WASHINGTON
The observance of National Historically Black Col leges
and Universities Week drew more than sixty presidents from institutions
dedicated to the higher education pursuits of African Americans to the
nation’s capital in late September for meetings with federal officials.
The week culminated with the announcement of a multi-million dollar
grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) to several historically Black colleges and universities.
HUD awarded $6.5 million in grants to seventeen historically Black
colleges and universities (HBCUs) to help the schools revitalize
distressed neighborhoods surrounding their campuses. Each institution
will receive grants of up to $400,000 to fund activities that include
housing rehabilitation, community center development, small business
development, and job creation and training.
“We are proud to work in partnership with historically Black
colleges and universities to help them improve not only the lives of
their students, but the lives of their communities,” said Andrew Cuomo,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary.
“These schools can serve as powerful engines to revitalize
surrounding neighborhoods with job creation and training, new business
development, and expanded home ownership,” Cuomo added.
Since 1992, the department has awarded more than $43 million to
HBCUs to stimulate economic and community development, according to HUD
officials. Some of the grants will allow those institutions to continue
initiatives that were launched with earlier funding.
“HUD’s continued support for…our nation’s historically Black
colleges and universities allows us to more effectively expand our own
redevelopment initiatives, [and] support the private and public
resources for use in the revitalization of our neighborhood[s],” said
Dr. H. Patrick Swygert, president of Howard University.
