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.
Fayetteville State University, a historically Black educational institution in North Carolina, received a three-year, $1 million grant from the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation for programs to help students with learning differences benefit from specialized training and tutoring while in college.
The program is under the direction of D. Jason DeSousa, assistant vice chancellor for student retention at the university. Dr. DeSousa is a graduate of Morgan State University in Baltimore. He holds a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a doctorate in higher education administration from Indiana University.
Historically Black Alabama State University in Montgomery received a grant from the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program to fund its Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (REAP) this summer for high school students interested in STEM fields. Students accepted into the program will spend the summer conducting cancer biology research.
Florida A&M University, the historically Black educational institution in Tallahassee, received a $100,000 gift from the family of Sybil Mobley, the founding dean of university’s School of Business & Industry. The donation will be used to help fund technology upgrades, recruitment programs, student activities, and faculty and staff development programs.
Iowa State University received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the persistence of African American men in graduate programs in engineering in the state of Iowa.
The research is under the direction of Brian Burt, an assistant professor of education at the university. Dr. Burt is a graduate of Indiana University. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland-College Park and a doctorate in academic affairs and student development from the University of Michigan.
