The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a grant of $2,153,184 to Tuskegee University. The funds are part of more than $26 million awarded to five institutions under the Historically Black Graduate Institutions program. Charles R. Drew University in Los Angeles; Georgia Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta; Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.; and Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta were also grant recipients. Tuskegee’s funds will be used to support the graduate veterinary medicine program.

Tsegaye Habtemariam, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health, said the two-year grant will be effective Oct. 1. He said the funds will help support the college’s graduate and professional education programs. The grant will be used to improve student support services and provide equipment as well as fund faculty salaries and student scholarships.

Habtemariam said the student support services part of the grant is particularly important and it will help pay for faculty and staff tutorials designed to help retain students in the programs. He said the training covers topics such as academic support and financial management for students who may be struggling to cover the cost of graduate education.

“We want to minimize attrition and maximize retention,” Habtemariam said. Referenced from Tuskegee