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.
Morgan State University in Baltimore recently received nearly $9 million in federal funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to advance the HBCU’s research capacity in microelectronics and molecular biology. Some $3.4 million will be used to enhance Morgan State’s Center for Education and Research in Microelectronics through the acquisition of advanced equipment and the development of specialized training opportunities in semiconductor design and manufacturing. The remaining $5.5 million will support the construction of a new Molecular Biology Research Laboratory for researchers studying biological sciences and applied sciences in the School of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences.
Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina received a $60,000 grant from the Reynolds American Foundation to support student scholarships. The funds will go towards students at the HBCU with unmet financial need, helping them remain enrolled, persist toward graduation, and focus more fully on their academic and career goals.
Historically Black Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Arkansas, secured $7 million in federal funding to support improvements to the Harry R. Kendall Health and Science Center and expand training capacity for nursing students. The grant will support facility and equipment upgrades, the acquisition of a mobile unit for the nursing program, and related campus improvements to strengthen healthcare workforce preparation and expand opportunities for students pursuing careers in nursing and allied health.
Norfolk State University in Virginia, received a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support research on advanced quantum materials that exhibit unusual magnetic behaviors at very low temperatures, which have the potential to create more energy-efficient electronic and quantum technologies. The funding will provide research and professional development opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at the HBCU and support the acquisition of new laboratory materials and equipment.
