President Obama has signed into law a wide-ranging farm bill with several key changes for minority-serving institutions, including a provision that gives long-awaited land-grant status to Central State University in Ohio.
A historically Black college, Central State has sought land-grant status since 1890 when the federal government designated its first set of HBCUs as land-grant colleges. “This designation is nearly 125 years in the making and long overdue,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
By gaining land-grant status, the university will qualify for additional federal grants, as well as awards related to agricultural research and development. To date, Ohio State University has been Ohio’s only state public land-grant institution.
“The steps we take to utilize this land-grant status will help CSU strengthen academic programs and continue to develop graduates with the knowledge, skills and disposition to become engaged citizens in the state of Ohio,” said Central State President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond.
Though representing only a few lines in a congressional report spanning nearly 600 pages, the language contained in the bill will generate many changes at the university.
Jackson-Hammond cited several immediate priorities, such as developing a Minority, Women and Small Farmers Education Center at the university. She also said the status would help strengthen STEM and other academic programs while helping prepare more students for government careers in environmental and agricultural fields.
The university also expects to expand its research on health disparities among African-American communities in Ohio and increase its business incubator activities to promote entrepreneurship and workforce development, added Jackson-Hammond.
