Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, received a grant from Pivotal Ventures, the executive offices of Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to support the university’s Align program. Align provides scholarship funds for the first year of master’s degree studies in computer science for women and students from underrepresented groups.
North Carolina Central University, the historically Black educational institution in Durham, received a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, for its nursing programs. The funds will be used for student scholarships and for recruitment and retention programs. The grant will also fund training for students to prepare for the North Carolina nursing licensing examination and for high-tech simulators for pediatric nursing students.
The University of Cincinnati received a $726,000 federal grant to study blunt use among young African Americans. Blunts are hollowed out cigar shells that are filled with marijuana. The project is under the direction of LaTrice Montgomery, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Montgomery is a graduate of Berea College in Kentucky and holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati.
Historically Black Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, received a $170,294 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to support the work of the Rams Know H.O.W. Mobile Clinic. The funds will allow the mobile clinic to be expand its operations and serve more people who do not have adequate access to affordable health care.
Delaware State University, the historically Black educational institution in Dover, received a $450,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Strategic Research for a project to improve detection of infra-red light. The research has applications for computer chip technology and for improvements in night-vision devices.
