SECTOR NEWS
HBCUs to compete during NCAA Final Four weekend
Future Final Four weekends are slated for even more basketball.
Starting in 2022, players selected as All-Stars from historically Black colleges and universities will compete on Final Four Sundays. The games will take place in the host city on the off day between the Saturday national semifinals and Monday championship games. (Yahoo! News)
Legalized marijuana proposal in Maryland to yield funding for state’s Black colleges
The bill sponsors said legalizing pot would generate $300 million a year. The bill establishes a graduated excise tax from 10% in 2022 up to 20% in 2027. Local jurisdictions could impose an additional 3% sales tax. Meanwhile, 27% of the revenue would go to a community reinvestment fund to provide housing assistance, scholarship aid, re-entry programs and other community services…
Twenty percent of revenues would go to endowments historically Black colleges and universities. The bill sets up a social equity start-up fund to provide money and other resources to help minorities get into the business. (WBAL)
Celebrating the agricultural impacts of 1890 Land-Grant Universities
USDA has a long history of investing in and supporting our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The 19 HBCUs established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890, along with the two HBCU land-grant universities established in the original 1862 legislation – University of the District of Columbia and University of the Virgin Islands – are a critical link in ensuring public access to agricultural education, research, and outreach programs are equitably distributed to all Americans. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supports research at these institutions with both capacity and competitive funding. (US Department of Agriculture)
Air Force looks to bolster diversity recruiting at HBCUs
Diversity and winning the next great power competition go hand-in-hand. Recognizing the value of having and developing agile thinkers at all levels of the Air Force who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, Air Education and Training Command leaders have taken deliberate actions focused on diversity and inclusion for both recruits and current Airmen and Guardians.
“We still have work to do to remove barriers that prevent every Airman from reaching his or her full potential, especially Airmen from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in our Air Force or senior leader levels, but we are making progress in many ways,” said Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of Air Education and Training Command. “We are also working on a number of initiatives that remove barriers that enable us to cultivate a high-performing and innovative Air Force reflective of the best of our nation.” (DVIDS)
INDUSTRY NEWS
New report details systemic failure of college finance (National Association of Scholars)
Colleges are eliminating sports teams – and runners and golfers are paying more of a price than football or basketball players (The Conversation)
Community colleges at a crossroads: Enrollment is plummeting, but political clout is growing (Washington Post)
Student files class-action lawsuit against UT-Austin, saying online education last year wasn’t worth the tuition (Texas Tribune)
