United States Education Department Awards HBCUs $228 Million

Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University are among the 97 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that collectively received $227.9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Education.
The grant will help HBCUs strengthen their academic resources, financial management systems, endowment-building capacity and physical plants. PV and TSU each received more than $4 million. Seven other Texas HBCUs received between $250,000 and $5.4 million.The five-year Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities grants  will include activities such as curriculum reform, counseling and student service programs, establishing teacher education programs, acquiring real estate property and funding faculty and staff development.
In addition, funds can be used for the purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment and the development of academic instruction in disciplines in which African-Americans are underrepresented.
“HBCUs have made enduring, even staggering contributions to American life despite the steep financial challenges many have faced,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “The grants will help these important institutions continue to provide their students with the quality education they need to compete in the global economy.”  The grant is administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education.