Coop Gets His HBCU Funding On

Posted by Freddie on July 22, 2007 under Uncategorized |

As someone who now has a very close tie to Meharry Medical College, I’m always encouraged when I see it appropriately recognized by community leaders. But until Nashville’s community of wealthy philanthropists commit to stepping up and playing important development roles for institutions like Fisk, Meharry, and TSU, I’m glad that we have a congressman that recognizes the need for these institutions to receive considerable financial resources. From a release last week:

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved an amendment by Congressman Jim Cooper that would boost funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) by $125 million. By voice vote, the House shifted the monies away from administrative and overhead costs and into a fund for HBCUs and HBGIs, increasing their funding level by 40%.

“This is a long overdue shot in the arm for our nation’s historically black colleges, universities, and graduate schools,” Cooper said after the vote. “I’m proud to represent fine institutions like Fisk University, Tennessee State University, and Meharry Medical College, which will gain access to these much-needed funds. This increase will help schools across the country fulfill their historically vital public service mission for many years to come.”

Cooper, who offered the amendment on the House floor yesterday afternoon with Congressman Steve Cohen, noted that HBCUs and HBGIs have seen no funding increases in recent years, and that the small increase provided in the current appropriations bill is a good start, but insufficient. The House is expected to pass the full bill, including Cooper’s amendment, later today before sending it to the Senate for approval.

Perhaps Congressman Cooper’s leadership on this issue will inspire private citizens to emulate him.