UPS Marks 20-Year Partnership with BEEP

Established in 1969, the Black Executive Exchange Program (BEEP) is a voluntary partnership between the National Urban League, corporations and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). BEEP places African American executives at participating colleges as "visiting professors" to lecture in credit-bearing courses and participate in other activities such as networking sessions, workshops and mock job interviews.

UPS's partnership with BEEP began in 1989 with five participants. Today, UPS is the largest corporate sponsor, donating more than $2.5 million to the program, and provides nearly 100 executives who volunteer each year to serve as teachers, mentors and role models. Among them is Myron Gray, Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations and 18-year BEEP participant, who has chaired the National Urban League's BEEP Executive Advisory Council since 2006.

"UPS cares about young people and preparing them for leadership, for jobs and civic engagement," says Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. "Encouraging their executives to give back is a testament to their culture and outstanding reputation as a company."

A Florida Memorial University graduate, Iv Patterson, knows first-hand about the impact of UPS BEEP volunteers. While in college, Patterson developed relationships with many of them. "This experience has made a man out of me. It has taught me to be professional and has opened my eyes to new career opportunities." After graduating, Patterson was offered a job with UPS. He noted, "I'm excited about the (future) opportunity to be a mentor. I can use my story and blessings and share that with someone else, to help inspire them."

Participating colleges also have benefitted from UPS's involvement, which goes beyond funding.  The company has worked with campuses to provide support for curriculum development, connected schools to other partners and resources, and in one case, donated computers to help establish a computer lab on campus.

But students and college campuses are not the only ones enriched by the program. BEEP has had a tremendous impact on UPS executives as well. For young professionals, serving as a BEEP participant provides career and personal development opportunities. For seasoned executives, it offers a sense of gratification to know that the next generation can be influenced by lessons they have learned from past experiences.   

As a corporation dedicated to diversity and education, UPS plans to expand its community outreach programs by implementing the BEEP structure at local elementary and middle schools. UPS also plans to continue hosting an annual golf tournament that raises funds for scholarships to three deserving students, and supports the National Urban League's Incentive to Excel and Succeed program that encourages African American achievement.

UPS Vice President Mike Johnson remarked, "If you can touch one person and get them to think about their choices and goals, what they can be, who they really are, give them a little bit more confidence, through your story, then you have been successful."