Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has supported more than 200 students from eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout South Carolina since January 2020. SRNS has also donated $80,500 to South Carolina HBCUs since it became the SRS management and operations contractor in 1989, with the majority of those donations made in recent years.

SRNS has partnered with HBCUs to: • Host virtual workshops for an SRS internship program ranging from resume writing and interview preparation to professional branding; • Provide virtual one-on-one resume writing session for students; • Mentor Claflin University students to prepare for future internships; • Donate laptops to Morris College students during the COVID-19 pandemic for off-campus study; • Facilitate the Clinton College Capital Building Campaign initiative. “COVID-19 could not quell our desire to strengthen relationships with South Carolina’s HBCUs,” said Sean Alford, SRNS executive vice president. “We rigorously pursued and assisted talented students from these storied schools, encouraging each to be a part of our rapidly growing workforce and missions at the Savannah River Site.” SRNS also helped develop other initiatives involving local HBCUs: • A cohort of production operators from Morris College; • Radiation control and nuclear fundamentals programs at Denmark Technical College.

“The memorandum of understanding program with SRNS is valuable to our institution and students as it allows for a wide range of opportunities,” said Karina Liles, interim chair and associate professor for the Claflin University Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. “It also offers additional pathways to explore for those attending Claflin, including careers they may not have realized existed. Further, it creates development and collaboration opportunities for our faculty and SRNS personnel.” In addition to formal programs and paid on-the-job training through internships and apprenticeships, SRNS personnel have supported events that encourage casual conversations about professional development, such as a recent “Fireside Chat” sponsored by the South Carolina HBCU Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Program.