UNCF Welcomes Pres. Biden to HBCU Florida Memorial University

POTUS to speak on the HBCU campus on Tuesday as UNCF urges his support for HBCU infrastructure bill

On Tuesday Nov. 1, President Joseph R. Biden heads to HBCU Florida Memorial University at a pivotal moment for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their students, recent graduates, and higher education borrowers of color.  This is President Biden’s second HBCU campus visit in recent weeks.

“We cannot say enough about our partnership with President Biden,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF (United Negro College Fund).  “Since the campaign, he and Vice President Kamala Harris have been so inclusive with respect to our institutions and what their policies can do to improve us.  Even though we had big policy wins in the last five years, we have grown accustomed to being on the fringes of what previous administrations wanted to achieve. I must say that is not the case today, and I hope after the president visits the campus he calls for the passage of the updated HBCUs IGNITE Excellence bill, which is the only bill before Congress to improve infrastructure on HBCU campuses.”

“There is never a wrong time to visit one of our institutions,” said Lodriguez V. Murray, UNCF’s senior vice president for public policy and government affairs.  “The president and his administration are certainly appreciated for including HBCU priorities in his policy initiatives.  However, when Congress trims them, as has happened recently, we need leadership to make sure HBCUs are fully funded before this session adjourns.  UNCF has only two priorities before the calendar turns: fully funding our budget priorities and the passage of the revamped HBCUs IGNITE Excellence bill, which just got support from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.  When you add the fact that the original bill had nearly half the House as co-sponsors, the only thing we are missing is the president’s endorsement.”

Florida Memorial is one of the 37 private HBCUs that comprise the UNCF’s membership.

The re-introduced HBCUs IGNITE Excellence bill would require the U.S. Department of Education to disperse grants for constructing new campus buildings, expand broadband access, and acquire research and instruction equipment specifically at HBCUs and qualifying minority-serving institutions (MSIs), such as Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions.

 

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About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”^® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.