Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Strategic Communications
Aligning academic excellence with real-world impact, Tuskegee University’s Renaissance Era continues to build on its historic foundation while boldly shaping the future – and a new partnership with the City of Dothan and HudsonAlpha will bring Golden Tigers to Dothan this summer for an immersive paid internship to gain real-world experience and prepare them to advance the Renaissance Era throughout the Wiregrass area of Alabama and beyond.
Reimagining what George Washington Carver once described as
“a place where learning meets life” a new partnership between Tuskegee University, the City of Dothan, and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology was announced this week in Dothan, highlighted by the launch of the Career Advancement, Research, Vision and Entrepreneurial Readiness (CARVER) BioTrain Internship Program.
Tuskegee students will be the first in the program designed to provide hands-on professional experience in areas including administration, entrepreneurship, economic development, and research, offering exposure to both public- and private-sector environments. The program is designed not only to develop professional skills, but to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking and applied research experience aligned with regional and national workforce needs.
Tuskegee University President and CEO Dr. Mark A. Brown joined Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba and Dean Mitchell, Director of the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, to unveil the collaboration, which reflects a shared commitment to workforce development, innovation and economic growth across Dothan and the larger Wiregrass region.
“This partnership reflects the powerful connection between the Wiregrass and Tuskegee University, one that isn’t new,” said Dr. Brown noting Carver’s enduring legacy as an educator, scientist and advocate for equitable access across Alabama and the nation. “Tuskegee’s Renaissance Era honors the influence George Washington Carver continues to be. Through CARVER BioTrain, our students will gain paid, professional experience that prepares them to lead, innovate and change the world.”
The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a scientific hub focused on conducting genomics-based research to improve human health and well-being, sparking entrepreneurship and economic development, and providing educational outreach to nurture the next generation of biotech researchers and entrepreneurs, as well as to create a biotech literate public.
"This partnership represents the best of the City of Dothan and the innovative vision of HudsonAlpha," said proud Tuskegee alum Delvick McKay, the Personnel Director for the City of Dothan who played a pivotal role in bringing this partnership together. "I am excited about what comes next for these students as they learn, grow and make an impact in the world."
Also in attendance were Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, Dean of the College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS), and two of the program’s inaugural CARVER interns: Amell Stovall IV, a junior Business Administration major from Rockwell, Texas, and Diarra Diagne, a junior Business Administration major from Herndon, Virginia. Their participation marks the beginning of what university leaders envision as a transformative pipeline for student success and regional innovation.
For Stovall, the experience already feels transformative.
“I look forward to coming back to Tuskegee with not only knowledge but also hands-on experience of working with entrepreneurs,” Stovall said. He added that the support from CAENS and the university as a whole has felt nothing short of life-changing.
“I made the right decision about coming to Tuskegee,” he said. “There may never be another school that cares about you in the same way and wants you to succeed this much.”
For Diagne, the tour of the facility brought into focus the important opportunity she will soon have.
“Seeing where I will be working for the summer was exciting. The equipment in the labs is brand new and ready to be used to help the community,” she said. “I want to develop a better understanding of the journey entrepreneurs go through and Tuskegee has provided me with mentors and opportunities like this internship that are helping prepare me for my future career as a businesswoman.”
The CARVER BioTrain initiative honors George Washington Carver, whose groundbreaking research at Tuskegee University advanced agricultural science while promoting economic stability, mobility and self-reliance for Black communities and rural farmers throughout the South. More than a century later, the program reflects the same mission—using knowledge and innovation to uplift communities and expand opportunity.
The HudsonAlpha team hosted the Tuskegee group for a tour of the expansive new facility which included a discussion about a striking photo prominently featured on the entry way wall. A powerful testament to Carver’s legacy, the photo shows Carver speaking to hundreds of people at the first National Peanut Festival in Dothan on November 10, 1938. Carver was the keynote speaker, hailed a hero to the Wiregrass community because his innovative crop rotation methodology had been instrumental in reviving the local economy after boll weevils destroyed cotton crops. The festival remains a highlight of the Dothan social calendar to this today, as an agricultural and arts festival that attracts more than 160,000 people annually.
“In that photo (shown below), it is striking that while Black people were segregated in one section of the arena, farmers of all walks of life were there to celebrate the genius of this man who dedicated his life to expanding opportunity, self-reliance and dignity for all,” said Dr. Brown. “We are excited about how that legacy lives on in Tuskegee University’s Renaissance Era – and through these Tuskegee students who will intern here to advance innovation, partnership and global impact just as Mr. Carver did.”
Local businessman, Adam Thomas, found the photo in an estate sale in 2013 and quickly realized what a precious and important piece of history it depicted. For years it was only available for viewing in his home. Thomas is excited about the future impact HudsonAlpha will have on the Wiregrass and donated the photo to the organization so that more people will be exposed to Mr. Carver and his contributions to the world.
Dr. Brown also emphasized that the agreement goes beyond a single internship cohort, representing a long-term commitment to strengthening the regional workforce, fostering innovation and creating pathways for student achievement.
“We continue to redefine Carver’s vision for the modern age—where education, innovation and service converge to shape a better world.”
The event was covered by Dothan station WTVY – see
here.
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