The U.S. Department of Education has announced a $93 million grant that will be distributed among 20 colleges and universities. These grants will be specifically geared towards Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) to support research and development and to improve completion rates for underserved students.
The grants are being provided under the Research and Development Infrastructure (RDI) program and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program. The RDI program provides funds to HBCUs, TCCUs and MSIs to transform their research infrastructure through strengthening their research productivity, faculty expertise, physical infrastructure and partnerships leading to increases in external funding. The PSSG program aims to equitably improve postsecondary student outcomes, including retention, transfer, credit accumulation and completion, by leveraging data and implementing, scaling and rigorously evaluating evidence-based approaches.
These grants build on the more than $25 billion in funding to HBCUs, MSIs and TCCUs through the Department in the last four years. Specifically, $7.3 billion in cumulative investments in HBCUs, $474.5 million for TCCUs and $18.1 billion for MSIs.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the urgency of this moment in higher education and that creating opportunities for students of color and other underserved students to succeed in today’s most cutting-edge fields has never mattered more,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “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. 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.”
RDI program grants are being awarded to five HBCUs, two TCCUs, three HSIs and a dual HSI and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI).
For HBCUs and MSIs, the grant will support institutions in increasing their level of research activity in alignment with the Carnegie Classification designations to move from the Doctoral and Professional Universities (D/PU) classification toward the Doctoral Universities with High Research Activity (R2) classification. It also will increase their R2 classification toward the Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity (R1) category.
For TCCUs, the funds will support an increase in research activities, undergraduate research opportunities, faculty development, research development and infrastructure, including physical infrastructure and human capital development. Because of their central role in educating underserved students, including students of color, it is important for HBCUs, TCCUs and MSIs to excel in research activity that can impact funding, faculty and student recruitment, student research opportunities and promote diversity in graduate students and faculty at an institution.
Nine institutions are receiving grants through the PSSG to fund evidence-based strategies that result in improved outcomes for underserved students. The funding is being awarded to six grantees that are in the early phase and three grantees in the mid-phase/expansion phase, based upon the amount of existing research validating their effectiveness in improving student postsecondary education outcomes.
The RDI program grantees are:
- Hampton University (Virginia)
- Southern University and A&M College (Louisiana)
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Maryland)
- Texas Southern University (Texas)
- Tennessee State University (Tennessee)
- United Tribes Technical College (North Dakota)
- Blackfeet Community College (Montana)
- City College of New York (New York)
- The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (Texas)
- California State University, Fullerton (California)
- Roosevelt University (Illinois)
The PSSG program grantees are:
- The University System of Maryland (Maryland)
- Long Beach City College (California)
- Saint Peter’s University (New Jersey)
- California State University, Fullerton (California)
- Tulsa Community College (Oklahoma)
- University of California, Berkeley (California)
- City College of New York (New York)
- Colorado State University System (Colorado)
- Georgia State University (Georgia)
