Colleges nationwide are bracing themselves as the Trump administration proposes drastic cuts in federal education funding. Some educational leaders say these cuts may have a catastrophic impact on historically Black colleges and universities, which have caused them to consider their potential budgets without federal funding.
“We’re at this position where we realize that our ancestors did not rely on federal money in order to get the work done,” said Fatima Brunson, assistant professor of education at Spelman College, told NBC News.
Historically, Black colleges are disproportionately underfunded compared to predominantly white universities. According to a 2022 Forbes study, HBCUs have experienced underfunding of over $12 billion in the past three decades. Yet, 54% of the revenue of Black colleges comes from federal and state funds. Additionally, over 70% of HBCU students utilize the federally funded Pell Grant to help finance their education.
Valerie Kinloch of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, stated that, while she expected financial setbacks under the Trump administration, she did not anticipate the dismantling of the Education Department or the potential for operating without federal funds. In response, the university launched a $10 million fundraising campaign to offset the potential loss.
Kinloch said that federal budget cuts affect colleges and can have a trickle-down effect on the entire community. For example, the loss of grant funding for health and science research raises public health concerns. In February, the federal government suspended a scholarship program that provided $19 million in agricultural educational funding for students attending HBCUs such as Tuskegee University and Alabama A&M.
“Considering wildfires in California, bird flu in the poultry industry, and 60% of Alabama’s economy being agriculture, these cuts are unexpected and will have a long-term negative impact on Alabama and the agriculture industry across the country,” Shannon Frank Reeves, vice president of government affairs, told AL.com.
Black colleges contribute billions to local economies and employ approximately 130,000 people nationwide.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 300,000 students attend about 100 HBCUs across the country.
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