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1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS:

RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES AND 

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

DECEMBER 7, 2016

Serial No. 114–59

(

Printed for the use of the Committee on Agriculture 

agriculture.house.gov 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas, Chairman 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas, 

Vice Chairman 

BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

STEVE KING, Iowa 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

GLENN THOMPSON, Pennsylvania 

BOB GIBBS, Ohio 

AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia 

ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas 

SCOTT DESJARLAIS, Tennessee 

CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON, New York 

VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

JEFF DENHAM, California 

DOUG LAMALFA, California 

RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana 

RICK W. ALLEN, Georgia 

MIKE BOST, Illinois 

DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina 

RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana 

JOHN R. MOOLENAAR, Michigan 

DAN NEWHOUSE, Washington 

TRENT KELLY, Mississippi 

COLLIN C. PETERSON, Minnesota, Ranking 

Minority Member 

DAVID SCOTT, Georgia 

JIM COSTA, California 

TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota 

MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio 

JAMES P. MCGOVERN, Massachusetts 

SUZAN K. DELBENE, Washington 

FILEMON VELA, Texas 

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM, New Mexico 

ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire 

RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota 

CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois 

SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York 

ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona 

PETE AGUILAR, California 

STACEY E. PLASKETT, Virgin Islands 

ALMA S. ADAMS, North Carolina 

GWEN GRAHAM, Florida 

BRAD ASHFORD, Nebraska 

SCOTT C. GRAVES, Staff Director 

ANNE SIMMONS, Minority Staff Director 

(II) 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Adams, Hon. Alma S., a Representative in Congress from North Carolina, 

opening statement ................................................................................................ 23

Allen, Hon. Rick W., a Representative in Congress from Georgia, opening 

statement .............................................................................................................. 25

Ashford, Hon. Brad, a Representative in Congress from Nebraska, opening 

statement .............................................................................................................. 22

Conaway, Hon. K. Michael, a Representative in Congress from Texas, opening 

statement .............................................................................................................. 1

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3

Graham, Hon. Gwen, a Representative in Congress from Florida, opening 

statement .............................................................................................................. 25

Peterson, Hon. Collin C., a Representative in Congress from Minnesota, opening statement ........................................................................................................ 4

Scott, Hon. Austin, a Representative in Congress from Georgia, opening statement ...................................................................................................................... 24

Scott, Hon. David, a Representative in Congress from Georgia .......................... 4

Submitted legislation ....................................................................................... 7

WITNESSES

Cleaver, Hon. Emanuel, a Representative in Congress from Missouri ............... 19

Cramer, Hon. Kevin, a Representative in Congress from North Dakota ............ 20

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 21

Bell, Ph.D., Juliette B., President, University of Maryland Eastern Shore; 

Outgoing Chair, Council of 1890’s Executive Committee, Princess Anne, 

MD ......................................................................................................................... 26

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 27

Jackson-Hammond, Ed.D, Cynthia, President, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH .......................................................................................................... 30

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 31

Jones, Ph.D., Paul A., President, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, 

GA .......................................................................................................................... 33

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 34

Robinson, Ph.D., Larry, Interim President, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, FL ......................................................................... 49

(1)

1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS:

RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES AND 

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, 

Washington, D.C. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 

1300, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. K. Michael Conaway 

[Chairman of the Committee] presiding. 

Members present: Representatives Conaway, Lucas, King, Gibbs, 

Austin Scott of Georgia, Benishek, LaMalfa, Davis, Yoho, Allen, 

Rouzer, Abraham, Moolenaar, Kelly, Peterson, David Scott of Georgia, Walz, Fudge, DelBene, Lujan Grisham, Kuster, Nolan, 

Plaskett, Adams, Graham, and Ashford. 

Staff present: Bart Fischer, Mollie Wilken, Mykel Wedig, Stephanie Addison, Anne Simmons, Evan Jurkovich, Keith Jones, Matthew MacKenzie, Nicole Scott, and Carly Reedholm. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM TEXAS 

The CHAIRMAN. Good morning. Before we start, I want to ask 

David Scott to open us with a prayer. David. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before your throne of grace to first of all say thank you. We thank 

you for so much. So many blessings you bestow upon us that we 

don’t even know. We thank you for that. We thank you for our 

health and our strength. And dear Heavenly Father, we ask your 

special blessing to anoint this Committee room this morning, that 

you would usher in your Holy Spirit into the hearts and minds of 

everyone sitting in this room, that we understand the full responsibility to provide for our African American community the true opportunity, the financial support that we need for scholarships. This 

is what we pray for this morning, dear God. 

We thank you for this mindful Committee. We thank you for the 

Chairman with the insight and the compassion to have this hearing. And we just ask in your holy name that we be successful in 

doing your work, in doing your will, which is to provide these scholarships for these African American students, for these African 

American colleges that were founded through the grace coming out 

of the Civil War. We made it through. 

And dear God, only in your kindness, as you give us your lovingkindness, please spread your loving-kindness today in this AgriVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
2

culture Committee room, that we be successful in this journey to 

take the first step here today to award these colleges $1 million 

each year to help our African American students. And this we pray 

and we thank you for. In the name of your son Jesus Christ we say 

amen. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, David. 

This hearing of the Committee on Agriculture entitled, 1890 

Land-Grant Institutions: Recruitment Challenges and Scholarship 

Opportunities, will come to order. 

Good morning. Today, we will discuss one of the Committee’s 

longstanding areas of jurisdiction, agricultural research universities. More specifically, we will hear from our 1890s institutions, 

the land-grant colleges and universities for African American students established pursuant to the Second Morrill Act of 1890. 

Last July, we had a hearing to celebrate the 125th anniversary 

of the 1890 universities and the contributions they have made and 

they continue to make to the agriculture industry in the United 

States. Today, we will build on that discussion and explore challenges that the 1890s face in recruiting students to careers in agriculture. There is currently an unmet demand for highly skilled jobs 

within the agricultural industry. The 1890s have recognized the opportunity that such a gap presents for graduates with degrees in 

agricultural studies, and they are focusing their efforts on generating greater interest in agricultural programs within their respective schools. 

Today, we will start by hearing from a panel of our fellow Congressmen who have sponsored H.R. 6020, Funding for Student 

Scholarships for the 1890s Land-Grant African-American Colleges 

and Universities Act. I am looking forward to the acronym on that 

one. 

Now, as my colleagues will explain, this bill allocates scholarships to 1890 universities for students interested in food and agricultural sciences. 

In our second panel, the Committee will hear from the Presidents of three of those schools about the challenges they face in recruiting African American students to agricultural areas of study, 

as well as their suggestions for moving forward. 

While only three of the 1890s Presidents will testify this morning, we are fortunate that Presidents and/or their representatives 

from several of the other 1890 schools are in attendance today, and 

we would like to recognize them at this time. 

In addition to our witnesses, we have Dr. Makola Abdullah, 

President of Virginia State University. 

Mr. ABDULLAH. Thank you very much. 

The CHAIRMAN. Okay, thank you. Dr. Anthony Jenkins, President of West Virginia State University. 

Dr. Larry Robinson, interim President for Florida A&M University. Dr. Robinson, glad you are here. 

Dr. Kirk Pomper, Director of Land-Grant Programs in Kentucky 

State University. 

Dr. Albert Essel, Director of Cooperative Research and 1890 Administrator, Lincoln University. Good morning, sir. 

Zachary Faison, General Counsel and Vice President for External 

Affairs, Tuskegee University. Zachary, good morning. 

3

Dr. Antoine Alston, Associate Dean for the College of Agriculture 

and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T. 

And finally, Mr. Tony Wells, previous President of the Alumni 

Association for Tennessee State University. Tony, good to have you 

with us this morning. 

If there are others in the audience who we haven’t mentioned, 

please know you are welcome. We are glad you are here. We value 

your contribution. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Conaway follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM TEXAS

Good morning. 

Today we will discuss one of the Committee’s longest standing areas of jurisdiction—agricultural research universities. More specifically, we will hear from our 

‘‘1890s’’ institutions—the land-grant colleges and universities for African American 

students established pursuant to the Second Morrill Act of 1890. 

Last July, we held a hearing to celebrate the 125th anniversary of 1890 universities and the contributions they have made and continue to make to the agricultural industry in the United States. Today, we will build on that discussion and explore challenges that the 1890s face in recruiting students to careers in agriculture. 

There is currently an unmet demand for highly-skilled jobs within the agricultural industry. The 1890s have recognized the opportunity that such a gap presents 

for graduates with degrees in agricultural studies, and they are focusing efforts on 

generating greater interest in the agricultural programs within their respective 

schools. 

Today, we will start by hearing from a panel of my fellow Congressmen who have 

sponsored H.R. 6020, the Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890 Land-Grant 

African-American Colleges and Universities Act. As my colleagues will explain, this 

bill would allocate scholarships to 1890 universities for students interested in food 

and agricultural sciences. 

For our second panel, the Committee will hear from the Presidents of three of 

those schools about the challenges they have faced in recruiting African American 

students to agricultural areas of study, as well as their suggestions for moving forward. 

While only three of the 1890s Presidents will testify this morning, we are fortunate that Presidents (or their representatives) from several of the other 1890 universities are in attendance today, and I would like to recognize them at this time: 

In addition to our witnesses, we have joining us:

Dr. Makola Abdullah, President of Virginia State University; 

Dr. Anthony Jenkins, President of West Virginia State University; 

Dr. Larry Robinson, Interim President of Florida A&M University; 

Dr. Kirk Pomper, Director of Land Grant Programs at Kentucky State University; 

Dr. Albert Essel, Director of Cooperative Research & 1890 Administrator, Lincoln University; 

Zachary Faison, General Counsel and Vice President for External Affairs, 

Tuskegee University; 

Dr. Antoine Alston, Associate Dean for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University; and finally 

Mr. Tony Wells, Previous President of the Alumni Association, Tennessee State 

University.

If there are others in the audience that I didn’t mention by name, please know 

that the Committee values your contributions. 

It is now my pleasure to recognize the Ranking Member for any comments he 

wishes to make.

The CHAIRMAN. And now it is my pleasure to recognize the Ranking Member for any comments he has. 

4

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. COLLIN C. PETERSON, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM MINNESOTA 

Mr. PETERSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And welcome, everybody, to today’s Agriculture Committee hearing. 

As the Chairman said, today’s hearing is focused on recruitment 

challenges and scholarship opportunities at 1890 land-grant universities. We are also going to be learning more about legislation 

sponsored by Congressman David Scott, H.R. 6020, to make more 

scholarships available to students attending these schools. Our 

land-grant universities play an important role in agricultural research, extension, and educational programs, and I am looking forward to hearing today’s testimony. 

I want to welcome the 1890 Presidents who are joining us today 

and some of whom were here last summer when we met to recognize the 125th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act. 

Before I yield back, Mr. Chairman, this is our final hearing of 

this Congress, hopefully. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. 

Mr. PETERSON. And I believe that we have held more than 80 

hearings, which is a record. As we wrap up here, I want to just 

thank all the Members for their hard work and the Chairman for 

his leadership and service to the Committee. And, with that, I yield 

back. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, I thank the Ranking Member for those 

kind comments at the end. We have had a great 114th Congress 

and most of us are looking forward to a great 115th Congress. We 

may have a few folks that move on to committees of lesser importance throughout the Congress as we move forward, but it has been 

a great pleasure. 

So, with that, the chair will request other Members submit their 

opening statements for the record, so the witnesses may begin their 

testimony and to assure there is ample time for questions. 

I would like to welcome our first panel, the Honorable David 

Scott, Member of Congress from Georgia, Member of the Committee; the Honorable Emanuel Cleaver, Member of Congress from 

Missouri; and the Honorable Kevin Cramer, the only Member of 

Congress from North Dakota. 

Congressman Scott, begin when you are ready, sir. 

STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Well, thank you very much, Mr. 

Chairman. First of all, I want to thank you, Chairman Conaway, 

for your dedication and for your understanding, and for your longtime support of the 1890s African American colleges and universities. Thank you so much for this hearing. 

I also want to thank Speaker Paul Ryan, who was very helpful 

to us in getting this moving. 

And I certainly want to thank our Ranking Member Peterson for 

the great job he has done over the years. He has been a champion 

of the 1890s. 

I want to thank my cosponsors too, if I may, Mr. Chairman. Representative Kevin Cramer, my dear good friend. We have been on 

this journey now for a couple of years in getting this bill moving 

5

and our bill to provide training and job training for African American young men as we move to rebuild the crumbling infrastructure. I want to thank Ms. Marcia L. Fudge, our former Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has been a stalwart supporter of our African American schools; Brad Ashford from 

Nebraska, who is a great sponsor; Mrs. Mia Love, another one of 

our Republican cosponsors; Ms. Gwen Graham; Ms. Alma S. 

Adams; Mr. Pete Sessions, who is the Chairman of our Rules Committee; and my good friend Reverend Emanuel Cleaver, who is an 

extraordinary champion. Thank you all for this. We appreciate it. 

Thank you for your staff work on this, Mr. Chairman, your staff, 

and my hardworking staff of Ashley and the team back in my office. 

This is a monumental moment in the history of our African 

American colleges and universities, ladies and gentlemen. We humbly come before this Committee to plead our case that we establish 

the grants in this bill that will enable the African American landgrant universities to be able to provide $1 million each year for 

scholarships for our African American students. The caveat is that 

the African American students will then commit to careers in this 

burgeoning field of business agriculture. The most important industry in the world is agriculture. It is the food we eat. It is the 

clothes we wear. It is our energy. It is high finance. It is derivatives. It is risk management. It is commodities and futures trading 

abroad, which makes just the derivatives sector a $800 trillion 

piece of the world’s economy. And we want this opportunity for our 

students. 

I want to say one other thing. There was a great conversation 

that was held by two great Americans. One, President Abraham 

Lincoln; the other, General Robert E. Lee. The Civil War had 

ended. And they had this conversation right on these hallowed 

grounds. And as they looked over the expanse and looked south to 

Virginia, Mr. Lincoln said to General Lee, ‘‘It is not incumbent for 

us to complete this task,’’ and before he could finish that, General 

Lee finished that sentence by saying, ‘‘But, Mr. President Lincoln, 

neither are we free to desist from doing all we possibly can.’’

That is what is at our place today. And, Mr. Chairman, I want 

us to have this opportunity. There is no greater need in the African 

American community, as in all communities, than economics, jobs, 

financial security, and the education and job training that goes 

along with them. That is why all of us sponsors have sponsored a 

companion bill to provide job training targeted for the 18–39, the 

hardest hit group, to help build the crumbling infrastructure. That 

sits in another committee, but today this is the education piece. 

And, Mr. Chairman, this also gives us an opportunity. I received 

some notice that President-elect Donald Trump is interested in 

what we are doing with these two bills. I want us to have an opportunity, give us this opportunity, because in these two bills it is the 

Secretary of Labor that will be the supervisory agency for the jobs 

bill, but this bill will come under the new Secretary of Agriculture. 

It is important that we engage them. 

And I take President Trump, and as many of you know or some 

of you may not know, he and I finished from the great Wharton 

School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania together. I ask 

6

for an opportunity to allow us to work, and maybe we bring some 

of that Wharton School of Business magic to this. I appreciate the 

opportunity to do that and hope you will pass this bill out. Thank 

you. 

[H.R. 6020 and H.R. 6021 follow:]

7

H.R. 6020, FUNDING FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE 1890S LAND-GRANT

AFRICAN-AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACT


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H.R. 6021, JOBS, ON-THE-JOB ‘EARN WHILE YOU LEARN’ TRAINING, AND

APPRENTICESHIPS FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUNG MEN ACT


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The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Reverend Cleaver. 

STATEMENT OF HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM MISSOURI 

Mr. CLEAVER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member 

Peterson, for having this hearing. And I would thank my colleague 

David Scott for the vision that he has. You will hear from my esteemed colleagues, the original sponsors of H.R. 6020, on the importance of this legislation and its benefits. 

I will just say that this bill is critical if we are to increase the 

number of African American young people seeking careers in agriculture and agribusiness. When I look back, I happen to have 

known both of my great-grandfathers. On the Cleaver side, they 

tend to live into their nineties. My father just reached 94. I had 

the chance to know them. And on both sides, they were farmers. 

Henry Barton and the Reverend Noah Albert Cleaver, my greatgrandfathers. And my great-uncle was the head of the agricultural 

department at Prairie View A&M University. 

There is an 1890 university in my state, Lincoln University, and 

we are very proud of it, as I am proud to be a Prairie View A&M 

graduate, in fact. When my nephew graduated 2 years ago, he 

made the 15th Cleaver to graduate from Prairie View. And it is a 

school that has produced two Members of Congress. Some of you 

probably served with Craig Washington, who filled the seat that is 

now held by Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston. And many people 

know of the Gang of Three in New York, one of them Percy Sutton. 

You see his name almost always associated with Congressman 

Charlie Rangel. Percy Sutton is a Prairie View graduate, as is Mr. 

T. Mr. T was a freshman when I was a senior. And Cecil Cooper 

who, for the baseball fans, played for the Red Sox. And, of course, 

Otis Taylor and Ken Houston and Jim Kearney and many others 

were NFL standouts. 

Lincoln University in Jefferson City was established at the end 

of the Civil War by members of the 62nd United States Colored Infantry. It was created to educate freed African Americans. The 

school was founded on the idea of combining study and labor. In 

1890, Lincoln became a land-grant institution, enabling the university to offer industrial and agricultural courses. As one of Missouri’s two historically black colleges and universities, Lincoln University has continued to open its doors to a diverse population. 


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You may be surprised to learn that my close friend, Blaine 

Luetkemeyer, is a graduate of an HBCU, Lincoln University. And 

Prairie View A&M University, the first state-supported college in 

Texas for African Americans, was established during the reconstruction period after the Civil War. It is the second oldest public 

institution of higher education in Texas. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member, and especially 

to my colleague and friend David Scott. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. Do I have it correct that 

both you and David have degrees from land-grant schools? 

Mr. CLEAVER. Yes. I am a graduate of Prairie View. 

The CHAIRMAN. And David? 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. And I am a graduate of Florida 

A&M University. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Go Rattlers. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Cramer, can you top that, sir? 

STATEMENT OF HON. KEVIN CRAMER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

CONGRESS FROM NORTH DAKOTA 

Mr. CRAMER. No, Mr. Chairman. I am getting a strong sense of 

what it is like to be in the minority, however. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the Committee, for this wonderful opportunity to provide 

testimony on this important bill. 

And I am sure Wharton is fine, but it is clearly no Florida A&M, 

so I am glad we got that out of the way. I wouldn’t fault any of 

you for being curious right now about how a white Lutheran Republican from Fargo, North Dakota, gets hooked up with a black 

liberal Democrat from Georgia, but it has been a great pleasure, I’ll 

tell you that. 

The seeds of this bill that we are discussing were planted at the 

beginning of this Congress, 2 years ago in January, when I introduced H.R. 3, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, as its lead cosponsor. 

And Congressman Scott, and I am not one bit shy about saying, 

changed my heart when he took to the floor to support that bill, 

to the point where this very conservative capitalist Republican 

went to his office to learn more, to learn more about his vision for 

how we change America, about how we can use economic bills and 

economic solutions to solve social problems and crises. And I 

thought to myself, man, if I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, 

then I need to hang around David Scott more, because he taught 

me that there are legitimate strategic ways to do that. And I am 

so far off my script now, I am going to have a hard time getting 

down here. 

But what he taught me, what he showed me is that, with a high 

unemployment rate among young black men, and nationwide it is 

about 40 percent, in many places it is 50 percent or higher, that 

with minor adjustments to policy, even outside of policy, David and 

I, ever since we have been working on policy together, we have 

been talking to companies and labor unions and trade organizations who are very enthused about being strategic, about how we 

match the workforce demands with the availability of a workforce 

and our education system, to get it all back in sync and change for 

21

the better. By the way, I want to stress, it is not just for economic 

benefit, not just for job creation, but to heal our land, for the benefit not just of our country but of this institution that needs help 

healing as well. 

And so I am enthused, David, to stand here with you. You had 

me at the prayer, by the way. You had me at the prayer. 

So our final amendment wasn’t included in the Keystone XL bill, 

the amendment that would target enthusiasm for job training, but 

the concept lives on. And hopefully yet, as we start working on a 

major build-out of our infrastructure of this country, as we strive 

to feed a growing population in the world with the same number 

of acres or less, we need smart people. We need smart people who 

learn from the universities represented on the next panel to help 

us grow more food in a responsible way, to train up the engineers, 

to train up the soil agronomists, and train up the horticulturists 

and all those smart people that help our farmers do what they do 

so well, and that is feed a hungry world. And if in the process we 

serve a testimony to what people can do working together, all the 

more great, you see, to me, all the more great. 

And so, Mr. Chairman, I am absolutely convinced that the concepts promoted in this legislation and in the companion legislation 

that David talked about earlier to provide targeted training and, 

really, encouragement more than anything, can change a country 

and can change this body and perhaps could change this town that 

is so vital to changing policy. And then in the process, we can go 

home and work on changing hearts as well, just as David Scott has 

done for me. 

And so, with that, Mr. Chairman, thanks for the opportunity to 

highlight this important issue today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Cramer follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. KEVIN CRAMER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS

FROM NORTH DAKOTA

Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the Committee, 

thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony today in support of H.R. 6020, 

a bill introduced by my good friend and Committee Member, Congressman David 

Scott. 

Please know I will not fault you for being curious as to why a Congressman from 

North Dakota, where the nearest 1890 land-grant university is over 900 miles away, 

is the lead Republican cosponsor of a bill to establish a scholarship program for 

young African American college students. My interest in this issue stems from my 

close relationship with Congressman Scott, and our shared mission of seeking pragmatic solutions to fix our nation’s most pressing economic and social crises. 

The seeds of the bill we are discussing today were planted at the beginning of 

the 114th Congress during the House’s consideration of H.R. 3, the Keystone XL 

Pipeline Act. As lead sponsor of the Keystone XL legislation, Congressman Scott approached me about working together on an amendment to help tackle a social crisis 

in his district and around the country, which is the high unemployment rate among 

young African American men. The unemployment rate among this group is around 

40 percent nationally and as high as 50 percent in some inner city communities. 

Our proposed amendment would have utilized existing apprenticeship programs to 

urge labor unions and contractors to actively recruit and train African American 

men between the ages of 18 to 37 for jobs related to the construction of the Keystone 

XL pipeline. Both Congressman Scott and I saw this as a unique opportunity to not 

only help spur the hiring of underemployed blue-collar American workers who are 

ready and eager to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, but also as a strategy to help 

alleviate a social crisis without the use of additional Federal resources or mandates. 

22

While our amendment was not included in the final Keystone XL pipeline bill 

passed last year, Congressman Scott decided to expand on this effort through the 

introduction of two inter-connected pieces of legislation, H.R. 6020 and H.R. 6021. 

H.R. 6020, which is before the Committee today, would establish scholarship programs at the 19 historically black land-grant universities for students interested in 

studying agriculture-related fields such as agribusiness, food production, retailing, 

horticulture, and soil sciences. 

H.R. 6021, modeled off our Keystone amendment, would urge the Department of 

Labor to work with businesses, labor unions, and contractors to actively recruit, 

hire, and provide on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs in infrastructurerelated fields for African American men between the ages of 18 to 39. 

While the unemployment rate has fallen in recent months, the number of Americans who have dropped out of the labor force continues to climb, and good paying 

jobs are still difficult to find for many Americans. According to the latest employment statistics released by the Department of Labor, a record 95 million Americans 

have dropped out of the workforce. Moreover, the current labor force participation 

rate sits at 62.7 percent, which is among the lowest levels we have seen in the last 

40 years. Looking at just the agriculture industry alone, the number of farmers in 

the United States has declined over four percent in recent years and the median 

age of an American farmer is now 60 years old. 

These alarming statistics indicate a new strategy is required to better sync our 

country’s education system with the needs and demands of a 21st century workforce. 

The bills offered by Congressman Scott provide a targeted two prong approach to 

helping improve America’s employment crisis by increasing the number young people receiving a good education in career fields which need the labor, such as agriculture, while also encouraging the building trades to invest in the wealth of human 

capital and potential which currently sits untapped on the sidelines. 

To conclude, I firmly believe these two bills will reap major rewards for the nation, all at a minimal cost to the Federal Government. Further, there is no social 

program more successful than a good education which leads to a good paying job. 

In North Dakota, I have witnessed the economic power which can be unleashed 

when the education system and private industry work in tandem to meet the needs 

of our state. 

I am proud to support this bipartisan piece of legislation, and I encourage the Agriculture Committee to give it full consideration. I want to thank Chairman Conaway and Ranking Member Peterson for agreeing to hold this hearing and for the 

opportunity to provide testimony in support of this important bill.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

I thank all three of you. While we are not going to question each 

of you, are there other Members who would like to discuss H.R. 

6020 as a part of the conversation this morning? I would be happy 

to recognize anyone for 5 minutes. Brad. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. BRAD ASHFORD, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM NEBRASKA 

Mr. ASHFORD. Yes, thank you. And I would like to reflect just a 

bit as well, and I will be brief. 

Nebraska is a state where the TransCanada pipeline has now 

ceased to go. In Nebraska, we struggled with trying to move the 

pipeline, and Kevin knows about this, and David. We have a little 

bit of history on the pipeline part of this or the construction job 

part of this. 

But I also want to talk about the speech very quickly that David 

Scott gave on the floor, because I was only in the Congress a week 

or so when David gave that speech. And I have been working in 

my community for 35 years with the African American community, 

ran a housing authority, did work there, and have been struggling 

with how do we put together, as Representative Cramer aptly says, 

put together the job opportunities with the unemployment rates 

that are so staggering. 

23

And when David gave that speech, and I was listening. I just, 

again, had been there just a brief time, maybe 2 weeks. I didn’t 

know David very well. I didn’t know anybody at that time. And I 

went up to David. I said, ‘‘David, that was truly the greatest speech 

I have ever heard on the issue, because it, in fact, identified in 

clear language a problem and a crisis and an issue of black male 

unemployment between 18 and 39,’’ something I have struggled 

with in my community my entire adult life, trying to find that way 

out. And I said, ‘‘David, this is great, I want to get on this deal.’’

So we talked to Kevin Cramer and all the other cosponsors got 

involved. But of all the pieces of legislation I have been involved 

in all my years of legislative experience in Nebraska and a few 

years here, this is really one that I am most proud of, because it 

really is, and combined with the scholarships, is just an ingenious 

merging together of the education with jobs and with the mentoring piece. 

And I just want to take this opportunity in my last day or so 

here in Congress to underline my appreciation to the three of you, 

certainly, and to David for his eloquence that got me going 2 years 

ago on this issue. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Ms. Adams, 5 minutes. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ALMA S. ADAMS, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM NORTH CAROLINA 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

And let me thank all of the Presidents and the deans and my colleagues for not only your support of this bill, but for the work that 

has been done on it. And, Congressman Scott, I especially want to 

thank you. I am just pleased to be a proud sponsor, a cosponsor as 

well. 

But I sit here today in this Congress because of North Carolina 

A&T State University. I am a proud alum. I am a graduate twice 

from North Carolina A&T. I do want to recognize Dr. Antoine Alston, who is our Associate Dean for Academics at the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. And I want to thank you for 

being here and thank North Carolina A&T for all that it did for 

me, who took a poor black girl from the ghetto of Newark, New Jersey, came to North Carolina in the mid-sixties, was able to complete my work there, because A&T saw a lot in me and what I 

could become, and they made an investment. And so I was able to 

complete my degrees there and to go on to the Ohio State University and complete my Ph.D. there, only because of the North Carolina A&T. 

So I say that to say that I understand the plight of students. I 

am a 40 year educator. I taught at Bennett College, a small college, 

African American women’s college in Greensboro, for 40 years. I 

have that HBCU experience inside and out. And I understand what 

it did for me, and I know what our 1890 schools can do and what 

they have done. 

And I am so pleased to support this legislation, because I know 

that it is going to not only benefit many of our students. Now, we 

do a lot with little. Our schools do a lot with little. I am proud to 

24

say that we are the largest HBCU in North Carolina and maybe 

even in the nation. I haven’t looked at all the numbers. But we do 

great things for students who deserve an opportunity. And W.E.B. 

Du Bois said a long time ago that the most fundamental right is 

a right to education. And providing opportunities for scholarships 

for these young people will certainly do that, and help us with our 

unemployment rate. 

I am proud to say that my daughter, my only daughter, is a 

graduate of North Carolina A&T from the School of Agriculture, 

and is doing very well in Greensboro. But this is a field that is an 

important area. And as Congressman Scott has said, it is about everything, agriculture. It is about the clothes we wear. It is about 

energy, agribusiness, all of those things that we need and depend 

on. 

I don’t know if Congressman Mark Walker is still here, one of 

the members of his staff, who now, as they changed my district, 

you all may have heard about all of that. But, at any rate, I represented North Carolina A&T and will through the end of this 

year. I am happy to not only advocate now but to continue to do 

that. But Congressman Walker has been given that part of the district now, and so I invited him to come. But I just want to say that 

we too have had some great Congressmen to come through from 

North Carolina A&T. Former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., 

Edolphus Towns, and now Alma S. Adams. 

And so, Mr. Chairman, I just want to thank these gentlemen and 

ladies for coming today and for advocating for what I know will be 

a tremendous benefit to all of our schools and the many students 

that we seek to serve. I am way off script too. 

But anyway, those are the comments of my heart. And I just 

wanted to thank all of you for being here and just say this is a very 

important piece of legislation, and we certainly hope that you will 

join us in supporting that and getting this bill passed. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. 

Austin Scott, 5 minutes. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. AUSTIN SCOTT, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I just wanted to take a second to thank my long-time friend and 

colleague David Scott. We have known each other since 1996. He 

has been a great advocate on many things that have helped move 

the country in the right direction. 

And any time I think of Fort Valley State, I can’t help but think 

of another friend of ours, Lynmore James, who was a great advocate for Fort Valley, did a tremendous number of things when he 

was a Member of the State Legislature in Georgia and served with 

us. I just want to thank you, David, for your work on this, look forward to supporting it, and I look forward to continuing to work 

with you. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, sir. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Gwen Graham, 5 minutes. 

25

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. GWEN GRAHAM, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM FLORIDA 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

And I want to thank my colleague Mr. Scott for including me in 

this legislation. I am proud to be an original cosponsor as I am ending my term in Congress and leaving Congress. My district was redistricted too, Congresswoman Adams. 

There is nothing that I could be prouder than to be able, in some 

of my last days, to be here advocating on behalf of HBCUs. And 

I want to recognize Dr. Robinson, who is the interim President of 

Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, and I am so proud to represent the Rattlers. Strike, strike, strike again. I am still working 

on the wrist action, still working on it. 

The 1890 land-grant universities, they have the important task 

of recruiting, educating, and ensuring that future generations are 

excited about, and prepared for, careers in agriculture. This is an 

immediate need. And I know that we must do all we can to support 

these wonderful universities in that effort. 

This bill would make an education in agriculture more accessible 

and affordable. And I know in north Florida that what Florida 

A&M is doing is helping young people get into the field of agriculture, and it is such a critically important area. As the age of 

those that are in agriculture goes up, we need to encourage young 

people to get into this wonderful field. Again, I want to thank you. 

It is such an honor to represent Florida A&M. 

And, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. 

Rick Allen, 5 minutes. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK W. ALLEN, A 

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA 

Mr. ALLEN. Well, I have to tell my David Scott story real quick. 

But Kevin, all I can tell you is he walks the talk, because I had 

the opportunity to ride back to Georgia on an airplane and got to 

sit next to Congressman Scott. And he had his Bible open and, of 

course, we got into a discussion about his study and our faith journey. And I can’t tell you, Congressman, how much I appreciate that 

opportunity to talk about how we could make a difference. Thank 

you, and thank you for walking the talk. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you very much. I appreciate 

that. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Are there others who want to be heard? 

I want to thank our first panel for getting us kicked off in a great 

way. 

We will now ask our second panel to join us at the witness table. 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to welcome our second panel now to 

the witness table. 

We first have Dr. Juliette Bell, who is President, University of 

Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD, outgoing chair of the 

Council of 1890s Executive Committee. We also have with us Dr. 

Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, who is President, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio; and Dr. Paul Jones, President, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia. 

26

I would also again like to welcome the other Presidents and representatives of the other schools. During the question-and-answer 

period, Members will be able to ask questions not only of the witnesses at the table, but of any of the other guests who represent 

the 1890s schools. 

So, with that, Dr. Bell, the floor is yours for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF JULIETTE B. BELL, PH.D., PRESIDENT,

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE; OUTGOING 

CHAIR, COUNCIL OF 1890’S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,

PRINCESS ANNE, MD 

Dr. BELL. Thank you very much. And good morning to the House 

Agriculture Committee. It is my great pleasure to have another opportunity to speak before this august group. 

First, I want to thank the Chairman for his support and for providing this opportunity for us to speak before the Committee. And 

I also want to thank Congressman Scott for his diligence and his 

undying support, and those who are also cosponsors of this bill. We 

are very encouraged by your support and we appreciate the opportunity to speak before you this morning. 

As was said, my name is Dr. Juliette Bell. I am the President 

of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and the immediate 

past Chair of the Council of 1890 Universities, and of the USDA/

1890 Task Force established by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 

My purpose here this morning is to really speak to you about the 

importance of providing scholarship support that will help our students to achieve their dreams of careers in the agriculture fields. 

Let me start by saying, I grew up on a farm in Alabama. I picked 

cotton and corn and all other kinds of things. And one of my greatest ambitions was to get off the farm, and I was able to do that 

as a result of being a first-generation college student with support 

through scholarship. I find it in some ways ironic and in some ways 

divine providence that I am now leading a school that is a landgrant agriculture-based institution, because many of my students 

have similar backgrounds to myself. They are first generation, economically disadvantaged students. 

The advantage that I see for my current students is that the agricultural field has evolved greatly, and there are many opportunities for our students to explore the use of technology and to learn 

what modern agriculture really is all about. We want to be able to 

increasingly provide that opportunity to more students of African 

American descent and help them to be a part of the American 

Dream. 

As I mentioned, we serve a very diverse student population. 

Many of my students, about 50 percent are first-generation college 

students; and about 70 percent of my students are Pell-eligible, 

meaning they are also economically disadvantaged. And, on top of 

that, about 90 percent of my students depend on some form of financial aid. 

When students in that situation are faced with whether they can 

afford to come back to school, whether they are academically prepared or not, oftentimes they are forced to withdraw and as a result of that withdrawal, they lose the opportunity to achieve their 

dreams. This bill will provide the university, in particular my uniVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
27

versity, and the other 18 1890 institutions an opportunity to provide some financial support to those students who are academically 

well-prepared, but just not economically prepared to sustain their 

educational experience. 

We know that the workforce is underrepresented in terms of African Americans in agriculture. We also know that the workforce 

is graying, especially in agriculture. I believe I heard that the average age for farmers now is 60+ years, and among African Americans that number is proposed to be much higher. We also know 

that it is important that students know that agriculture is a career 

that they can pursue and that there are jobs. 

A report that I cited in my testimony indicates that ten percent 

of the economy is driven by agriculture, but the number of jobs 

that are being filled is much less, and the diversity of those jobs 

is even less. 

So this bill will provide our universities, which are often not able 

through endowments and private funding, to be able to provide 

that level of support to these very deserving students, not just to 

help them get a degree, but to address the workforce needs and the 

economic development of our regions, and of our country. 

So, again, I ask for your support. I thank you for this opportunity, and I will be happy to answer any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Bell follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JULIETTE B. BELL, PH.D., PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF

MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE; OUTGOING CHAIR, COUNCIL OF 1890’S EXECUTIVE

COMMITTEE, PRINCESS ANNE, MD 

Moving Full STEAM Ahead: Meeting 21st Century Challenges for Innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics 

To Members of the Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives—

Good morning! 

My name is Dr. Juliette B. Bell and I am honored to speak before you, not only 

as President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, but also as the former 

chair of the Council of 1890 Universities, which consists of Presidents of the nineteen 1890 Universities, and as former co-chair of the USDA/1890 Taskforce established by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 

I am here today to testify in support of H.R. 6020, a bill that establishes funding 

for Student Scholarships for the 1890 Land-Grant African American Colleges and 

Universities Act. I ask your support of this bill, which provides much-needed student scholarship funding of $1,000,000 a year for 5 years for each of the 19 Historically Black Land-Grant Universities, including the University of Maryland Eastern 

Shore (UMES). 

Congressman Justin Morrill, one of the founders of the Republican Party, authored the Land Grant College Act of 1862, in order that colleges be established for 

the endowment and support of the education of the ‘‘sons of toil;’’ that they should 

be educated not only in classical studies and military drill, but also in the mechanical arts, and agriculture, which Morrill described as ‘‘the foundation of all present 

and future prosperity.’’ 

Enacted in the midst of the Civil War, The Morrill Act did not provide for the 

education of the African American citizenry, as segregation of races prohibited the 

admission of African Americans to many of these land-grant colleges. Following the 

Civil War, in the years of reconstruction, Senator Morrill, continued his advocacy 

for the ‘‘sons of toil,’’ this time seeking to include those citizens of color who were 

not provided for under the original Act. 

Thus, in 1890, with the enactment of the Second Morrill Act, funds from the sale 

of public lands were set aside for ‘‘the more complete endowment and maintenance’’ 

of land-grant colleges except that no funds would be distributed to states where 

there was a ‘‘distinction of race or color’’ in admissions. However, the Act did stipulate that ‘‘the establishment and maintenance of such colleges separately for white 

and colored students’’ would be considered compliant with the Act provided the state 

‘‘equitably divided’’ those funds between the institutions. 

28

Last year, we had the honor of celebrating the 125th anniversary of the signing 

of the Second Morrill Act, with several activities here in Washington, D.C. including 

testifying before this august body, the Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House of 

Representatives. In recognition of the critical mission of 1890 Universities as educators of the nation’s ‘‘sons of toil’’, Congressman Scott has introduced H.R. 6020, 

to support our efforts. We salute him and the cosponsors of H.R. 6020. For many 

students, our institutions represent their only access and opportunity to attaining 

a college education. 

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) is pleased to be one of the 

nation’s 1890 Land-Grant Universities. Founded in 1886, UMES is located on the 

Delmarva Peninsula, east of the Chesapeake Bay and west of the Atlantic Ocean, 

in the heart of Somerset County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In less than a 3 

hours’ drive from where we sit today, one can tell that ‘‘agriculture’’ is a driving 

force on ‘‘the Shore.’’ From the time of the first settlements in our state, the economy of the Eastern Shore has traditionally been driven by the land and the waterways that make our region so bucolic. Farmers, oystermen, crabbers, fishermen and 

poultry growers have not only made livelihoods for their families and employed 

countless others, but they have helped our region thrive. Further, the Atlantic 

Ocean, lined by sandy beaches and natural habitats, provide for a booming tourism 

industry that undergirds the state’s economy. Indeed, one cannot think of Maryland’s iconic foods (Maryland Crab Cake) and places (Annapolis, Baltimore, St. Michael’s and Ocean City), without thinking about the contributions of the many stewards of the land and sea that make our state the land of opportunity. 

As a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) with a land-grant mission, 

much of our work at UMES has been to open doors of opportunity for capable students from diverse backgrounds and prepare them for meaningful careers that enable them to support their families, our state and our nation. 

The university’s 3,900 students are culturally and geographically diverse. Currently, UMES is one of the most diverse HBCU’s in the nation—67% of our students 

are African American, 13% are white, and 20% are multi- or other-race students. 

More than 3⁄4 of our students are Maryland residents, with a significant number 

from others states and some 30 nations. And, all of these students are being prepared for careers that will move us forward in our efforts to make America greater. 

One common denominator that many of our students share is their economic status. We recognize that the 1890 Universities serve a diverse population and that 

many of our students are economically unprepared to fund their college education. 

At UMES, more than 50% of our students are the first in their families to go to 

college and nearly 2⁄3 are Pell-eligible. Unfortunately, many of these students, while 

academically succeeding, are forced to drop out of college because they don’t have 

the money to cover the modest tuition that our institutions charge. At the same 

time, our institutions do not have large endowments and private support that allow 

us to assist every student who needs it. 

The scholarship funds provided by H.R. 6020 will help our students, not only African Americans, but also the many white students that our 1890 Universities proudly serve. These economically disadvantaged students, black and white alike, will 

benefit from the scholarship funds that will help them fulfill their dreams of a college degree in fields that will help them land good jobs, contribute to the nation’s 

economy, and improve the lives of their families for generations to come. 

Your support of the H.R. 6020 is critical to our ability to assist these students 

and support the economic growth and development of our country. This bill would 

provide scholarships for students to pursue careers in food and agricultural sciences, 

including agribusiness; food production; retailing; clothing industries; energy and renewable fuels; and farming marketing. All of these are vital career paths for residents in rural communities like ours on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. 

Despite the strides that our nation has made in diversifying many industries and 

professions, minorities are still grossly underrepresented in the Science, Technology, 

Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics—what we call STEAM—disciplines. The 

1890 Universities continue to be major producers of minority STEAM graduates in 

areas including engineering, mathematics and statistic, agriculture, and marine 

sciences. 

A recent report by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy 

(OSTP) and the White House Rural Council, in collaboration with Federal agencies 

and private-sector stakeholders, in announcing new efforts to expand and diversify 

the U.S. agriculture workforce, brought the issue of the diversity in agriculture into 

stark reality. The report, titled America the Bountiful Initiative to Strengthen U.S. 

Agricultural Workforce, stated the following:

29

Agriculture and its related industries provide nearly ten percent of U.S. employment, but the number of students graduating with degrees in agricultural 

fields is not meeting industry demand. Agricultural education needs to attract 

a diversity of students and keep pace with the increasingly complex nature of 

agricultural innovation needed to address global challenges. Falling behind in 

agriculture is a threat to national security and must be addressed as such.

UMES offers more than 30 undergraduate majors including: Agriculture and Agribusiness and offers more than 20 graduate programs including masters and doctoral 

degree programs in Food and Agricultural Sciences, Food Science and Technology 

and Marine and Estuarine Sciences, Natural Resource Sciences and Quantitative 

Fisheries and Resources Economics. 

With additional support, UMES can continue to engage our students in ways to 

enhance our ability to deliver solutions in key areas. For example, funding under 

H.R. 6020 would allow us to support students to engage with our faculty in expanding the work of four centers of excellence that we launched last year in the following 

areas:

• Chesapeake Water Quality Center;

• Center for Obesity Prevention;

• Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development; and

• International Center for Personal Protective Equipment.

At UMES, we have translated our historic land-grant mission to support 21st century life and learning. Academic programs such as engineering, cybersecurity, aviation, construction management, and technology, have their roots in the mechanical 

arts. Further still, programs like hospitality and tourism, child and family development and human ecology owe their genesis to the former domestic sciences, which 

have long been a staple of the land-grant mission. And even agriculture has had 

a 21st century transformation in the areas of precision agriculture, renewable energy, sustainability and biomedical and life sciences. 

UMES is appreciative of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support our 1890 land-grant mission. Largely due to this support, the university has 

been able to expand its research portfolio, which enabled the university to achieve 

the coveted status as a Carnegie Doctoral Research University in February of this 

year. The university’s research portfolio includes such innovative projects as using 

beets as a source for jet fuel, and converting chicken waste to fuel and fertilizer. 

Moreover, the University currently serves as the lead institution in a coalition of 

six universities nationwide in the operation of the Living Marine Research and Cooperative Science Center (LMRCSC), which conducts research to preserve the marine and estuarine environment so vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and 

other waterways in the country. 

Our scientists have continued to position themselves at the cutting edge of new 

innovations. For instance, given the importance of food and water security, our scientists are exploring how unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be used to improve 

the efficiency of water use and application of nutrients to large commodities such 

as corn with very promising results. 

Just over a decade ago we were able to establish a state of the art research facility with Federal and state support where critical research on poultry and seafood 

safety and quality is carried. Our scientists are nationally recognized. Indeed Dr. 

Parveen one of our Food safety specialists serves on the Secretary of Agriculture’s 

National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. 

Through our extension funding, we have engaged our local community through 

numerous community forums and presentations in an effort to educate them about 

the benefits of agriculture to our community, our state and our nation. And, UMES 

actively engages youth in order to promote careers in the STEAM disciplines. 

I believe that strategic investment in 1890s will lead to a more level playing field 

that will allow us to be even more competitive and effective. Our graduates have 

been successful in diversifying the workforce and making meaningful contributions 

in the Federal, state, and business sectors. Certainly, by supporting H.R. 6020 and 

funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890 Land-Grant African American Colleges and Universities Act, you will be making an investment that will reap dividends for our students and this country. 

Strategic investment in 1890 Universities is an investment in the future. Again, 

thank you for your commitment and continued support of the 1890 Universities and 

the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Bell, thank you. 

Dr. Jackson-Hammond, 5 minutes. 

30

STATEMENT OF CYNTHIA JACKSON-HAMMOND, ED.D., 

PRESIDENT, CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY, WILBERFORCE, OH 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank 

you, Committee, for allowing me to be here to talk about some of 

the issues that are associated with Central State University and 

other 1890 universities. 

I must try to restrain myself because, as a college President, the 

first thing you want to do is tell the wonderful things about your 

university. I don’t have much restraint. Let me begin by telling you 

a little bit about Central State University. 

Central State University is the only 1890 public land-grant university. We are also partners with an 1860, a little school in Columbus called the Ohio State University. Our partnership with 

them is very, very critical to making sure that we are meeting the 

needs of the people of the entire State of Ohio. 

We are the last of the 1890 institutions, receiving the designation 

February 13, 2014. And that was really a charge that came out of 

the farm bill and supported so fervently by so many people. And 

we certainly do want to recognize Congresslady Marcia L. Fudge, 

who we have adopted as a Centralian, and we thank her for all of 

her efforts in that regard. 

We do have wonderful alums who have come from Central State 

University, and the list goes on. But one that you might know quite 

easily is Congresslady Joyce Beatty, who is a soft-spoken, demure 

Congresslady who has done a tremendous amount of work here in 

support of land-grant institutions. She is one of our stellar alums. 

You’ve heard President Bell talk about the needs of our students. 

And I want to make sure that we are very clear in understanding 

that the students who attend 1890 universities are very academically gifted students. We have the same sort of expectations, the 

same requirements, the same performance outcomes as any 1860 

university. We expect for our students to perform. We expect for 

them to be contributors to society. We expect for them to get in, 

get out, get a job and contribute to the State of Ohio. 

We are very, very happy to know that we have a supportive governor, Governor John Kasich, who supports Central State; Representative Jim Buchy from Ohio, who is also a very supportive 

person for Central State’s 1890 land-grant initiatives. On our staff, 

we have retired Senator Chris Widener from Ohio, who is also a 

proponent of support for Central State University. 

Our main focus as an 1890 university is to address some of the 

common issues that plague so many of our Ohio residents: Health 

issues, nutrition, obesity, high blood pressure, all of those issues 

that really can be ameliorated through a very, very sound agriculture program. What do you eat? What do you do with the food 

that you ingest? We are really proud to have a research component 

and an extension component that reaches out to ten counties, along 

with the Ohio State University, to try to solve those issues. 

This particular legislation, H.R. 6020, will allow students, and 

not just African American students, but a vast amount of all students who wish to seek this kind of educational experience, to be 

contributing citizens of the State of Ohio. It is important that we 

begin very early in training and preparing students to understand 

31

their worth and value added to the state. In support of H.R. 6020, 

we need this sort of legislation to help keep students in school. 

Basically, you cannot get a job at USDA or improve the economy 

if you are not well-educated. H.R. 6020 allows us to provide those 

opportunities. Too many of our students stop out, not because of 

academic reasons but because of financial reasons. And this is a 

burden on the families and on the students. And in order to make 

sure that we are meeting the state performance for students being 

able to contribute, they have to be able to get into school, complete 

their course of study within 4 or 41⁄2 years. 

Now, if you are a STEM-Ag major, it is going to take you a little 

bit longer because of the increased number of science courses that 

are associated with those fields. They need some additional help. 

Our students who are in our STEM-Ag programs, they get employment opportunities before they graduate. Water resource management, agribusiness, sustainable ag, ag education. It is important 

that we keep those students in school and try to increase the number of students who are going into those fields. 

Students make the decision about what field they want to go into 

based on what they can afford. And it should not be that. It should 

not be that rationale. It should be what can we do to contribute to 

the state and to the nation. By 2020, USDA has said that they will 

have over 60,000 job availabilities. We need to be in a position to 

fill those jobs. 

We ask for your support for H.R. 6020, and we know that we will 

make a difference because of its passage. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Jackson-Hammond follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CYNTHIA JACKSON-HAMMOND, ED.D, PRESIDENT, CENTRAL

STATE UNIVERSITY, WILBERFORCE, OH 

Members of the Committee on Agriculture and other Congressional Members, 

thank you for giving me, the President of Central State University, an audience in 

order to provide testimony in support of H.R. 6020. I wish to especially thank the 

Members of the Ohio Congressional leadership for their support of our efforts and 

their willingness to support this very important legislation. Thank you, Congressman Gibbs for your introduction of me to this Committee. Thank you, Representative Fudge and Representative Beatty for your direct engagement with Central 

State University in encouraging and providing innovation and unending support to 

the countless students from Ohio and all students who need ‘‘champions’’ for their 

success! 

The history of Central State University, an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, begins 

with our parent institution, Wilberforce University (WU), named in honor of the 

great abolitionist William Wilberforce. Established in 1856 at Tawawa Springs, 

Ohio, WU is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is one of 

the oldest Black-administered institutions of higher education in the nation. 

In 1887, the Ohio General Assembly enacted legislation that created a Combined 

Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce University. The objectives of this 

new state-sponsored department were to provide teacher training and vocational 

education, and to stabilize these programs by assuring a financial base similar to 

that of other state-supported institutions. 

The statute establishing the Combined Normal and Industrial Department declared that the institution was ‘‘open to all applicants of good and moral character’’ 

thereby indicating no limitations as to race, color, sex, or creed. It was clear, however, that the Department and its successors were designed to serve the educational 

needs of African American students. 

Although this Department operated as part of Wilberforce University in most respects, a separate board of trustees was appointed to govern the state-financed operations. In 1941, the department expanded from a 2 to a 4 year program, and in 

1947, it legally split from Wilberforce, becoming the College of Education and Industrial Arts at Wilberforce. The name was changed in 1951 to Central State College, 

32

and in 1965, the institution achieved university status. The University has grown 

steadily since its’ founding. In recent years, it has added new academic programs, 

established a new College of Science and Engineering and constructed the accompanying Joshua I. Smith Center of Education and Natural Sciences, four new residence halls, and completed construction of a new University Student Center in fall 

2015. 

In February 2014, the 113th Congress of the United States designated Central 

State University an 1890 Land-Grant Institution. This designation is a distinct recognition for an Ohio institution of higher education, and Central State is one of two 

institutions to hold this distinction. The major impetus of the designation is to provide access to education and to promote opportunities for students with interest in 

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Agriculture (STEM-Ag) integrated through all academic disciplines. 

In tandem with progressive academic achievement, the University has embodied 

tenets of Service . . . Protocol . . . Civility®. Its faculty, staff, and students will 

provide service to the institution, and various communities for the greater good; be 

guided by protocol and adherence to best practices in order to gain desired results; 

and actively demonstrate civility with the understanding that respect for each voice 

is essential to a learned society. 

Much more has changed at Central State University throughout its history. However, one constant is the commitment to providing an excellent, affordable education 

to the residents of Ohio and beyond. 

Embedded in the University’s Strategic Plan is Six Compelling Priorities that will 

be the focus of Central State University’s initiatives. Those Compelling Priorities 

are:

1. Provide quality collegiate and academic experiences.

2. Focus on targeted student enrollment.

3. Reduce time to degree.

4. Promote higher retention rate.

5. Development of graduates with the knowledge, skills and dispositions for professional careers and/or advanced studies.

6. Implement efficient and effective institutional operations.

Each of these Priorities is correlated to Ohio’s performance model that allocates 

50% of the University’s state funding based on course completion and graduation. 

Central State University is the only 1890 public university in Ohio and it is has 

the highest percentage of students (83%) who are Pell Grant eligible. As of 2016, 

87% of the student body applied for loans to subsidize attendance. 

In order to receive Grants, Loans or Institutional Aid, students must meet the 

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) threshold. Every year, Central State University’s attrition rate is on average 40% across the University with the highest attrition occurring between the first and second year. Approximately, 73% of the students who do not return are students who have met the SAP eligibility but, are unable to maintain their monthly debt loan payment. 

Although the University attempts to ameliorate this serious attrition issue by providing institutional funding and by teaching financial literacy modules, we are unable to provide substantial support that will stop the erosion of students who must 

‘‘stop out’’ or completely withdraw from the University. 

The H.R. 6020 presented by Representative David Scott of Georgia and co-presented by Mr. Cramer, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Ashford, Mr[s]. Love, Ms. Graham and Ms. 

Adams supports the hundreds of students who have the academic propensity and 

acumen to not only change their future but the future of their families and communities. Beyond the financial stability that H.R. 6020 would provide, there are other 

benefits that can be derived: complete their college degree uninterrupted; graduate 

with little or no debt to the Federal Government or to the institution; better focus 

on college completion and securing employment or an advance degree; less concern 

and stress on working families who support the college experience; opportunities to 

pursue meaningful academic disciplines in STEM-Ag and opportunities to pursue internships in fields that lead to careers with the U.S. Departments and or other state 

and Federal agencies. 

Central State University with a 129 year history of academic excellence has produced outstanding graduates who have made significant contributions in medicine, 

arts, politics, business, law, education and certainly in service sectors. Representative Joyce Beatty is an alum and she joins such notables of history as Leontyne 

Price, Arsenic Hall, Michael Ajisefe (President of ABUAD University, Nigeria), 

Hugh Douglas, Joshua I. Smith, Michael D. Brown, Hastings Bandu, and Nancy 

Wilson. All of these notables of history were first-generation college students. The 

33

students we educate today are so very much like the mentioned alums. The difference is that today’s students are more at risk because of the lack of family financial support and knowledge of sound financial decision making. 

H.R. 6020 will set a standard of support that breaks the cycle of ‘‘unfulfilled’’ 

promise to many generations of students who can either positively make their mark 

as productive citizens or become a part of the American dream that’s often relegated 

to the shadows and fringes. Central State University has the ability, dedication and 

determination to produce the best graduate possible. As President of this iconic and 

historical institution, I seek your support for H.R. 6020.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Dr. Jackson-Hammond. 

Dr. Jones, 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF PAUL A. JONES, PH.D., PRESIDENT, FORT 

VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY, FORT VALLEY, GA 

Dr. JONES. Chairman Conaway, Ranking Member Peterson, and 

Members of the House Committee on Agriculture, my name is Paul 

Jones and I am privileged to serve as the 10th President and probably the newest President of the 1890 Fort Valley State University, 

which is located in the heart of middle Georgia. 

I am honored to be here today, along with several of my colleagues, to testify for your support, support of scholarships for 

young men and women who aspire to serve our nation pursuing careers in the agricultural and related fields. 

This bill is designed to address the urgent need to train and educate students to fill crucial jobs in our country. USDA estimates, 

as Dr. Jackson-Hammond said, nearly 60,000 jobs will be available 

in these related fields, and yet they only anticipate our ability to 

meet the needs of about 30,000. There is a significant gap. 

With the resources from this scholarship support, we believe, as 

1890 institutions, that not only do we have the potential, but we 

have the capacity to address this urgent concern. The National 

Center on Educational Statistics data shows the power and potential of HBCUs. The data reveals that while HBCUs constitute three 

percent of postsecondary institutions, they are home to approximately eight percent of African Americans enrolled in colleges and 

universities during the period of 2012 to 2014. And NCES predicts 

that African American enrollment in higher education will increase 

through 2025. 

The characteristics in the same USDA report reflects that the 

percentage of ethnic minority students in agriculture, life sciences, 

veterinary medicine will continue that increase. And 1890 landgrant institutions have played a major role in fueling this continued increase. We are proud at Fort Valley State University in that 

we have the distinction of ranking number six in awarding the 

number of agricultural degrees earned by African Americans. And 

this funding is important as HBCUs look to actively recruit and 

embrace a more diverse student body. 

There is a popular misperception about HBCUs and 1890 landgrant institutions, and that is that we are not diverse. As a matter 

of fact, HBCUs and 1890s are very diverse, diverse in terms of 

race, ethnicity, political backgrounds, nationality, you name it. And 

issues of affordability and the strength of, I believe, our academic 

programs have been major factors in ushering this diversity, this 

welcome diversity that we are seeing on our campuses. 

34

The notoriety of signature academic research that we do, at Fort 

Valley State we are very proud of the cutting-edge research that 

we are doing; and we do that even partnering with many of our 

other land-grant institutions, both 1890 and 1860 institutions. The 

fact that our biotechnology and plant science graduates routinely 

are accepted in Ph.D. programs across the country is a testimony 

to the quality. And I believe that quality is something that we all 

share together. It is often another misconception that to choose our 

campuses is to sacrifice in terms of quality. 

I have attended two land-grant institutions in my career, and I 

will say that our land-grant institution, and the other 1890s, equally have the same quality. And we are under the same accreditation 

as our peer institutions. And so we don’t apologize for what we do. 

But your support of this legislation I believe is very important, 

important not only to us but the history—or the future of this 

country in our number one industry. 

I thank you for allowing me a few minutes to testify before you. 

I thank you for your support, your bipartisan support, and we look 

forward to your conversation. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Jones follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF PAUL A. JONES, PH.D., PRESIDENT, FORT VALLEY STATE

UNIVERSITY, FORT VALLEY, GA 

Regarding H.R. 6020, Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890s LandGrant African American Colleges and Universities Act 

Chairman Con[a]way, Ranking Member Peterson, and Members of the House 

Committee on Agriculture, I am Paul Jones and I have the privilege of serving as 

the tenth President of Fort Valley State University located in the heart of Middle 

Georgia. 

I am honored to be here along with my colleagues to testify in support of H.R. 

6020, funding for scholarships for young men and women who aspire to serve our 

great nation by pursuing careers in the food and agricultural sciences including agribusiness, food production and food distribution. 

As the only 1890 Land-Grant institution in the State of Georgia, Fort Valley State 

University has, since 1895, contributed greatly to the advancement of agriculture 

and agricultural research in the state and beyond. Those contributions started modestly by simply planting gardens to feed students. Today, the university is an international leader in many aspects of agricultural research and leads a worldwide consortium research involving small ruminant animals like goats. Because of the support you have provided through the Department of Agriculture and other agencies, 

Fort Valley State University has forged collaborations with other universities, including the University of Georgia and Oklahoma State University to research and 

develop sustainable bioenergy systems. Our university has partnered with the 

United States Department of [Agriculture] Rural Development and the Forest[] 

[S]ervice to provide technical assistance to farmers and citizens in 35 rural counties 

in Georgia. The university’s outreach in those counties has been particularly focused 

on supporting beginning farmers, ranchers and military veterans. Fort Valley State 

is engaged in developing cost-effective strategies to address food safety issues like 

controlling pathogens in animals and teaching those strategies to farmers and meat 

processors. As part of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Extension Program, the 

university is helping parents learn how to make healthy choices to feed their children and thereby addressing the increasing problem of childhood obesity. 

Fort Valley State University has been able to make such amazing contributions 

in agriculture because of the support you and your predecessors on this Committee 

have historically provided. This Committee understands the importance of agriculture to every person in every state and around the world. This Committee intimately understands the seriousness of issues like obesity, hunger and the increasing 

challenges associated with an increasing population. In particular, while the human 

population is increasing, the number of farmers is decreasing. I am thankful that 

your consideration of H.R. 6020, provides the opportunity to highlight the importance of having a consistent and sufficient number of educated, trained individuals 

35

eager to face our agricultural challenges and carry forward the critical work of feeding, clothing and providing energy for a global society. 

I’m elated to share with you that 1890 land-grant universities are ready to meet 

the noted challenges by using our excess capacity to educate a greater number of 

students in Agricultural disciplines. However, affordability remains a huge impediment for those wanting to earn a college degree. The majority of students at Fort 

Valley State University, and I am sure it is the same at other 1890 land-grant institutions, qualify for need-based financial aid. Sometimes, a few hundred dollars may 

be the only thing standing between a student who can and cannot enroll in college. 

The funding requested in H.R. 6020 would provide opportunities not only for students to pursue a college degree, but also to work in a career field that is critical 

for the prosperity and health of our nation. The USDA projected in its United 

States, 2015–2020 Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural Resources and the Environment report that there will 

be 57,900 annual job openings for graduates with bachelor’s degrees or higher in 

those areas. The report also states that only an annual average of 35,400 graduates 

with those degrees will be available to fill the 57,900 openings. 

The Characteristics of Graduates, in that same USDA report reflects that the percentage of ethnic minorities with degrees in Agriculture, Life Sciences and Veterinary Medicine has continued to increase since 2013. 1890 Land-Grant colleges and 

universities have played a major role in fueling that continuing increase. In fact, 

according to the publication Diverse Issues in Education, Fort Valley State University ranks sixth in the nation in Agricultural degrees earned by African Americans. 

Enrollment in our Agricultural programs increased 28% from Fall 2014 to Fall 2015. 

However, overall, there is a huge opportunity to increase African American participation in agriculture careers. Fort Valley State University has strong programs and 

the capacity to assist in making that increase. 

All of the university’s agriculture programs are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Four of the eight undergraduate agriculture 

programs have additional professional accreditations. Our program and research 

areas include small ruminants, bioenergy, medicinal plant biotechnology, horticulture and agronomy, food product technology and safety, and agricultural economics. Our students regularly excel in national and international research competitions. We have multiple faculty members who have received recognition from United 

States Presidents. Current faculty members Sarwan Dhir and Isaac Crumbly, and 

retired faculty member Clinton Dixon each have received the President’s Award for 

Excellence in Math Science and Engineering Mentoring. Professor Young Park is 

world renowned for his research in dairy technology. His books and publications 

have been translated into several languages. The Dean of our College of Agriculture, 

Dr. Govind Kannan, serves on the National Agriculture Research, Extension, Education and Economic Advisory Board to the United States Secretary of Agriculture 

and was recognized at the White House as a Champion of Change for Global Food 

Security. 

The university is located in the middle of the state, in the heart of peach and 

pecan country. Students in rural Georgia see agriculture through the windows of 

their Blue Bird school buses but may not recognize the tremendous career opportunities available in agriculture. The university is surrounded by high schools with 

large and active Future Farmers of America chapters of students with a passion for 

agriculture. H.R. 6020 funding will enable us to more successfully recruit and educate students that already have an interest in agriculture as well as those whose 

vision of farming is a mule and a plow. 

Fort Valley State University graduates go on to make outstanding contributions 

in their career fields. Some graduates, like Romanda Phelps, go to work for the 

USDA or other government agencies. Some graduates go to work in the private-sector like Dexter Johnson, an employee of Weyerhaeuser. Others choose to pursue an 

advanced education degree like Betsy Ampofo who is about to earn a Ph.D. at Cornell. 

Funding requested in H.R. 6020 will help 1890 Land-Grants continue to contribute to the much needed supply of Agriculture and Ag-related graduates. In addition, the funding requested in H.R. 6020 will assist 1890 Land-Grant institution’s 

efforts to successfully recruit non-traditional students, including returning veterans, 

to our universities and into careers in Agriculture. 1890 Land-Grant institutions are 

doing great things in Agriculture and most have the capacity to do more if given 

the opportunity and the resources. H.R. 6020 will provide the funds necessary to 

allow us to use our capacity do even more. 

I am grateful for this opportunity to address the Committee. I especially want to 

thank you, Congressman Scott for your unceasing efforts to support public education 

in general and 1890 Land-Grant institutions in particular.

36

The CHAIRMAN. Well, I thank our witnesses. 

I will remind our colleagues that during the question period, you 

can ask questions of the witnesses at the table or of any of the 

other individuals representing land-grant schools that are in attendance as well. I also ask that Members be recognized in order 

of seniority for those who were here when the gavel went down, 

and subsequent to that they will be recognized upon arrival. 

So, with that, I recognize myself for 5 minutes. 

Again, thank you for being here. Dr. Jackson-Hammond, you 

mentioned the partnership you have with the Ohio State University. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. And I know that, I believe, Prairie View A&M 

and Texas A&M have partnerships as well. Can you talk to us 

about the benefits that brings to the educational experiences that 

students have? For all of you with the other land-grant schools in 

your states, how are the educational opportunities that are 

strengthened by having cross-pollinization, for lack of a better 

phrase, with the 1862 schools that in many instances are bigger 

with broader programs that allow your students to specialize and/

or do things that you couldn’t necessarily do if you were on a 

standalone basis? Is that going on and, if so, can you explain to us? 

We will just start with Dr. Jackson-Hammond and then Dr. Bell 

and Dr. Jones. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Absolutely. And thank you so very much 

for that question. It is important to realize that the Ohio State 

University has been an 1860 land-grant institution for somewhere 

around 100 years. With that designation they have a jump start 

over us. 

At the time, President Gordon Gee was the President of the Ohio 

State. He really did try to foster and did foster with the Ohio Legislature the ability for us to seek that designation. And from that 

point, we have been working with the Ohio State to help build our 

structures as a new 1890 land-grant. 

There are two parts of the 1890 funding: Research and extension. 

We work on our work plan with the Ohio State and will be submitting a joint report indicating the colocations we have in ten counties throughout Ohio State. Those counties—yes. 

The CHAIRMAN. Actually, Dr. Jackson-Hammond, thank you. I 

was trying to figure out the experiences of students that would get 

these scholarships. Can they take classes at the Ohio State University? How do you facilitate that crossover? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. In the state of Ohio, we have a SOCHE 

plan that allows for any students to take courses that are not offered at their university at another university at no cost. That 

partnership was already established. 

But our research plan does include both institutions working on 

joint research projects where students do internships at the Ohio 

State, and Ohio State students will also be able to do joint research 

with us at Central State University. 

The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Bell. 

Dr. BELL. Thank you very much for that question. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore works very closely with the University of Maryland College Park, which is an 1862 land-grant for the 

37

State of Maryland. In particular, we work closely in our extension 

programs. Our extension programs operate jointly. And so there 

are many opportunities for our students who participate in the agriculture programs to be involved and engage with students from 

College Park. 

We also have joint degree programs, and especially at the master’s and doctoral levels. One in particular is our Marine, Estuarine 

and Environmental Science Program, which is a joint program between University of Maryland Eastern Shore, College Park, and 

several other institutions. And through that program, students 

take joint courses. They have joint research projects and so forth. 

There is good collaboration between the institutions. 

The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Jones, how about in Georgia? 

Dr. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that question as well. 

One quick example of a partnership with University of Georgia 

is with our veterinary technology program, which is the only accredited program in the state. That partnership allows our students to have a clinical rotation of 12 weeks at the University of 

Georgia. I think that is a wonderful partnership, and as we are 

able to expand with scholarship support, it will enable us to develop more of those rich kinds of experiences for our students going 

back and forth between the two campuses. That to me is a great 

example of something that we believe we can enhance through this 

scholarship support. 

The CHAIRMAN. Are there distance learning programs between 

the schools where students can take specialized classes that might 

not be offered at the 1890 school that would strengthen their role 

in production agriculture as they go out? Can they take those classes at the 1862 schools by distance learning? 

Dr. JONES. I will say that being part of the University System 

of Georgia, that is one of the real positive things that we have in 

our system, the opportunity for students to take courses through, 

we call it eCore, or other collaborative efforts that we have underway where our students can take courses on any of the campuses. 

But certainly, University of Georgia is a good example of where our 

students may take those kinds of courses. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. Dr. Jackson-Hammond, is it the same 

thing there at your school? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Yes, a similar collaboration exists within the State of Ohio. Because we are primarily an undergraduate 

institution, we have opportunities with the Ohio State to help build 

master’s and doctoral programs, and that is where we are. Especially in one of our recent disciplines that we are trying to get on 

board is having to do with water conservation and water resource 

management. 

By the way, we have the only water resource management undergraduate program, residential program in the United States. 

That is a really strong program that the Ohio State University is 

really trying to work with us to develop graduate and collaborative 

programs throughout. 

The CHAIRMAN. I want to thank our witnesses. I am over time. 

David Scott, 5 minutes. 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

38

It is very important also for the Presidents to address the importance of this bill in relationship to their own standing, their own 

ability that this will heighten their ability to genuinely have a seat 

at the table in higher education in a much more profound way than 

we have now. 

On two points that you mention, we want to make sure that the 

Committee is aware that we have White students as well at these 

schools. And it is very important also to know that several of our 

colleagues who are Congressional partners here: Congressman 

Luetkemeyer, who is a graduate of Lincoln University; and Senator 

Joe Manchin III, who is a graduate of West Virginia State University. You see the critical role in the reach-out here. 

And then the other point, following up on your excellent line of 

questioning, Mr. Chairman, is the enhanced position that these 

universities will have as they interlock with the 1860s, who are 

much further, more well-endowed financially to be able to do that. 

So that there will come a day when students at the University of 

Georgia will come over and be able to take courses that they don’t 

have or that experience that they can’t have at the University of 

Georgia at Fort Valley. 

So the other point I would like to get to is, the other measure 

of this is the African American community itself. And I would like 

to just ask each of the Presidents to respond to what this bill will 

mean to you in terms of an enhanced role of leadership in the African American community, which is certainly badly needed. I am 

not sure many people realize that we do have a critical crisis of a 

breakdown in the African American family structure and what this 

means to be able to provide that kind of financial assistance. 

I might just add, Mr. Chairman, that I am, as you know, a product of an 1890. But my experience is the experience of literally 

hundreds of thousands of young African Americans out there. For 

when I graduated from high school, I got an opportunity only because the people of Daytona Beach, Florida, got together and raised 

$300 for me to go to the college of my choice. I gave my mother 

$150. I took $150 and a Greyhound bus ticket to Tallahassee, Florida. Thank God there was Florida A&M. That situation exists 

today, and that scholarship opened up into others. Eighty-eight 

percent of all of the African American students that obtain a college education do so because they have had scholarship and financial assistance. 

So if you could, I know my time is running short, but could you 

please respond as to what this truly means to you in each of your 

schools in terms of the leadership you can provide for the African 

American community and the nation as a whole? 

Dr. BELL. Thank you, Congressman Scott. I would like to start 

in addressing that the University of Maryland Eastern Shore sits 

on the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland in Somerset County, 

which is the poorest county in the State of Maryland. We draw a 

large percentage of our students also from Prince George’s County, 

which is the inner city of Baltimore, and so a higher education is 

a transformative thing for many of our students. Having the opportunity to pursue a course of study that will lead to a lucrative career where there are jobs available is going to transform not only 

39

the immediate person that the scholarship will address, but it will 

also transform that family as well as that community. 

So we see this opportunity, as I have indicated from my own situation, as transformative. Getting an education that opens up 

doors of opportunity certainly not only impacts the immediate recipient but everybody that that person touches. And so we are very 

excited about the opportunities that this type of award will provide 

for our students and the communities we serve. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you, Mr. Scott, for that wonderful question about what we do; 1890 universities are about the 

value-added that we give to families and communities. As Dr. Bell 

said, we work with a population of students who are academically 

gifted but may not have had role models or a level of leadership 

within their immediate communities that could guide them through 

the college experience. When they come to our institutions, and it 

is not just one ethnic group, it is all students who come to our university, they get hands-on, touch points at every level that helps 

to build their character, their self-esteem, their confidence, so that 

they can become competent leaders once they leave the universities. 

One of the things that we do at most 1890 universities is say 

that your job is beyond getting just a college degree. It is about 

changing the landscape of the people in your communities. That is 

a built-in inherent part of our educational program. And the thousands and thousands of students who have gone on to make that 

difference is unbelievable. 

Dr. Bell talked about her experience as a child in Alabama. I am 

from Louisiana. I have to share this, my father had a graduate degree but was not allowed at that time to practice as a psychologist. 

He became a school principal and worked in a very agrarian area 

of Louisiana where they had something called split sessions, and 

the students went to school year round because they had to pick 

cotton during the off seasons. I don’t really know how that works. 

But it was a 12 month experience. And those are the students, for 

generations and generations while he served there, learned the importance of giving back to their communities. And that was long 

before there were institutions in some of these areas that spoke to 

the land-grant mission. 

But that land-grant mission was embedded in those students, 

and we still embed that in the students that we work with today. 

Giving back to the communities, becoming leaders, becoming 

change agents. That is the core of what we do as an 1890, in addition to providing opportunities academically, so that they can have 

jobs and careers that change the economic and social dispositions 

of their communities and their states. 

The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Jones, if you would respond quickly. We are 

way over time with Mr. Scott. 

Dr. JONES. Yes. Let me just briefly say that in terms of your 

question, Congressman Scott, in terms of the impact from a leadership standpoint, I believe that today more than any other time in 

our history, our communities are calling for extraordinary leadership. The kind of visibility that this will bring to our communities 

that are challenged right now a great deal from an economic standVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
40

point, from a social standpoint, from just about any way in which 

you would like to look at this. 

So this call for leadership is important, and what we can bring 

in this kind of initiative or this kind of scholarship support can 

dramatically increase the visibility and the economic impact in our 

communities. Our communities are calling on all of us to bring 

forth a level of leadership that they have never seen before, and 

we are excited to be a part of that and thank you for this kind of 

opportunity. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Mr. King, 5 minutes. 

Mr. KING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate being recognized and I appreciate the testimony of the witnesses. 

I want to start out and say I am completely convinced all of your 

hearts are right. And we will make that point first, but then I want 

to put a little piece of history in. We always have to do that for 

our own locale and point out that the Iowa Legislature was the 

first state legislature to accept the provisions of the original Morrill 

Act. They did that on September 11, 1862. And they would have 

been the first designation of a state agriculture college had it not 

been for K-State, bumped us on the third turn and slipped in 

ahead of us. 

So we pay attention to land-grant colleges and know what it 

means to have the resources. I would prefer that they were based 

on the land, especially when you are focused on agriculture, rather 

than on the cash that came with the 1890 version. However, that 

is where we are today and land is a lot harder to come by, so I 

don’t see any reason to try to change that. It is just, I notice the 

distinction. 

And I wanted to point out also that listening to the spirit of this 

discussion here, that the inner cities in America are a disaster. 

Anything that we look at from the data out of the inner cities, especially young men, especially young African American men, it is 

a resource to this country that we have just not figured out how 

to mobilize. We haven’t figured out how to lift them up and get 

them into the flow. 

And I say that because the next statement I want to make is, 

and I would sense this from Dr. Bell in particular, but the rest of 

you, the very best place in the world to raise a family is on a family 

farm. And if we are going to do good things to help our society to 

go in the right direction, then for me, if we can get people going 

to the farm and raising their families there, they learn about the 

whole spectrum of life, the cycles of life of livestock from birth to 

death, to, we call it now harvest rather than that other word that 

seems to be abhorrent to people in the inner city, and it is what 

I grew up all around and had to wash it off my hands afterwards. 

But, all new wealth comes from the land. And we can trace every 

dollar right back to that soil. 

So this is inspiring to me in these ways. But I am getting to a 

but. And it is this, that I have a deep conviction and strong support 

for Ward Connerly’s Proposition 209 in California. I have invested 

a significant amount of my legislative time in that and succeeded 

to a degree, in fact, in conflict with the current Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary Vilsack. But I would point out for this ComVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
41

mittee what that proposition is, and we haven’t had discussions in 

a long time on that. And it says this: The state, meaning the State 

of California, that was a constitutional amendment, the state shall 

not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting. 

Now, that language of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin is lifted exactly out of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and I 

support it 100 percent. It is the right thing. It is the right thing 

for us to pour forth all resources and all constitutional focus and 

all statutory focus to provide equal opportunity. 

And so my question, and I would start first with Dr. Bell, is this 

an equal opportunity bill before us or is it a preferential treatment 

bill before us? 

Dr. BELL. Thank you, Congressman, for that question. Let me 

say that, as I indicated before, our institutions, the 1890s, and 

mine in particular, are diverse institutions. My institution, in particular, consists of about 2⁄3 African American students, about 13 

percent White students, and about 20 percent of students who either classify themselves as multiracial, or of other race, including 

Hispanic. 

Mr. KING. Excuse me. Could I ask you then, is it your expectation that the scholarships that would be granted in your institution 

under the foundation of this bill would reflect the diversity within 

your institution today? 

Dr. BELL. The total scholarship package that we offer to students, including those resources provided through this bill, would 

provide opportunities for not only the African American students, 

but other students as well. We see this as an opportunity to leverage our support from the Agriculture Department and for our students. 

Mr. KING. Thank you. I am running out of time. I am sorry. 

But would that also be your observation then, Dr. Jackson? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Yes. 

Mr. KING. And Dr. Jones? 

Dr. JONES. Yes. 

Mr. KING. Then I would point out that in the bill, there are four 

references here that say, and it is the language that jumped out 

at me, four references that say young African Americans, four 

places. It seems to me the bill is more specific to this than you anticipate. And I wonder if you would be open to maybe making a little more specific language here that would allow for more equal opportunity. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you for that observation. It is important that, although we mention the word is historically black 

colleges and universities. We have never been institutions that 

eliminated or disenfranchise any group of people who wish to come. 

As a matter of fact, Central State University’s charter speaks not 

to African American students, but it speaks to those of good character who wish to have——

Mr. KING. Thank you, Doctor. We are out of time. I would point 

out that the word historical doesn’t show up here in these four references that I made. I appreciate your testimony. 

42

I yield back the balance of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

In deference to trying to make sure everybody has a chance to 

talk to you, I am going to be a little tighter on the clock. Ms. 

Adams, 5 minutes. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, I want to thank 

our Presidents and deans for coming today. 

I want to say, again, what a proud honor it is for me to be a 

graduate of North Carolina A&T, an 1890 school, and to support 

the legislation. 

When we talk about what we are talking about today, we are 

talking about equal opportunity. We are also aware that there has 

been inequity in terms of funding for 1890 schools and HBCUs in 

general over the years. I am responding to the question that you 

asked. It is about equal opportunity. And most of our students, as 

we have mentioned who attend 1890 schools, are first generation, 

come from families with very, very meager means, and who just 

don’t have the finances. And of course, if you have access to get 

into college and you don’t have the money, then you don’t have that 

opportunity. 

I am a proud co-chair of the bipartisan HBCU Caucus, and I am 

still committed to raising the profile of 1890s and the Historically 

Black Colleges and Universities as institutions that not only promote and nurture students. Some of the students, a lot of the students are students that look like me. Many of them don’t. But we 

are about educating and providing a great education. 

So my first question is to the entire panel. If each of you can outline the importance of having a more diverse workforce in the field 

of agricultural science and speak briefly to how your schools are 

contributing to this critical pipeline. 

Dr. BELL. I will start in trying to address that question. I think 

that, clearly, we believe that diversity is important from every aspect and every discipline. In particular, many of the communities 

that suffer the most in terms of food deserts and issues related to 

the production of food, fiber, and fuel are minority communities. 

And we believe that diversifying the workforce, including more ethnically diverse members in this community who are working toward solutions, will bring different perspectives to solving these 

major issues that confront us today. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you. 

Dr. Jackson-Hammond. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you so very much. Where Central 

State University is situated, it is in a very small community, and 

the majority of the residents there are not persons of color. This 

particular bill and this particular opportunity to reach out to a diverse population of students who don’t look like me but also need 

the opportunities to go into fields such as science, technology, and 

ag, we certainly diversify the campus, the environment, and the 

communities so that there is a synergy about building a strong 

workforce in the area of agriculture. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you. 

Dr. Jones. 

Dr. JONES. If I may, I am sorry that Congressman King is not 

here, but just for a clarification standpoint, I do think that this is 

43

an equal opportunity solution here. And I believe that very strongly. And I believe that having this funding support allows us to leverage in a way that all students, all Americans benefit. And this 

kind of support is critical to our community, to our region, to the 

state, to the nation, and I just wanted to say that to make sure 

that is on record. 

Ms. ADAMS. Well, thank you very much. Let me quickly say that 

when we had our last Committee hearing with the 1890s, a number of the Presidents addressed the issue of the state 1-to-1 matching funds and, of course, we have seen a trend where our schools 

are struggling. And the inequality, as far as I am concerned, is 

very problematic. Has there been any progress made on that issue 

and has the lack of funds impacted your universities? Anybody? We 

have 23 seconds here. 

Dr. BELL. That is still a major issue of concern to the 1890 universities. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. It is definitely a concern, but I can say 

in the State of Ohio, we have a very supportive governor and legislative body who supports Central State University. 

Dr. JONES. It remains a concern, however, I will say in Georgia, 

we do get the 1-to-1 match. We are very proud of that. 

Ms. ADAMS. Thank you very much. I am out of time. Mr. Chairman, I did want to just recognize my intern whose last day will be 

with me on Friday, who is a very proud graduate as well of North 

Carolina A&T, Alana Covington. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady yields back. 

Mr. Gibbs, 5 minutes. 

Mr. GIBBS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Talk about a little bit, Dr. Jackson-Hammond is from Ohio, Central State, and they are doing a great job down there. And they 

started a new ag education program that is much needed, and she 

mentioned in her testimony about the job placement and how these 

are the next generation of young men and women that are getting 

jobs right off the bat, so the need is there, and also the program 

they are doing with water and it is a huge issue in Ohio with Lake 

Erie and some other areas in the state with some challenges. 

But something I want to maybe reemphasize, it is really important, Central State is the last 1890 land-grant, and they just became that, I don’t know, 3 or 4 years ago? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. In 2014. 

Mr. GIBBS. In 2014. Because Ohio State, the Ohio State University in Columbus is the land-grant. But, what needs to be talked 

a little bit about is how that all came about. She mentioned Dr. 

Gee, but think about this, you have the massive the Ohio State 

University, that saw the benefit to making Central State an 1890 

land-grant. 

And so Dr. Jackson-Hammond, can you maybe expound a little 

bit on that? Because, that is really remarkable when you think 

about that. And I know we talk about the research and the partnership, but also there are some cost-benefits there. But Ohio 

State, in the legislature, had to recognize the benefit this was to 

the people in Ohio and maybe more broadly. And, it is worth 

maybe talking a little bit about, because when you think about 

that, Mr. Chairman, that is really incredible. 

44

And you think Ohio State University, that might be the largest 

university in the country now. It is right up there, and to have this 

partnership and then make the partnership work even better to a 

university with only a couple of thousand students, is remarkable. 

So, Doctor, would you maybe expound on that a little bit more? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you, Representative Gibbs, for 

giving me the opportunity to give a little history. And I am fortunate to have with me Senator Chris Widener, who was one of the 

Senators who carried that legislation in the Ohio Legislature. Is he 

here? Senator Widener in the back. 

Mr. GIBBS. And a former colleague of mine too. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Yes, yes. And, of course, we were designated in the House for centuries, a century ago, but it did not 

carry through. And one of the groups that did not support Central 

State as a land-grant was the Ohio State University contingency. 

However, as years and decades passed, Gordon Gee and others 

began to see that we were an untapped resource in the State of 

Ohio and that they needed us as a partner to reach the various 

communities, the urban communities, some of the rural communities; that they could not make the necessary inroads just as a 

singular institution. 

So along with Senator Widener and many of the legislators during that time, along with Gordon Gee, said, ‘‘You know what, we 

are wasting a resource.’’ And Central State University as a landgrant can certainly supplement, support, and have a wider opportunity to make a difference in the State of Ohio. With that, we 

went on in 2012 to receive the State Legislature designation and 

in 2014, we received the Federal designation through the farm bill. 

Mr. GIBBS. But, Ohio State was involved in this somewhat. They 

saw a real benefit, not just for the students, but it was a cost-benefit. And I believe that your tuition is low. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Yes, extremely. Nowhere compared to 

the Ohio State, but at the same time, we have the same level of 

academic performance. We have the same expectations. And so as 

a small institution, we are able to reach that population of students 

who cannot afford the Big Ten schools or go to some of the larger 

institutions. We are very cost affordable. 

I was sharing with the Congressman earlier that we have a large 

population of students from out of state. Forty-three percent of our 

students come from urban communities. And these are the students who want to remain in the State of Ohio and to be associated 

with the land-grant mission and the academic programs associated 

with that. 

So we have certainly reduced our surcharge. We are the most affordable institution in the State of Ohio. We are addressing college 

affordability, academic performance, and economic growth. 

Mr. GIBBS. Thank you. And thank you for being here and sharing 

all of the great things you are doing there. And, hopefully, this legislation will get passed the next Congress and give more opportunities for a lot more people. 

Thank you, and I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Stacey, 5 minutes. 

45

Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you, sir, and thank you so much for the 

dedication and all of the work that you give young people all over 

this country. I have a son who is presently at the University of Arkansas in Pine Bluff where he is doing a fantastic job and really 

loves his experience there. He is the third generation to go to that 

institution, and the students are stellar from that institution and 

from so many of your own. 

One of the things that I was interested in finding out was, Dr. 

Jones, in your testimony, your written testimony, you discuss that 

there is a 28 percent increase in agricultural degree program enrollment at Fort Valley State between 2014 and 2015. Can you explain what is the cause of that increase? And do you sense that 

there are more young people being drawn to the agricultural careers or is there another reason why this may be happening? 

Dr. JONES. And my dean is here who could probably elaborate, 

but what I will say is that we have had a much more focused effort 

in this regard over the last couple of years. We are doing a great 

job. We created an outreach coordinator to begin to work with 

young people and creating more exposure to the field, but also to 

the institution as well. 

There is far more visibility from our College of Agriculture these 

days, the way in which they are branding the programs and the institution and their marketing efforts. We can learn a lot from what 

they are doing with the rest of the campus. It is a combination of 

things that are happening. I do think there is more capacity. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Right. 

Dr. JONES. I think the challenge we have today is the limited 

scholarship support for those students who wish——

Ms. PLASKETT. Who are interested in this. 

Dr. JONES. Right. Right. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Because I can imagine that if there was the scholarship and the support, you could probably find even more students 

who would be making the application to try and come to these institutions. There are students who just won’t even apply because 

they look at the amount and they realize that there is no way that 

they or their families can be able to make this happen. And so they 

are just falling off of the grid completely in terms of even making 

the initial effort to come after an education that can change not 

only their lives, but the lives of their family as well. 

Dr. Jackson-Hammond, have you conducted any, I think that this 

is more a financial term, but an ROI, a return on investment estimate to determine what kind of economic loss Central State suffers 

when students have to stop their education or stop out, when they 

take some time off because of the financial aspects of going to 

school? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Absolutely. Thank you so very much for 

raising that question. We look at our financial performance annually, monthly, to see the impact of stop outs on the university. Ohio 

is one of those states where the allocations, financial allocations 

are based on performance, college completion, graduation rates, 

course completion, and retention. All of those factors impact the 

amount of allocations that we receive from the state. 

When you have 73 to 78 percent of your students who are on Pell 

grants and still have to have loans to supplement that, those are 

46

the kinds of dialogues that we are having every day about how do 

we keep students in school. When students drop out, then that impacts our performance with the state and, certainly, our graduation 

completion rate. We are limited in the funding that we receive from 

that. 

It also impacts default rates when students take out loans and 

they cannot pay those loans back because there is just not enough 

revenue coming in from the family to support them. That default 

rate, in turn, comes back as a cost factor to the university. And so 

that is a serious implication not only for Central State, but for 

most 1890 universities where these are first-generation students 

without any financial support. 

So it is great, and we do a great deal of financial literacy courses, 

programs, to apprise students and their families about the responsibility, but that level of education only is supported by students 

who have the wherewithal to pay. 

Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you. Thank you for that information related to the cost to the university for students who do not have the 

financial support necessary to complete the degrees on time. 

And just in closing, I would always invite you all to work with 

the University of the Virgin Islands, which has agricultural programs. We would love to be supportive of you as well. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlelady’s time has expired. 

Austin Scott. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Dr. Jones, welcome to Washington. It is good to see you. And one 

of the things that I don’t think we talk about enough, or give these 

institutions credit for enough, is the research that occurs there. 

And Fort Valley State, the small ruminant program there is among 

the best in the country. And certainly, any scholarships that we are 

able to give to people to go to that university, help the university 

as a whole. And so I look forward to supporting this and look forward to helping you do more to promote your institution and the 

valuable research and all that is done there. 

And I will tell you, while sheep are not a large part of the U.S. 

agricultural economy, they are a tremendous part of the world agricultural economy. And when we get into many of these other countries, the ability to help a farmer with his sheep herd goes a long 

way towards instilling goodwill in areas. I want to thank you for 

that program that you have there and the research and the extension that goes on there. And I recommend the cheese over the ice 

cream. 

But I want to ask you a couple of quick questions. And I know 

in your testimony, you have talked about the FFA, obviously 4–H, 

and other extremely important organizations in our area and 

throughout the United States and the chapters that surround the 

university. Can you talk a little bit about the partnership with 

high schools and community organizations that help students become aware of the opportunities at Fort Valley State and the agricultural sector? 

Dr. JONES. Yes. Thank you, Congressman Scott. And I appreciate 

your continued support. 

That is another area that I believe is very strong for us in terms 

of the work that we do through our College of Agriculture with 

47

high schools and even prior to that, the outreach that is conducted 

by our, whether it is through our extension or through other programs. Those are areas that I think is the reason why we are seeing the growth also in our programs. That work is very important, 

getting them exposed. 

FFA, for example, we will see nearly 500 students that will come 

to the campus at any given time, and getting them exposed to the 

work that we do is important. And that is what is also enhancing 

the diversity within our base. Our College of Agriculture, by far, 

is the most diverse of our other programs, but it is through this 

outreach effort and through the work that they are doing in the 

high schools and middle schools, is aiding us tremendously. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. As you know, we have nine military installations in the State of Georgia, a tremendous number of 

veterans in the area. Could you speak to some of the things that 

Fort Valley is doing to help recruit veterans who have served our 

country into your university and to the agricultural fields? 

Dr. JONES. Right. Well, we are proud of the Robins Air Force 

Base that we work with. We are designated as a military-friendly 

institution. We do a great deal of work with the base and are looking at ways to expand our work. We are very proud of a new program that we were just authorized in, our Supply Chain Logistics 

Program that is really designed to work with the base and returning military men who are looking for careers, a change in some of 

their careers. 

But we have a very strong relationship with them, and we could 

do more. We want to see how we can expand those programs. We 

have a center in Warner Robins now that we are trying to expand 

the work so that we can create more educational opportunities for 

our servicemen. 

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Well, I thank you for being here, 

and I hope when you see my friend Lynmore James there you will 

tell him I said hello. 

With that, I yield the remainder of my time. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Gwen Graham, 5 minutes. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, again, I want to 

recognize Dr. Robinson from FAMU University. I am so proud to 

represent FAMU. Every time I come on the campus the students 

are so kind to me. They even dance with me. And I love to dance 

and they just put up with me. They show me some new moves. 

My family would not be in Florida but for agriculture. My grandfather moved to south Florida and started one of the first dairy 

farms. This is something near and dear to my heart. And I really 

know that we need to encourage, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, we need to encourage young people to get into the field of 

agriculture. 

Mr. Scott took my question, but I forgive you, Austin. I was going 

to ask about veterans because it is so important. And I appreciate, 

Dr. Jones, your comments on that. 

Last summer, I had the first ever annual north Florida farm 

tour. We went to 14 counties, and I was honored to be able to have 

a panel discussion at FAMU. And we brought together just a wide 

variety of people, young people, veterans, people interested in agriVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
48

culture. And it was such a great experience to get out all the wonderful things that were going on at FAMU. And I am curious if the 

other universities represented here have taken the opportunity to 

brag about what is possible and, also, hopefully this legislation that 

I am so proud to be an original cosponsor of, will allow many others 

to have an opportunity to take advantage of all the great things 

that are going on at your universities. This is your chance to just 

brag a little bit. Thank you. 

I yield back. I yield to the panel. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Thank you so very much. That is what 

we do best, we brag about our institutions. 

It is very difficult to tell you a lot about Central State because 

you have to envision this beautiful place and this very agrarian 

community. You could drive for about 20 miles and you see nothing, and then out of the beautiful landscape is Central State University. And it has become a hub for so many people, especially students from urban communities who have never had an opportunity 

to really touch grass and see beautiful trees and enjoy the flora and 

fauna. 

And when they get there, they see the community of scholars, 

strong academicians, supportive staff, who really want to take a 

personal interest and do take a personal interest, because we realize that every student that comes to Central State University must 

leave as an emerging leader for themselves and for their communities. That is our charge. We can give them every opportunity and 

every academic program, but until they really internalize that, and 

they do internalize, they have a greater responsibility to a greater 

community. 

At Central State, we have three tenets that we follow. It is embedded in everything that we do. The curriculum, the social activities, the student groups. And those three tenets are service, protocol and civility. And those are not meaningless words for our students. They understand that the education that they get is because 

they must give back in service. They understand rules, regulations, 

or protocol that that is how the world works. And they understand 

the importance of civility. How do we get along with each other, 

how do we respect the views of each other. And amid all of that 

character and intrinsic attributes that we provide, they also get a 

strong, solid academic experience. 

I am proud to say that last year, we had 18 athletes who graduated, and 82 percent of them were in STEM-Ag majors. This year 

we have 18 football players who are graduating and 72 percent of 

them are STEM-Ag majors. And that is phenomenal, because we 

have this traditional thought about what athletes do. Our students 

are students who happen to be athletes. And so we have a very 

wide range of high-performing students across in the College of 

Business, Education, Engineering, and Social Sciences. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you, Doctor. 

Mr. Chairman, I think Dr. Robinson would like to say a couple 

of words from FAMU, I would appreciate that opportunity. Thank 

you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Be brief. We are trying to get everybody in, so 

be brief. 

49

RESPONSE OF LARRY ROBINSON, PH.D., INTERIM PRESIDENT, 

FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY, 

TALLAHASSEE, FL 

Dr. ROBINSON. Thank you, Representative Graham, for what you 

have done on behalf of north Florida, and in particular Florida 

A&M University. And thank you very, very much for the novel concept of the road tour so we can tell more people in north Florida 

about what we do at Florida A&M University for small, large, medium farmers around the state. We are a land-grant institution and 

we have a statewide impact. 

I guess one key point I want to make, and that is the economic 

impact that we have in the State of Florida. Just as an example, 

Florida A&M University has a Center for Viticulture. That center 

has led to the development of nearly 20 viticulture operations 

around the State of Florida. Of course, we specialize in the type of 

wine that doesn’t grow everywhere else because of the climate in 

Florida. But the economic impact of the research done by Florida 

A&M University doesn’t directly benefit us because we are prohibited from benefiting from it financially. But we have developed at 

least 20 wineries around the State of Florida that are making jobs 

available for citizens, not only up in the Panhandle, but throughout 

the state. And in fact, it expanded throughout the South in general. 

There are vineyards and wineries in South Carolina, and our 

neighbors, Representative Scott up in Georgia, who are benefiting 

from the research done at Florida A&M University. I just want to 

emphasize the economic impact of these institutions in the 1890 

community on the cities and towns in which we reside. Thank you. 

Ms. GRAHAM. Thank you, Dr. Robinson. You are also producing 

great hand cream as well. 

Okay. I yield back, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Benishek, 5 minutes. 

Mr. BENISHEK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank you all for 

being here this morning. 

I just want to make it clear about this bill, is there a preference 

in the legislation for students from a certain area or background 

or is every student on a level playing field in regard to these scholarships? Anyone? 

Dr. BELL. As you have stated it, we are interested in creating opportunities for students who are particularly interested in the agricultural professions, so careers in agriculture, to be able to qualify 

for the scholarships so that they can complete their education. We 

are looking at these scholarships as an opportunity to augment 

what we currently do in terms of supporting students who have 

need. I think that having financial need is one of the factors that 

we would look to as well. 

One of the issues that we are looking to deal with and as HBCUs 

and 1890 universities, one of our goals is to provide a diverse workforce for the agricultural community. There is a strong need for 

that among agribusinesses, and I serve on a roundtable ag diversity and inclusion roundtable made up of businesspeople in some 

of the major industry areas who are interested in trying to find a 

diverse workforce for their industry. 

50

And we are one of the top producers or the top sector in producing students of color for this industry. We see it as an opportunity to——

Mr. BENISHEK. Does that mean that a person of color is more 

likely to get a scholarship than a person who is not of color? 

Dr. BELL. I am sorry? 

Mr. BENISHEK. Does that mean that the scholarship, the question 

is, is there preferences based other than, to me, a need is a strong 

reason for a scholarship and as would be the desire to be in agriculture. But it seems like you are telling me that diversity, or there 

are some race-based rules for those scholarships. That is what I am 

trying to ferret out to you with these lines of questions, like Mr. 

King was talking about. 

Dr. BELL. I am not equipped to clarify that further than what I 

have already stated, but we certainly can——

Mr. BENISHEK. Does anyone else have an opinion? 

Dr. BELL. Anybody else have a comment? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Because the larger population of our 

students at our institutions are African Americans, certainly, some 

of the scholarships are applicable. But we don’t see anything related to a race-based scholarship. When we bring students into our 

institutions, race is not a consideration. Any time a student says, 

‘‘I want to be a STEM-Ag,’’ that is our charge, is to educate and 

provide as much support. And all of our students have financial 

need. 

Mr. BENISHEK. Yes, I know. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. All of them, so we are not making any 

delineation. 

Mr. BENISHEK. Let me go on to another question then, because 

several people mentioned this, and that was people that start at 

the university and yet drop out after a while because of financial 

issues, how often does that occur? What is the dropout rate after 

the freshman year, for example? Anybody have an answer to that? 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. We look at the attrition rate from freshman to sophomore year, and usually that can range anywhere from 

32 percent to maybe 40 percent. However, in the last couple of 

years, we have done a great deal of providing financial literacy to 

our students. And as we prepare for next semester and for the next 

year, we are finding more and more students being able to be retained because of their understanding of financial literacy concerns. 

Mr. BENISHEK. Is that a similar number to you, Dr. Jones and 

Dr. Bell? That seemed like a pretty high number to me, 35 percent 

of people are dropping out after the first year. 

Dr. JONES. That is correct. The number, it has gotten better over 

the last couple of years through a number of initiatives. 

Mr. BENISHEK. In your opinion, is that more of a financial issue 

than an educational issue? 

Dr. JONES. Oh, absolutely. 

Mr. BENISHEK. It is not like they can’t grasp the material. 

Dr. JONES. It is primarily. 

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. Primarily. 

Dr. JONES. It is primarily. 

Dr. BELL. Primarily it is financial. And our numbers are about 

the same, about 30 percent. Some of the students do stop out 

51

versus drop out, but a large percentage of them, once they leave, 

they don’t make it back. 

Mr. BENISHEK. Right. I know it is very difficult to go back. 

Dr. BELL. We try to keep them from stopping out. 

Mr. BENISHEK. I am out of time, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman yields back. 

Mr. Davis, 5 minutes. 

Mr. DAVIS. Thank you to the panel and thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I too, Dr. Jones, had questions about veterans. And if you have 

anything to add in regards to how your programs or how H.R. 6020 

would help recruit veterans, I mean, you are more than welcome 

to expand on your first answer, if you would. 

Dr. JONES. Thank you, Congressman Davis. Absolutely, the funds 

are needed. Many of our veterans that come to us, even though 

they often have support, they have other daunting tasks, other 

family concerns. 

Mr. DAVIS. Are these veterans usually using the GI Bill? 

Dr. JONES. Some of them, yes. 

Mr. DAVIS. Besides the funds, what is your institution doing to 

help recruit veterans? 

Dr. JONES. Well, one of the things that we did that has been very 

helpful, the University System of Georgia, has led an extraordinary 

charge within our system to recruit and support our veterans. In 

fact, so much so, we have now a Vice Chancellor for Military Affairs. And so we created centers, support centers on our campuses 

that are supporting these students. 

Many of them come with a great deal of challenges coming back, 

depending if they are coming back from war. And so the kind of 

support that we provide to them has been very helpful in helping 

them navigate our environment. 

Mr. DAVIS. Okay. Well, thank you. It seems like your success is 

showing. We appreciate what you are doing there. 

I guess I will ask the rest of the panel questions on what are 

your thoughts, Dr. Bell, on the state of our competitive award programs, from AFRI to the other small competitive programs? 

Dr. BELL. Well, I think that there is continuing need to enhance 

the competitiveness of our institutions. A number of us have very 

strong research programs, but we have a deteriorating infrastructure. And so in order to be very competitive for those research 

funds, we have to have the facilities and the infrastructure to support them. 

Mr. DAVIS. You would be in favor of them investing more in capital? 

Dr. BELL. Investing more in infrastructure, equipment, those 

kinds of things that support the research enterprise. At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, we were just this past year, as a 

result of primarily USDA research support funding, able to be advanced in our Carnegie classification from a comprehensive to a 

doctoral research university. And so we are looking to build on that 

by being more competitive for Federal funds, especially those that 

come through the USDA. 

Mr. DAVIS. I guess I have a question for myself while we are on 

this. In the competition for USDA grants, is it any different relVerDate 0ct 09 2002 16:43 Jan 10, 2017 Jkt 041481 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 P:\DOCS\114-59\22979.TXT BRIAN
52

ative to the competition for other agencies funding, like NIH or 

NSF? 

Dr. BELL. Maybe one of our research directors can answer that 

question. 

Mr. DAVIS. Somebody is raising their hand back there. I missed 

the first panel, sir, so I didn’t get your name. 

Dr. ROBINSON. Mr. Chairman and Representative Davis, well, 

this is probably unfair, because I served as the last civilian science 

advisor at USDA CSREES before it transitioned into what is now 

NIFA. And when I came into that role, my job was to advise them 

on science, more broadly. But I had a particular concern about research opportunities for an 1890 community. 

And one of the things that I had to do was the annual report for 

the National Research Initiative, as you recall. And in that report, 

it was fascinating to discover that the success rate of 1890 landgrant institutions in the big pool, in the AFRI, and NRI, the success rate was just as comparable as it was for an 1862. 

The difference was that we were only about one percent of the 

applicants. And so what I did then is how do I encourage the community to submit more competitive grants over here, because some 

of the limitations really go to the issues around additional resources, infrastructure, and so forth, but for those of us who competed, we were just as successful. And that pretty much pans out 

throughout the Federal sector, with some exceptions. 

However, what we have been able to do with USDA is to use the 

capacity-building funds that they have to enhance our competitiveness over here in the larger pools of money. And Florida A&M University too itself was just reclassified as a research 2 institution in 

the Carnegie Classification because of the success that we have 

had. And for a university of our size, that is pretty phenomenal 

with the resources that we have. 

And that is the type of unlocked, untapped talent that is resident 

within all of these schools, because what really makes you great in 

research is having great faculty, but also having great students, 

right, to carry out those research agendas. And this type of program that you have would allow us to make a lot of progress on 

attracting the kinds of students who can engage in the world-class 

research that our faculty already do. 

Mr. DAVIS. Thank you very much. Thank you to the panel. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Mr. Allen, 5 minutes. 

Mr. ALLEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

And of course, what an honor it is to be here today and talk 

about our own Paine College there in my district, which was founded by the United Methodist Church, which I am a proud member 

of, and a proud supporter of Paine College, and of course, Fort Valley in our state as well. 

And real quickly, I really don’t understand why we are having 

problems at all universities recruiting folks in agriculture. I am a 

member of the Hephzibah Agriculture Club, and we had an extension agent that came down from Atlanta and talked to us. And he 

told a young lady who didn’t know one end of a chicken from another, who, for whatever reason, decided maybe that is something 

she should get involved in, and he got her involved in 4–H and she 

53

started doing demonstrations; ended up getting a full ride to the 

University of Georgia on a poultry science scholarship; graduated 

top of her class. And she had like 12 offers in six figures to go to 

work in the poultry industry. 

So there are lots of opportunities, and somehow we have to figure 

that out and get our messaging out and get our young people more 

directed into these jobs that we need to fill out there. Particularly 

in my district, it is cyber. It is all about cyber and high tech and 

that sort of thing. Somebody told me there are over a million job 

openings in that industry across this country right now. 

So with that, my first question is, and, Dr. Jones, I will start 

with you. These universities were started for a purpose. And how 

do we stay the course by giving those who otherwise wouldn’t have 

this opportunity to get the kind of education that you are offering? 

Because, obviously, Paine and Fort Valley and many others I have 

heard here today have outstanding graduates. How do we give 

those folks who otherwise wouldn’t have that opportunity an opportunity to do this? 

Dr. JONES. This is a wonderful opportunity here today as we look 

at these scholarships. That is greatly needed. Many of us can speak 

to the need. Having served at several colleges, universities across 

the country, I have to be honest and say, I don’t know that I quite 

understood that before joining this university less than a year ago. 

What I see here are students, they may come with meager beginnings, but they have extraordinary opportunity. But unfortunately, 

because of the lack of, or limited, resources, we struggle oftentimes 

in helping them get to that mark. And so to have something like 

this, as I would say to my colleagues, is a game changer, is a lifechanging opportunity for our universities to help not only African 

American students, because that’s where the focus is today, but it 

is what it is going to do for our nation. 

Mr. ALLEN. What I am saying, and I also serve on the Education 

and the Workforce Committee, somehow we have to get to these 

young people earlier. And my kids went to an inner city high 

school. We had 500 freshman in the high school and we graduated 

250. What happened to those other 250 kids? It is tragic. How can 

we get to them when they are younger, some teachers tell me you 

got to get to them before middle school because that is when it goes 

off the charts. 

But is there any strategy to get into the the 4 to 6 or 4 to 9 formative ages and get these folks on a career path and say, ‘‘Hey, you 

have an opportunity here? This is why you need to get an education.’’

Dr. JACKSON-HAMMOND. I thank you so very much for that question, and I want to share with you the importance of agricultural 

education. And we have just started our School of Ag Ed. And the 

purpose of the ag ed is to prepare ag education teachers who are 

in the P–12 schools working with 4th, 5th, 6th graders very early 

on a track. When you talk about the Future Farmers of America, 

4–H Club, Tri-C Club, these are our opportunities for students and 

families to know very early there is a ‘‘projectory’’ that leads to a 

college degree. Our School of Ag Ed just started, and so we are 

having an enormous amount of impact in rural communities where 

students may not have even thought about going to school, but 

54

they know that there should be something more and something 

better out there if they could just have a ‘‘projectory’’ to follow. And 

that is what we are doing with our education program. 

Mr. ALLEN. Right. That is great news. Thank you. Yes. 

Dr. BELL. May I just add that one of the things that our agriculture students engage in is a program called MANRRS, which is 

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. 

We have started a junior MANRRS program at our institution that 

brought in about 150 middle school students to participate and to 

learn more about the agricultural profession, to work on our farm 

with our students. And so that has been very successful in piquing 

the interest of students in the agriculture profession. I believe that 

that is one way to address building that pipeline that we so desperately need. 

Mr. ALLEN. You are on it. Great. 

Dr. BELL. Yes. 

Mr. ALLEN. I yield back. 

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Mr. Scott, any closing words? 

Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Yes. Thank you very much Mr. 

Chairman. Thank you and your staff for pulling this hearing on the 

bill together. 

But first of all, I would like to give a response to Congressman 

King’s point because it is very, very important for everyone to know 

that this is an equal opportunity bill; no if, ands, and buts about 

it. It is very important for everybody to know that the 1890s were 

founded on the principle of equal opportunity, because the 1890s 

came to fruition because of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court 

decision which maintained that we have a doctrine of separate but 

equal. And the 1890s have been striving to be equal. 

The one thing that has held the 1890s back is that they were 

never given the necessary resources to achieve that equality. We 

want to make sure to clear the air, and I may mention in each of 

the sections where Congressman King mentioned we mentioned African Americans, if I may state, that the title of this Act is the following: This Act, and this is page 2 of the bill, ‘‘This Act may be 

cited as the ‘Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890s LandGrant African-American Colleges and Universities’ ’’. It does not 

say funding for African American student scholarships. We want to 

make that clear. 

And where we do reference the African Americans, as he pointed 

out in three other areas, on page 3, we say: ‘‘There is a great need 

to increase the number of young African-Americans seeking careers 

in the food and agricultural sciences’’. There is inequality in the job 

market of careers because we have not had the resources to prepare the young people for that. 

And then on page 5, it says: ‘‘To increase the number of young 

African-American individuals seeking a career in the food and agricultural sciences . . . including agribusiness, food production, distribution, and retailing, the clothing industries, energy and renewable fuels, and farming marketing, finance, and distribution.’’

And then finally, on page 5, it says: ‘‘To provide scholarships to 

African-American students seeking careers in the food and agricultural sciences.’’

55

So I wanted to make sure as we go forward, and Mr. Chairman, 

as I mentioned, we have two White constituents, fellow Members 

of Congress who are graduates of this institution. It is very important as we go forward that the record reflects that the 1890s and 

this bill is about equal opportunity for all, White, Latino, any and 

everybody that will come would have an opportunity. 

However, we know of the shortage and the low number of careers 

in this burgeoning area of agriculture and agribusinesses that the 

African American kids are not allowed to get into. And that is 

where we referenced that, so that we continue to strive for equality. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, I thank the gentleman. I thank the three 

witnesses for being with us today. I appreciate your patience with 

me trying to maintain the clock, but everybody has a lot to say on 

these important issues. And those who didn’t get to testify, thank 

you for making the trip to Washington to be in support of this legislation. 

As Mr. Peterson mentioned, this is our last hearing. This session 

of Congress will adjourn sine die shortly. And so we will need to 

start all of this exercise over again, as is the requirement of the 

House Rules that we form a new Congress altogether in the 115th 

Congress. 

But I want to thank my fellow Members for the good work we 

have had. Hopefully, we haven’t worn you out with too many hearings. 

We anticipate in the 115th Congress we will have to take up the 

CFTC reauthorization. We will have to take up, of course, the reauthorization of the farm bill, and we need also at the front, harvest 

all of that great work that Jackie Walorski and James P. McGovern did on the SNAP 2 year review. That report is being released 

this morning. And so we have a lot of work to do in the next Congress. David, I look forward to working with you on that. 

Under the Rules of the Committee, the record of today’s hearing 

will remain open for 10 calendar days to receive additional materials and supplemental written responses to any questions posed by 

a Member. If there are things that you prefer to have placed in the 

record that you didn’t get to talk about because we ran out of time 

with the clock, please submit those to us. We will put those in the 

official record of this hearing and then it will be a part of the work 

that goes forward when this bill is, I suspect, reintroduced in the 

115th Congress. 

With that, the Committee on Agriculture hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:04 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]

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