Seventy-six-year-old Shirley Fuller is the first in her family to graduate with a four-year college degree.

A first-of-its-kind partnership is set to open the door for a group of HBCU student-athletes. According to a press release, North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has become the first HBCU to partner with The Brandr Group (TBG) — a brand management, marketing, and licensing agency — for its group licensing program. The recently launched partnership is set to create “ new opportunities for NCCU student-athletes in all 15 sports who want to use their name, image, and likeness (NIL) together with the university’s official trademarks and logos,” the press release discloses. “We are thrilled to welcome NCCU to our family as our first HBCU partner, and we look forward to working together to support Eagles student-athletes through this new agreement, “said Rick Perko, Vice President of Program Development at TBG. “There are several companies and individuals who are interested in making a difference with student athletes at HBCUs and group licensing will allow them to have the greatest...