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.
Historically Black Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and Duke University are partnering in a five-year, $125,190 grant from the National Institute of General Medicine to increase the number of students in doctoral degree programs in nursing. Under the Bridges to Doctorate program, students in master’s degree nursing programs at Winston-Salem State University will be partnered with mentors at Duke University. The master’s degree students will participate in research projects that will prepare them for doctoral work.
The University of Memphis received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a program where university students will mentor students in the predominantly Black Memphis public school system who have shown an interest in engineering. The university will also hold monthly events for high school students to generate interest in engineering studies.
The Mennonite School of Nursing at Illinois State University in Normal received a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for programs geared to recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities in nursing education.
The International Development Innovation Network at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology received a five-year, $25 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to create a global network extending from village-level workshops to top research institutions that will foster local innovators, social science research, and technology and venture design to address major international development challenges. One of MIT’s partners is Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Another partner is Colorado State University‘s Sustainable MBAs for Africa program, which is geared toward teaching budding entrepreneurs in Kenya.
Historically Black Virginia State University received a $64,000 grant from the Caterpillar Foundation that enables students at the university to study abroad in China. Under the program a group of four students will spend the spring semester at Beijing Normal University.
The Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work at historically Black Norfolk State University received a $456,277 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services for a program seeking to train students for careers in providing social work services for military families.
Howard University received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation for a program to provide computer science programs and other resources to students in the Washington, D.C. public schools. Under the program a computer science course entitled, “Exploring Computer Science” will be offered at five area high schools.
The program is under the direction of A. Nicki Washington, an associate professor of computer science at Howard University. Dr. Washington is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in computer science from North Carolina State University.
Hampton University, a historically Black educational institution in Virginia, received a $2.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish a concentration in nanoscience. The nanoscience concentration will include courses in biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics. The new program will begin in the 2013-14 academic year. The grant program is under the direction of Michelle O. Claville, assistant dean of the Hampton University School of Science.
The School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania received a $1.5 million scholarship from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support student diversity. The grant will be used for scholarships for underrepresented minority students. The grant will funds scholarships for 26 students for four years.
