Christmas in August for HBCUs

Before leaving for their August vacation Congress approved the reauthorization of the Higher Education Opportunity Act which provides for increased funding for the Pell Grant program for low-income students. In addition, there were provisions for:

• $250 million to upgrade the high technology infrastructure at historically black colleges and universities as well as Hispanic serving institutions;

• additional funding for the HBCU Capital Financing program;

• a new YES Partnership Grant to support black and other minority students in science and mathematics degree programs;

• a new program to provide grants for graduate degree programs in the sciences at historically black universities; and

• $170 million to help black colleges and universities expand access, boost retention and graduation rates, and to renovate campus infrastructure.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.