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.
Hampton University, the historically Black educational institution in Virginia, received a $1 million, three-year grant from Communio to support the university’s National Center for Black Family Life. Communio is a nonprofit that consults with churches equipping them with proven strategies and technologies to solve our nation’s family and faith crisis. The grant program is under the direction of Linda Malone-Colon, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Education and executive director of the center.
Historically Black Howard University in Washington, D.C., received a $1 million grant from Autodesk Inc. to support students and faculty in the university’s department of mechanical engineering. Autodesk provides Howard students with free access to its professional-level design software, as well as a suite of learning resources. The company also collaborates with Howard on curriculum development and has hosted Autodesk Fusion 360 workshops for students. The new funding will expand the department’s manufacturing and making facilities and laboratory facilities for students.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis received a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Health to support a program that helps students from underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged groups pursue careers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Students accepted into the program get access to an intensive research internship with a rigorous and individualized academic, professional and personal development plan and receive 12 months’ paid research experience with faculty research mentors at the university. The funding will support the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program through 2029. Of the 45 students to complete the program since its inception in 2014, 91 percent have been admitted to Ph.D. or master’s degree programs and 84 percent have been admitted to Ph.D. or MD/Ph.D. programs at prestigious research-intensive universities across the nation.
The Ohio State University department of African American and African studies has been awarded a $1,972,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Support from the Mellon Foundation will help to secure 10 new tenure-track faculty member, nearly tripling the number of the department’s faculty members. The grant will also fund three postdoctoral fellows.
Historically Black Florida A&M University received a $1.3 million grant from BP (British Petroleum) to help fund student scholarships. The grant money will fund five full-ride scholarships each year for the next three years. The program will be primarily focused on students pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math degrees, but could also include students in the university’s business program. In addition to scholarships, the program will provide students with career development opportunities.
