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.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte received a $1,062,034 grant from the National Science Foundation for research on gifted Black girls with science, technology, engineering, and math talent in elementary schools across the country. The project is called “CAREER: Critical and Culturally Relevant Experiential Learning: Fostering Early STEM Exploration with Gifted and High-Ability Black Girls and their Elementary Teachers.” Black girls are historically under-identified for gifted services. The identification and referral process for gifted programming and services varies, but it is often biased and subjective. The grant will also target the professional development of teachers and administrators. It aims to address the cultural misunderstanding between teachers and gifted Black girls. The research is under the direction of Brittany Anderson, an assistant professor in the College of Education at the university. Dr. Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Georgia.
Spelman College, the selective liberal arts educational institution for African American women in Atlanta, received a $1 million gift from The Shubert Foundation to support an endowed scholarship for students majoring in theater and performing arts. The scholarship will allow future theater professionals to graduate with less debt, ready to step into their creative careers.
Historically Black Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, received a $3,293,645 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support its Upward Bound program. The college’s Upward Bound program provides students instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, science, and foreign languages during the school year and the summer. The college also provides intensive mentoring and support for students preparing for college entrance exams and tackling admission applications, financial aid, and scholarship forms.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University received a four-year, $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to create a model that will support 80 teachers from schools serving predominantly minority identifying students. The goal is train teachers to increase academic preparation, access, and affordability for first-generation, low-income, underrepresented minorities, women, and students from rural and inner-city communities.
Historically Black Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, received a grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to boot mental services on campus.
