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.
Historically Black Morgan State University in Baltimore received $3.7 million in additional funding from the state to support the National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities (NCEED). Housed within the School of Education & Urban Studies, NCEED will study the needs of underserved communities and create solutions to underachievement, low attendance rates, high drop-out rates, and inadequate preparation for college and career so that students achieve their full potential, regardless of socio-economic status. “The goal is to be the kind of center in which the research is practitioner-driven,” said Glenda Prime, dean of the School of Education and Urban Studies and professor of education. “School leaders and superintendents want school to work for all kids, but they face enormous challenges that are systemic and structural. The work of NCEED will help them chart a road map towards more equitable school outcomes.”
St. John’s University in Queens, New York received a grant from the Ichigo Foundation aimed at increasing the retention and graduation rates of Black and Latinx students enrolled at the university. The foundation is the charitable arm of Ichigo Asset Management, an independent investment manager specializing in Japanese equities. The grant will support the Reach, Inspire, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) program. First-year students are paired with experienced, high-achieving student-leaders and participate in workshops geared toward academic success, career preparation, connectivity, and personal enrichment.
North Carolina A&T State University, a historically Black educational institution in Greensboro, received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a center where the research that will focus on the production of affordable housing, homeownership, renewable energy, sustainable communities, and post-disaster recovery.
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island., received a $3.3 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to fund the university’s Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD). The IMSD research training program provides students in underrepresented groups with professional development opportunities, academic support, and a community that enhances success in their Ph.D. programs and positions them as highly competitive for postdoctoral positions and scientific careers of their choice. The program supports 12 Ph.D. students a year with an advising plan and support structure, as well as skill-based training modules that focus on areas that may not have been fully developed by appointed student trainees at their undergraduate institutions, such as scientific writing and statistical analysis of data.
