Today, Congressman David Scott (GA-13) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $14.3 million in grants for scholarships at the 1890 Land-Grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). This first round of annual funding was made available by Congressman Scott’s bipartisan fight to secure $80 million in the 2018 Farm Bill for new agriculture-focused scholarships for Land-Grant HBCUs, including Fort Valley State University in Georgia.
“I am proud to see our Land-Grant HBCUs receive over $14 million today after I worked tirelessly for several years to secure funding for the 1890 Scholarship Program,” Congressman Scott added. “Now more than ever we need a highly skilled food and agricultural systems workforce to safely feed our growing population and replace the aging American agricultural workforce. Our education system equips students with tools to access higher education. But access alone is not enough, especially when African Americans have been significantly underrepresented within the sciences. The 1890 Scholarship Program demonstrates our federal commitment to cultivating and graduating more diverse leaders, who will be well equipped to address and solve future emerging challenges in food and agricultural sciences.”
Under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, the 1890 Land-Grant institutions must receive funding through the USDA every 5 years for research, education, and extension as authorized by the Farm Bill. Congressman Scott’s 2018 Farm Bill amendment added a fourth purpose – student scholarships – and authorized an additional $19 million of funding annually for the nineteen Land-Grant HBCUs. The 1890 Scholarships Program provides scholarships to support recruiting and training undergraduate students at the 1890 land-grant institutions to pursue and complete baccalaureate degrees in such food and agricultural sciences as agribusiness, food production, distribution and retailing, clothing industries, and farming in marketing, finance, and distribution.
Each of the following 1890 Land-Grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities received $752,632 grants today for a total of $14.3 million:
Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida
Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia
Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky
Southern University and A & M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland
Lincoln University of Missouri, Jefferson City, Missouri
Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina
Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio
Langston University, Langston, Oklahoma
South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina
Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee
Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas
Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia
West Virginia State University, Institute, West Virginia
More information on grant award details can be found on the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture website.
