Last week, Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Co-Chair of the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, hosted the 8th Annual HBCU STEAM Days of Action in Washington, D.C. The two-day event brought together HBCU presidents, researchers, students, federal agency leaders, and Members of Congress to advance a shared agenda: securing the research infrastructure investments necessary for HBCUs to achieve R1 Carnegie Classification status and remain competitive in federal grant funding. The event was designed to address this challenge directly by building partnerships and congressional momentum to support legislation for long-term investment in HBCU infrastructure and research like the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act.“The truth is, HBCU’s have always had the talent to meet the moment, but what we have not always had is the level of investment required to sustain it,” said Congresswoman Alma Adams. “For too long we have been asking HBCUs to do more with less, we’ve asked them to produce world class graduates with limited resources, and we’ve asked them to compete for research funding within systems that were not designed with them in mind.” HBCUs contribute nearly $16.5 billion to our annual economy and have long served as engines of opportunity for millions of Americans, many of them first-generation college students. They account for just 3% of colleges and universities nationwide but produce nearly 25% of Black STEM graduates and 33% of Black science and engineering PhDs. They also educate 42% of Black engineers and half of black educators nationwide.Achieving R1 research status would unlock significant pathways for federal and private funding streams for these institutions, enabling them to further expand research output, attract top faculty, and create economic opportunities in the communities they serve.
