LAW DAWG
TSU LOVE
President Donald Trump is expected to provide historically black colleges and universities a long-awaited boost.........
Trump will sign an executive order as early as Monday, when the schools’ presidents arrive in Washington for a visit. It’s expected to significantly strengthen the office that pushes the federal government to do business with the colleges by moving it to the White House and providing it specific goals, according to those who are helping to write the document.
The potential is huge. Federal agencies have thousands of contracts with colleges, universities and think tanks worth billions of dollars, primarily for research that includes studying everything from cancer to poverty.
“It would be truly, truly historic,” said Leonard Haynes, a longtime educator who ran the office and is helping to write the executive order. “It’s part of a long time dream...none of (the other presidents) had the courage to do it.”
Though African-Americans overwhelmingly support Democrats at the polls, many education experts credit Republican leaders for helping to improve HBCUs, the common shorthand for historically black schools.
Some black college administrators say they were disappointed in President Barack Obama for not making the schools a priority and, in some cases, harming their financial health and contributing to declining enrollment with the changes he made to loan programs.
Some campuses are struggling, suffering from budget cuts, low endowments, aging facilities and fiscal mismanagement.
The schools receive money from the federal government through grants, contracts, appropriations and student aid. They received $4.7 billion in federal financial assistance in 2013, according to the latest annual report available. The money accounted for 2.8 percent of federal funds awarded to all institutions of higher education.
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan created the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 1989, George H. W. Bush established an advisory board to advise the president and the secretary of education on HBCUs.
The White House Initiative urges 32 federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Department of Agriculture and NASA, to contract with black colleges. It was initially housed at the White House but, despite its name, it is now located at the Education Department. Many experts have been advocating for it to be moved back for years. During Obama’s tenure, the initiative had a staff of six.
Trump is also likely to give federal agencies goals for how many contracts black schools should receive according to those who are helping to write the document.
Some are pushing him to to commit to a goal that HBCUs be awarded 5 percent of total federal grant, internship and cooperative agreement funding; and 10 percent of total federal contract funding awarded to colleges and universities, which would nearly double federal support to HBCUs. They also hope he will boost funding in his budget to be released mid-March.
Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., co-founder of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, said the efforts should be moved to the White House in part because she has little faith in Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“Let’s put it in the White House and put somebody over it who really understands the HBCU movement and what we need for these universities,” she said. “I think it will be better off there.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article134827019.html#storylink=cpy
Trump will sign an executive order as early as Monday, when the schools’ presidents arrive in Washington for a visit. It’s expected to significantly strengthen the office that pushes the federal government to do business with the colleges by moving it to the White House and providing it specific goals, according to those who are helping to write the document.
The potential is huge. Federal agencies have thousands of contracts with colleges, universities and think tanks worth billions of dollars, primarily for research that includes studying everything from cancer to poverty.
“It would be truly, truly historic,” said Leonard Haynes, a longtime educator who ran the office and is helping to write the executive order. “It’s part of a long time dream...none of (the other presidents) had the courage to do it.”
Though African-Americans overwhelmingly support Democrats at the polls, many education experts credit Republican leaders for helping to improve HBCUs, the common shorthand for historically black schools.
Some black college administrators say they were disappointed in President Barack Obama for not making the schools a priority and, in some cases, harming their financial health and contributing to declining enrollment with the changes he made to loan programs.
Some campuses are struggling, suffering from budget cuts, low endowments, aging facilities and fiscal mismanagement.
The schools receive money from the federal government through grants, contracts, appropriations and student aid. They received $4.7 billion in federal financial assistance in 2013, according to the latest annual report available. The money accounted for 2.8 percent of federal funds awarded to all institutions of higher education.
In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan created the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 1989, George H. W. Bush established an advisory board to advise the president and the secretary of education on HBCUs.
The White House Initiative urges 32 federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Department of Agriculture and NASA, to contract with black colleges. It was initially housed at the White House but, despite its name, it is now located at the Education Department. Many experts have been advocating for it to be moved back for years. During Obama’s tenure, the initiative had a staff of six.
Trump is also likely to give federal agencies goals for how many contracts black schools should receive according to those who are helping to write the document.
Some are pushing him to to commit to a goal that HBCUs be awarded 5 percent of total federal grant, internship and cooperative agreement funding; and 10 percent of total federal contract funding awarded to colleges and universities, which would nearly double federal support to HBCUs. They also hope he will boost funding in his budget to be released mid-March.
Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., co-founder of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, said the efforts should be moved to the White House in part because she has little faith in Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“Let’s put it in the White House and put somebody over it who really understands the HBCU movement and what we need for these universities,” she said. “I think it will be better off there.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article134827019.html#storylink=cpy
