HBCUs

Reinvestment Fund's HBCU Brilliance Initiative aims to secure the future of HBCUs through strengthening their financial health. For its inaugural cohort, the initiative will provide $40,000 grants and up to $1 million in financing to support campus infrastructure improvements at 11 historically Black higher education institutions.

DeQuan M. Smith is the inaugural assistant dean for student success and Danita Beck Wickwire is the inaugural executive director of development for the Xavier Oscher College of Medicine, which is slated to become the fifth medical school at a historically Black educational institution.

Hampton University, Morehouse College, Tennessee State University, and Virginia State University have each received $500,000 matching grants from the Southern Company Foundation to establish endowed professorships in sustainability-related fields. The grants are the latest additions to the foundation's ongoing pledge to invest $50 million to HBCUs in the utility company's service area.

Through a new partnership with the African American Male Education Network & Development, Tuskegee University in Alabama aims to reserve the persistent trend of declining Black male enrollment in higher education. The program will provide male students at Tuskegee with access to academic resources, mentorship opportunities, and professional development to foster their success in college and after graduation.

Joi Grabielle Artis is the new campus minister and chaplain at Benedict College in South Carolina. Shannon Trapp was appointed associate vice chancellor for administration and strategic operations at North Carolina A&T State University and April Thomas was named director of the Undergraduate Research Office at South Carolina State University.

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.

“By combining Spelman’s legacy of academic excellence with GFA’s industry expertise, we’re helping prepare the next generation of Black women storytellers, creators, and leaders to make their mark on the entertainment industry,” said Mark Lee, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Spelman College.

“If anyone ever doubts the difference one person can make, look no further than MacKenzie Scott and how her generosity will resonate across generations,” says Dr. Monique Guillory, President of Dillard University, which received a $19 million gift from Scott. Xavier University of Louisiana received a $38 million donation.

In partnership with Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit affiliate of the University of North Carolina System, North Carolina A&T State University has developed two online bachelor's degree programs designed for adult learners. Students in these programs participate in eight week “mini-mesters,” providing them with an accelerated pathway to a college degree.

The newly launched FAMU Change app connects users directly with the Florida A&M University Foundation by rounding up everyday purchases to the nearest dollar and donating the spare change to FAMU initiatives.

Dr. Moore is a professor and founding chair of the department of rehabilitation and disability studies at Langston University in Oklahoma. He was recently honored by the National Rehabilitation Association for his research contributions that have improved services to people with disabilities.

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

Dennis Shields, president of the Southern University System and chancellor of Southern University and A&M College, has been dismissed from his post. He will join the HBCU's law school faculty after a sabbatical.

St. Augustine's University is the first HBCU to express interest in joining Trump's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, which promises federal funding in exchange for agreeing to a myriad of terms regarding student enrollment, DEI programs, and tuition freeze mandates.

Undergraduate students studying business and STEM at Jackson State now have the opportunity to be mentored by working professionals at S&P Global. The corporation will also provide the HBCU with new laptops and access to its financial intelligence platform.

The College of Health Sciences at Alvernia University in Reading, Pennsylvania, has reserved seats specifically for Lincoln University of Pennsylvania students in several graduate degree programs in the health sciences. The two universities have also agreed to collaborate on projects through Alvernia's O'Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship and Lincoln's Lincubator.

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.

A former University of Maryland Eastern Shore professor has accused President Heidi Anderson of plagiarizing her 1986 doctoral dissertation at Purdue University. In response to these claims and public critiques on her leadership, Dr. Anderson has filed a $1 million defamation lawsuit.

Beginning in the Spring 2026 semester, Bethune-Cookman University will offer seven new undergraduate majors to prepare students for careers in emerging industries and technologies. The HBCU will also introduce a new MBA track in healthcare administration.

Over the next five years, leaders at historically Black Meharry Medical College will partner with community stakeholders in Nashville, Tennessee; Detroit, Michigan; and San Bernadino, California to address the cities' disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease.