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.
Iowa State University has been awarded a $248,744 grant by the National Science Foundation to study “Microaggressions in Engineering Programs.” The researchers will collect data on about how women, minorities and White men perceive microaggressions.
The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women announced 57 grants totaling over $18 million to help campuses respond to the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Among the institutions receiving grants under the program are three HBCUs: University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Spelman College, and Mississippi Valley State University.
The Black Leadership Network at the University of South Florida has been given a $2.1 million grant from the Helios Education Foundation to increase the success of underrepresented students throughout the university. The majority of the grant will fund an endowment that will provide scholarships to 40 students each year and $100,000 of it will be used immediately to help current students graduate with as little debt as possible. This will double the scholarships the Black Leadership Network provides each year.
The African Studies Center at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies has been given a $2.2 million grant by the United States Department of Education. The four-year grant will support Africa-focused education through increasing the number of well-trained Africanists, the number of students with fluency in African languages, the number of students and faculty members capable of reading and writing African Amani texts, and the quality and quantity of research and scholarship about Africa. Additionally, funds will go to expanding the center’s Outreach Program and strengthening partnerships with universities throughout Africa. The nationally recognized center is led by director Fallou Ngom, professor in the anthropology department at Boston University. Dr. Ngom holds a master’s degree in French linguistics from the University of Montana and a Ph.D. in French linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
