The U.S. Department of Education has announced $93 million in grant awards to 20 colleges and universities to support research and development at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority-Serving Institutions, and to improve completion rates for underserved students.
“These grant awards will help many of our nation’s most inclusive and diverse colleges and universities expand their capacity to drive research and innovation, and propel more students to graduation day and fulfilling careers,” explained U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “This is how we raise the bar for college excellence and attainment in this country and close equity gaps in higher education that have no place in the 21st century.”
The grants that were awarded to HBCUs are:
• Hampton University in Virginia received a $4,962,986 grnt to progress to R2 through the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Climate Science Degree Program embedded in a National Center for Climate Modeling Research.
• Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana was awarded $4,999,999 to progress to R1 through establishing multidisciplinary research centers focused on advanced manufacturing and biological sciences; executing ambitious faculty hiring and development efforts; reducing teaching loads to increase research time and providing seed funding to catalyze innovation; expanding Ph.D. program offerings in high-demand STEM fields; and implementing efficient grant administration processes to expand its capacity to secure external funding.
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore received a $4,680,568 grant to progress to R1 through establishing the Futures Institute, which will recruit Ph.D. students, assistant professors, a proficient grant writer, and world-leading scientists to serve as research mentors for faculty and students.
• Texas Southern University was awarded $4,996,543 to progress to R1 through increasing research productivity and innovation; expanding graduate programs; recruiting faculty expertise; building physical research infrastructure; supporting human capital development; and establishing academic and industrial partnerships.
• Tennessee State University received a $4,946,573 grant to progress to R1 through the establishment of the Center of Biomedical Sciences to strengthen biomedical and behavioral research capacity and capabilities.
