Historically Blak and Hispanic-Serving Institutions Are All Vying for the Same Federal Funds
Plans to expand the federal government’s Title III college and
university program are posing a dilemma for African American and
Hispanic leaders in a debate that raises issues of history as weil as
politics.
At issue is the future of the landmark Title III program, created
primarily for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) but
also, in recent years, extended to include a small initiative for
Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs).
Hispanic educators and lawmakers want to expand this newer program,
a plan HBCU leaders fear may damage Title III and pit one group against
another for limited funds.
“If you can put enough money in the program, nobody gets hurt,” says
Henry Ponder, president of the National Association for Equal
Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), which represents HBCUs. The
problem is that Congress, already hamstrung by budget limits, may
expand Title III but not provide enough new money to minimize turf
battles.
“If you cut this pie more ways, everyone involved will get less,” Ponder says.
But Hispanic lawmakers call such legislation imperative to help a group increasingly at a disadvantage nationally.
