Here is this week’s news of grants to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne received a $100,000 grant from Toyota U.S.A. to established the Lexus Endowment at the university. Funds from the endowment will be used for scholarships for students in the university’s golf management program. Toyota was a long-time sponsor of Charlie Sifford, the first African American on the PGA Tour.
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, received a $118,415 grant from the Russell Sage Foundation for a project entitled “Wealth Inequality in America at the City and National Origin Levels.” The research will be conducted by William A. Darity Jr., the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African & African American Studies and Economics at the university. Dr. Darity is a graduate of Brown University and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Historically Black Morehouse College in Atlanta received a pledge of $1 million from Charles Barkley a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and current basketball analyst for Turner Sports. The donation will support the college’s journalism and sports program.
Delaware State University, the historically Black educational institution in Dover, received a three-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will support the university’s doctoral program in materials chemistry. The grant program is under the direction of Cherese Winstead, chair of the department of chemistry at the university. Dr. Winstead holds a master’s degree from Hampton University in Virginia and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Virginia Tech.
The Small Business Development Center at the University of Maryland received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to fund programs to help rebuild areas of Baltimore that were impacted by recent civil disturbances. The money will fund micro-loans to small businesses, grants, and assistance to small businesses looking to win government contracts.
The National Science Foundation has selected five universities to participate in its Transforming Engineering Culture to Advance Inclusion and Diversity (TECAID) project. The grant program’s goal is to increase diversity and foster an inclusive environment in mechanical engineering for women and minorities. The universities selected to participate in the program are Purdue University, Michigan Technological University, Oregon State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Oklahoma.
