Historically Black colleges could soon see in a boost to their STEM programs through funding from the Build Back Better agenda.
, with hopes that the bill’s record funding for HBCUs could put the schools on a path to compete with top-tier research universities specializing in science and technology.
But there are a dozen HBCUs classified as second-tier research schools, and Williams said the funding in Biden’s proposal would be a “game-changer” for them and other minority-serving universities looking to boost their STEM programs. Black graduates remain underrepresented in STEM jobs despite enormous growth in the field over the past decade, according to an analysis this year by the. Black adults 25 and older accounted for just 9 percent of all STEM positions, compared to 67 percent of white adults, and Black college students were less likely to earn STEM degrees, the analysis found.
“It would be tremendous in terms of what we would be able to do with our research in terms of agriculture, in terms of engineering, and science and technology,” he said, adding that the new funding would allow for an expansion of doctoral programs and the hiring of more faculty.In recent years, there has been a renewed focus on investing in research and STEM capacity at Black colleges.
At Simmons College of Kentucky, President Kevin Cosby said in an interview that while an injection of government funds would benefit HBCUs of all sizes, the chronic underfunding reflects years of federal neglect. Cosby noted that the proposed language in the Build Back Better bill would go to HBCUs and, more broadly, minority-serving schools, such as Tribal colleges. But in order to rescue many HBCUs like Simmons that have been scraping by there needs to be a more targeted investment, he said.
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