LANGSTON, OK, UNITED STATES, May 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Tayren James walked across Langston University’s commencement stage this spring with two things most of her peers were still searching for: the university’s highest student honor and a confirmed job offer. She is a business student. She is a product of a school with only a small number of full-time business faculty. And she is exactly the graduate that Dr. Daryl D. Green, Dean of the Langston University School of Business, has been building the program to produce.

James received the 2026 President’s Cup — the university’s top recognition for leadership, academic achievement, campus engagement, and service — making it the second consecutive year the honor has gone to a business student. She enters the workforce immediately upon graduation.
“Tayren’s story is not an accident,” said Green. “It is what happens when an institution stops making excuses and starts making decisions. She was prepared because we decided she would be prepared.”

THE MARKET HER CLASSMATES ARE WALKING INTO
5.6% Unemployment rate for recent college graduates — near a 10-year high, excluding the pandemic. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2026)
42.5% Underemployment among new graduates — the highest since 2020. Nearly half hold jobs that do not require a college degree. (Metaintro, 2026)
35% Share of entry-level positions now requiring AI-related skills — nearly double from one year ago. (NACE, 2026)
28% Share of 2026 seniors who say their school meaningfully integrated AI into their programs. (Handshake, 2026)

NACE projects a 5.6% hiring increase for the Class of 2026 — recovery is possible, but only for graduates whose institutions prepared them for the workforce that actually exists.
“Degrees alone are no longer sufficient economic protection. Students need AI fluency, professional networks, real-world experience, and institutions willing to tell them the truth.” — Dr. Daryl D. Green, Dean, Langston University School of Business.

ONE HBCU’S ANSWER
Operating with only a small number of full-time business faculty — a staffing reality that stands as an indictment of the resources allocated by its administration — the Langston University School of Business delivered results most well-funded programs have not matched: 54% enrollment growth, top 1% national performance on the 2025 Peregrine Business Assessment outperforming PWIs and peer HBCUs in 13 core areas, more than $42,000 in corporate-funded retention scholarships, and 11 students earning 33 IBM SkillsBuild certifications in AI, Cybersecurity, and Data Fundamentals in under one month.
Dean Green also served as the only university dean on the expert panel at the 43rd Annual Oklahoma World Trade Conference, presenting on AI and global exports alongside international trade executives — and bringing the largest student delegation from any university, with seven business students in attendance.

FIVE ACTIONS GREEN SAYS EVERY INSTITUTION MUST TAKE NOW
Green has identified the decisions that separate institutions that produce job-ready graduates from those that produce graduates who are waiting.
1. Embed AI literacy across every major as a graduation baseline — not an elective. The 35% vs. 28% gap above is a policy failure, not a resource problem.
2. Replace passive learning with business simulations, consulting projects, and case competitions. Problem-solving instincts are built, not taught.
3. Engineer structured alumni mentorship into the curriculum from year one — not left to chance, or connections students do not yet have.
4. Bring industry into the classroom. Employers who shape curriculum and teach courses transform students. Career fairs collect résumés.
5. Hold faculty and advisors accountable for the culture of expectation they create. The most corrosive dysfunction in higher education rarely appears in accreditation reports.

FOR ACADEMIC LEADERS NAVIGATING THIS MOMENT
Green has distilled these lessons into The Dean’s Devotional: 21 Proverbs for Academic Leadership — available exclusively through Walk by Faith Proceeding at wbyf. site. Sixty percent of every sale goes directly to Langston business students as retention scholarships and faculty innovation incentives. Buying the book funds the transformation it describes.

MEDIA CONTACT
Dr. Green is available for interviews on HBCU leadership, AI workforce transformation, and graduate career readiness. He draws on 27 years of federal executive experience at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Contact: Ms. Ellie Melero, Langston University Public Relations
Phone: (405) 466-6049
Email: emelero@langston.edu
Web: www.darylgreen.org

ABOUT LANGSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Langston University is Oklahoma’s only HBCU. Its School of Business earned national recognition through applied learning, AI integration, and workforce alignment. Ranked Top 40 HBCU Business Schools nationally (2024); Top 1% on the 2025 Peregrine Business Exam; named among the Best HBCU Programs in Entrepreneurship (BestColleges.com, 2023).

#SecondChanceEducation #StrategicAlliances #LangstonStrong #TCCPartnership #HBCUImpact #PrisonEducation #HigherEdInnovation #CollaborationNotCompetition #LangstonUniversity #DrDarylGreen #FutureOfHigherEd #InclusiveEconomy #LUSB #OklahomaLeadership #BusinessForChange #HBCUPride #EducationForAll #ResilientCommunities #DeansDevotion

Langston University is Oklahoma’s only Historically Black College and University.
Media Contact: Ms. Ellie Melero | emelero@langston.edu | (405) 466-6049 | www.darylgreen.org

Ellie Melero
Langston University School of Business
8657197239 ext.
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