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O n September 3, 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order on the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. With this action, he was following all U.S. presidents since President Jimmy Carter. Carter signed the first Executive Order on August 8, 1980, making it clear that HBCUs are important to society, that systemic barriers to success had long existed for these institutions, and that the federal government has a role and obligation in making opportunities available to HBCUs. Below are seven (7) things you should know about the new Executive Order: WHITE HOUSE EXECUTIVE ORDER BY DR. MARYBETH GASMAN 7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BIDEN’S
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The Biden Administration recognizes the challenges – highlighted by COVID-19 – that HBCUs face when it pertains to physical and digital infrastructures on their campuses. Pivoting to on-line learning definitely happened at HBCUs, but the pivot revealed inequities that must be addressed through federal support and private investment.
President Biden and his team realize that there are barriers to opportunity and resources at the federal level and are committed to reducing these barriers and the bureaucracy that hold them in place.
There have long been inequities in research funding of HBCUs, with HBCUs receiving very little funding and that funding being clustered in a few HBCUs. The Biden administration recognizes these issues as well as how the lack of sponsored programs infrastructure, and grant writing and grant procurement resources at HBCUs makes securing federal funding an uphill climb. An investment in these areas would enable HBCUs to compete for federal funding on a level playing field.
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