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.
Xavier University, the historically Black educational institution in New Orleans, received a two-year, $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will fund a research program designed to develop more precise measurements of gamma ray emissions produced by lightning.
Apple Computer announced that it will fund a $40 million grant program with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) to identify, develop and harness talent from the nation’s community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The grant will include funding to build a talent database, internships for high achieving students, exposure to Apple’s campus and work environment, and funding of faculty innovation grants focused on developing successful ways to accelerate HBCU students into STEM environments. “Education is in Apple’s DNA and by partnering with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund we have a unique opportunity to help inspire the next generation of diverse talent to love technology as much as we do,” said Denise Young Smith, Apple’s vice president of worldwide human resources. Young holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Grambling State University, a TMCF member institution.
Historically Black Florida A&M University in Tallahassee received two grants valued at $450,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grants will support the university’s agricultural science programs.
The United Negro College Fund, which represents 37 historically Black colleges and universities, received a $1 million commitment from the Walt Disney Company to provide college scholarships for African American students. To be eligible for the scholarships, students must have financial need, a 2.5 grade point average, and be interested in careers in the entertainment industry.
Toyota Motor Company has donated $50,000 to each of four historically Black universities in recognition of their participation in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The four HBCUs receiving the donations are Alabama State University, Selma University, Alabama A&M University, and Tuskegee University.
