Maryland Governor Signs $577M HBCU Underfunding Settlement Bill
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Posted By: Kennedy Williams on March 29, 2021 Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently settled a 15-year long lawsuit centered around the underfunding of the state’s HBCUs. With the new legislation, Hogan awarded $577 million over the next decade to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Maryland. According to the Associated Press, Maryland HBCUs filed a lawsuit back in 2006, alleging that the state HBCUs continued to be underfunded while predominately white institutions (PWIs) consistently received more money toward scholarships and school development. Because of the unequal financial support, PWIs are able to “drain prospective students away from HBCUs.” Hogan, who is a Republican, said, “This is an important occasion and we’re here today to enact a historic bipartisan measure that will be an unprecedented step forward in addressing inequities in our higher education system by making substantial investments in Maryland’s historically Black colleges and universities." It is also important to note that Hogan vetoed a similar bill just last year, claiming that economic difficulties created by COVID-19 made it difficult to sign off on at the time. The funding will go towards scholarships, financial aid support services, faculty recruitment, and development at schools like Morgan State University (who will receive $24 million in the first year) Bowie State ($16.8 million in the first year), University of Maryland Eastern Shore ($9.7 million in the first year) and Coppin State University ( $9 million in the first year.) The Associated Press also reports that the legislation overwhelming passed in both the House and the Senate, but payments would not begin until 2023. We commend Gov. Hogan and the state of Maryland for making efforts to wrong this right, as this is just the start in addressing the systematic and historic inequities when it comes to funding predominantly Black institutions. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Kennedy Williams
From Loganville, GA Spelman College class of 2020 Member Since July 2016 |
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