1890 Presidents, Chancellors and University Leaders write to Congressional Education Committee Chairs in support of IGNITE
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY, VA – The 19 Presidents, Chancellors and Leaders of the 1890 Universities are calling on Congress to include the Institutional Grants for New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education (IGNITE) for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Excellence Act sponsored by U.S. Reps. Alma Adams (D-NC) and French Hill (R-AR) and U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tim Scott (R-SC).
This week, the House Education and Labor Committee is scheduled to mark-up its portion of the budget reconciliation bill. Dr. Makola Abdullah, President of Virginia State University and Chair of the 1890 Council of Presidents and Dr. Paul Jones, President of Fort Valley State University and Vice Chair of the 1890 Council issued the following statement.
“On behalf of our 19 member institutions, we are strongly urging Congress to make HBCU infrastructure improvements a priority,” said Dr. Makola Abdullah, President of Virginia State University and Chair of the Council of 1890 Universities. “Almost all HBCUs have significant deferred maintenance costs and want to upgrade and build new facilities to meet the needs of our students and communities. The HBCU IGNITE Act would address these challenges and I thank Congresswoman Adams and her colleagues for their efforts,” continued Dr. Abdullah.
“The need to upgrade buildings and research facilities on our HBCU campuses has been well-documented. I hope Congress will include the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act in any infrastructure bill they pass,” said Dr. Paul Jones, President of Fort Valley State University and Vice Chair of the Council of 1890 Universities. “I want to thank U.S. Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), French Hill (R-AK) and Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) for their diligence and hard work in putting this HBCU infrastructure bill together. Congress must find a way to include this bill because failure is really not an option,” concluded Dr. Jones.
