Morris College, a historically black college, is one of 96 other black colleges and universities to receive federal grants that are going to be used to upgrade their facilities and academic programs to improve the education of their students. The $765,000 award is going to be used for library resources, upgrades to six computer laboratories and support the construction of a student health and wellness center.
Morris College is just one of many historically black colleges that are set to receive federal aid. The U.S. secretary of education, Arne Duncan, announced Friday that the department was awarding more than $84.7 million to historically black colleges and universities around the country. “HBCUs play an essential role in helping our nation boost college completion rates and achieve the President’s goal for America to again have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world by 2020,” Duncan said in a press release. “These grants provide HBCUs with needed resources to enhance their programs and services that will enable their students to graduate and succeed in the workplace.”
Grants that are given under the Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program will be used to support a variety of activities that include improving and expanding academic courses, student services, campus facilities and faculty and staff development. The grant money may also be used to create teacher education courses that will be designed to qualify students to teach in public schools.
The money may also be used in the form of family and community outreach programs designed to motivate elementary and secondary students to continue their education at a college or university. In order to be eligible for the grant institutions must meet certain requirements. These requirements include having been established before 1964 and have a primary objective of educating African Americans.
