Lincoln University of Missouri alumni and students are suing the state for years of underfunding at the historically Black university, according to a report from St. Louis Public Radio.
The lawsuit alleges that Missouri did not comply with the Morrill Act, which requires states to match federal funding directed to land-grant institutions. Plaintiffs claim that Lincoln University was not properly funded compared to the state’s other land-grant institution, the University of Missouri. Using data collected by the federal government, the lawsuits states that “Missouri had underfunded Lincoln University by $361,569,760 between fiscal years 1987 and 2020.”
The plaintiffs are calling for the creation of a $549 million fund, representing “the documented shortfall of $223,780,941, stated in the nominal dollars of the fiscal years in which it accrued, together with prejudgment interest of $324,972,497.”
Filed in the U.S. District Court of Western Missouri, the suit cites Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, and University of Missouri System President Mun Choi as defendants.
