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# Secretaries of Education, Agriculture Call on Governors to Equitably Fund Land-Grant HBCUs

# Secretaries of Education, Agriculture Call on Governors to Equitably Fund Land-Grant HBCUs

September 18, 2023

**Contact:  **press@ed.gov

                                    -        
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S.  Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack today sent letters to 16 governors  emphasizing the over $12 billion disparity in funding between land-grant  Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their non-HBCU  land-grant peers in their states.

The 16 governors receiving the letter are:
- Alabama – Gov. Kay Ivey
- Arkansas – Gov. Sarah       Huckabee Sanders
- Florida – Gov. Ron       DeSantis
- Georgia – Gov. Brian       Kemp
- Kentucky – Gov. Andy       Beshear
- Louisiana – Gov. John       Bel Edwards
- Maryland – Gov. Wes       Moore
- Mississippi – Gov. Tate       Reeves
- Missouri – Gov. Michael       Parson
- North Carolina – Gov.       Roy Cooper
- Oklahoma – Gov. J. Kevin       Stitt
- South Carolina – Gov.       Henry McMaster
- Tennessee – Gov. Bill       Lee
- Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott
- Virginia – Gov. Glenn       Youngkin
- West Virginia – Gov.       James C. Justice, II

There are HBCU land-grant institutions in 18 states;  however, Delaware and Ohio have equitably funded their respective universities.

“Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our  nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and Universities to operate  with inadequate resources and delay critical investments in everything from  campus infrastructure to research and development to student support services,”  said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “I am continually inspired by  all that HBCUs have achieved despite having to punch above their weight. Our  HBCUs graduate a huge share of our nation’s Black educators, doctors,  engineers, judges, and lawyers. These institutions and the talented, diverse  students they serve must have equitable funding in order to reach their full  potential and continue driving innovation. The Biden-Harris Administration is  proud to have made record investments in our HBCUs, but to compete in the 21st  century we need state leaders to step up and live up to their legally required  obligations to our historically Black land-grant institutions.”

“Some of the brightest minds and most impactful  advancements in food and agriculture have taken root in our country’s 1890  land-grant universities, and I’m incredibly proud of the partnership USDA  maintains with these invaluable institutions. We need governors to help us  invest in their states’ HBCU’s at the equitable level their students deserve,  and reflective of all they contribute to our society and economy,” said  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The documented discrepancies are a clarion  call for governors to act without delay to provide significant support for the  1890 land-grant institutions in their respective states. Failing to do so will  have severe and lasting consequences to the agriculture and food industry at a  time when it must remain resilient and competitive.”

Under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, states choosing to  open a second land-grant university to serve Black students were required to  provide an equitable distribution of state funds between their 1862 and 1890  land-grant institutions. 1862 land-grant universities were founded through the  First Morrill Act of 1862 which provided states with federal land that could be  sold to support the colleges.

Using data from the National Center for Education  Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Survey (IPEDS) that ranges  from 1987 to 2020, the departments were able to calculate the amount that these  institutions would have received if their state funding per student was equal  to that of 1862 institutions. Unequitable appropriated funding of the 1890  institutions in the states ranges from $172 million to $2.1 billion, causing  severe financial gaps. In the last 30 years alone, these funds could have  supported vital and much-needed infrastructure and student services and would  have better positioned the recipient universities to compete for grants to  increase educational opportunity for students.  

Noting that it is more important than ever to compete at  a high level and remain the world’s top producer of talent and innovation, the  Departments of Education and Agriculture have offered to work with each state’s  budget office to examine the funding data to bring balance to investments in  1890 HBCUs that have been severely underfunded.

Each letter outlined the amount each state’s  1890 HBCU has been underfunded per student in state appropriated funds between  1987 and 2020 and offers a suggestion on possible remedies. To view the  letters, click here.
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