Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
The University of Delaware received two five-year grants totaling nearly $3 million to fund its Classic Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math/Science programs. Both programs are designed to prepare low-income students from underrepresented minority groups for college. The grants will fund six-week summer residential programs on the University of Delaware campus.
Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, has received a four-year, $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program. The grant will provide financial assistance for minority students in associate degree programs in nursing.
Delaware State University, the historically Black educational institution in Dover, received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help fund the university’s Center for Research Excellence in Optical Sciences and Applications. Delaware State is the only HBCU with a Ph.D. degree program in optics.
Historically Black Hampton University in Virginia received a $1.35 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for a research project on novel drug therapies for the treatment of lung cancer.
The McSilver Institute on Poverty Policy and Research at New York University received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to develop effective HIV care and prevention strategies targeted for youths in South Africa.
The University of Massachusetts at Amherst received a three-year, $892,539 grant for its Achieving Diversity: A Comprehensive Approach to Nursing Workforce Diversity program. The grant will be used to recruit and prepare high school students for careers in nursing and for retention programs once they are enrolled in the nursing school.
The Virginia-North Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation, based at the University of Virginia, received a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to continue its programs to increase the number of minority students seeking careers in STEM fields. Institutions involved in the alliance recruit students to STEM fields and have programs in place to help them succeed once they are in college. An eight-week summer program allows minority students to participate in research projects with STEM faculty. During the program’s first five years, the number of minority students who graduated with degrees in STEM fields at alliance member institutions increased from 488 to 815.
The University of Maryland Baltimore County received a $987,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support its Bridge to Doctorate program. The program offers post-baccalaureate research opportunities for 12 minority students that includes tuition, health insurance, and a $30,000 stipend as they prepare to enter the STEM workforce or apply to graduate programs.
Historically Black Fort Valley State University in Georgia received a $287,136 grant from the National Science Foundation to support its forensic science programs over the next three years. The university will use the funds to buy laboratory equipment and supplies that will allow university students to get hands-on experience in the field of forensic science.
The University of California at Los Angeles received a five-year, $20 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for programs to fight obesity in low-income minority neighborhoods. Among the initiatives is support for the Instant Recess program developed by Antronette Yancy, a professor of health policy and management at UCLA. Dr. Yancy proposes that 10-minute breaks for dance and/or sports movements throughout the school day, coupled with nutrition and healthy eating educational programs, can have a major impact on rates of obesity. To date, UCLA scholars have produced 50 CDs and DVDs to promote Instant Recess activities and they hope to expand their programs to other regions of the country.
Dr. Yancy is a graduate of Northwestern University and the Duke University Medical School. She also holds a master of public health degree from UCLA.
Duke University received a $149,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development for a program that will allow university faculty to work with several Ethiopian communities to help them access a safe and reliable source of fresh water.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences received a five-year, $5.5 million grant to support its Arkansas Center for Health Disparities. The center seeks to improve access to quality health care programs for racial and ethnic minorities with the goal of reducing racial health disparities in the state.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center received a $150,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to support the work for postdoctoral fellow James Fells Sr. Dr. Fells is conducting research on drug therapies for breast cancer patients.
