Several colleges and universities in the city received a hefty grant today from U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-7th, putting them on more solid footing to retain and attract more students from the area.
Several colleges and universities in the city received a hefty grant today from U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-7th, putting them on more solid footing to retain and attract more students from the area. In the first grant of its kind, under a new provision in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, Davis doled out nearly $5 million to predominantly Black institutions. The City Colleges of Chicago received $3.5 million, and Chicago State University received $1.1 million, over the next two years. “Predominantly Black institutions play an important role in educating low-income, minority students. I have advocated for years for such funding to strengthen the capacity of our higher education institutions to retain and graduate these students in critical areas of education,” Davis said Friday during an education roundtable at Malcolm X College. The amended legislation paves the way for funds to be allotted to other schools with mostly Black student enrollment. The original Higher Education Act was passed in 1965 and provided a special designation for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but not for those enrolled at schools with predominantly African American student populations. To receive the funding, students at schools where at least 50 percent of the population are low-income individuals or first-generation college students, and 40 percent African American, will be eligible for additional funding. “This will have a positive impact on all African American youth who are searching for ways to earn a college education,” said city colleges Chancellor Wayne Watson, who dubbed the financial awards the “Davis Grant.” Malcolm X College will receive $1.2 million over the next two years. “We are planning to use the funds to increase the success and retention rates of our students. By constructing two state-of-the-art laboratories and training faculty to incorporate cutting-edge lab experiences into their instruction, we are hoping to encourage enrollment in our biology and chemistry courses,” said Ghingo Brooks, the school’s president. Olive-Harvey College will also receive $1.2 million and will pump the funds into its health programs. “We are implementing Learning Communities in Health Education, focusing on nursing, respiratory therapy, medical laboratory technology and ophthalmic laboratory technology. These learning communities will provide the support needed for students to be successfully ingrained into college level coursework,” said Olive-Harvey President Valerie Roberson. Kennedy King College will also use a portion of its $1.1 million for its nursing programs. “This will go a long way toward helping to achieve our goal of reaching out to underrepresented students,” said Clyde El-Amin, president of KKC. The Associate Provost of Chicago State University, Anitra Ward, said the funds granted to the university would go towards attracting and retaining Black males and the creation of the African-American Male Resource Center on the campus. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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