The agency has yet to make a final decision on how to define “agriculture and related fields,” a department official told Diverse. Digital divide: MSIs have a united front on this issue, calling for start-up funding for this program to be based at the U.S. Department of Commerce. President Barack Obama has not included funding in his budget, and early indications are that it is not included in a House of Representatives’ 2010 spending bill, lobbyists say.
Nonetheless, minority-serving colleges are asking for $500 million a year. Flores says many MSIs are “behind the curve on technology,” with a particular need for high-speed wireless networks connecting all campus buildings. “Congress has to step up to the plate and get this going,” he says.
Other agencies: HACU is seeking $100 million in 2010 from the Department of Energy for a new program to have HSIs carry out research in biofuels and renewable energy. And the Congressional Black Caucus, in its recent alternative budget, sought more money from the Department of Agriculture for land-grant Black colleges and Black farmers.
Such advocacy efforts will culminate in summer and fall when lawmakers write fiscal year 2010 budget bills for individual agencies. The next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
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