBCU Oratorical Challenge was born out of a deep belief in the power of voice to transform lives and communities. It was created to give students a national platform where their ideas, convictions, and creativity could be heard and honored.

Every word spoken is an act of courage — and every student who steps up to speak is shaping the future. This is more than a competition; it’s a movement to awaken leaders, inspire excellence, and ignite purpose in a generation ready to rise.

Prince H. Brown

President & CEO, HBCU Oratorical Challenge

Empowering Voices,
Elevating Leaders