Qurate Retail Group, which includes leading retail brands QVC, HSN, Zulily, Ballard Designs, Frontgat, Garnet Hill, and Grandin Road, has been selected as a 2022 Top Supporter of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

This honor recognizes Qurate Retail Group’s commitment to collaborating with HBCUs to strengthen the education-to-employment pipeline for Black students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

This spring, several Qurate Retail Group technology team members coached the Hampton University School of Engineering and Technology team for the 2022 AMIE Student Design Challenge. Qurate Retail Group served as a sponsor of the event, which showcases the innovative and technical expertise of HBCU engineering students by presenting them with industry challenges.

The company is also sponsoring the upcoming AMIE Annual Conference in September, and Qurate Retail Group team members are serving on the planning committee.

Qurate Retail Group recently joined the corporate-academic alliance Advancing Minorities’ Interests in Engineering (AMIE), creating opportunities for the company to work leading HBCU engineering schools on opportunities for tech-specific program launches, and STEM-related research, and scholarships.

Qurate Retail Group plans to work with more HBCUs in the future, particularly with those located near their company facilities, through student engagement, career fair participation, professional development, and more initiatives.

“Our success as an organization is largely dependent on our ability to cultivate inclusive environments that are rich in diverse people, talents, and ideas,” said Virginia Nguyen, chief diversity officer at Qurate Retail Group. “Partnering with the AMIE coalition and establishing new relationships with HBCUs are key strategies to drive our progress in this space. This recognition as a ‘Top Supporter of HBCUs’ from Career Communications Group reflects the tremendous efforts of our team members – particularly in Information Technology and University Relations – to advance underrepresented groups in our STEM talent pipeline.”

The Top Supporters of HBCUs list is published by Career Communications Group. The list is based on an annual survey of deans of HBCU engineering schools that have been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and are members of AMIE.