The Charlotte Post
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) is lobbying President Barack Obama to provide more support for historically black colleges.
Hagan sent a letter to Obama on Wednesday requesting his 2014 budget build upon previous administration support for HBCUs, including 10 in North Carolina. Noting that black colleges make up less than 3 percent of U.S. schools of higher education, Hagan wrote that HBCUs “graduate a disproportionate percentage of African-American students,” including half of the country’s black public school teachers and more than half of African American professionals.
“I ask that you continue to build upon the principles highlighted in your Executive Order by providing the funding necessary for the success of these institutions,” she wrote.
Obama signed an Executive Order in 2010 that promoted innovation and sustainability at the country’s 105 black colleges, which historically are underfunded compared to other schools.
“I believe that the prosperity of these institutions is intricately connected to your call to lead the world in the proportion of college graduates by 2020,” Hagan wrote.
Hagan has been a consistent champion of HBCUs in the Senate. Over the last three years, she led pushed a bipartisan resolution recognizing HBCUs as well as maintaining their funding and program investments.
“A strategic investment in our HBCUs is an investment in our nation’s future,” Hagan wrote.
