NAFEO leaders said they favored merging the aims of health care reform and increasing investment in minority-serving schools but expressed concern that Congress not lose sight of the needs of HBCUs and other predominantly Black institutions during the health care debate.
“As they move forward on health care, we don’t want any tradeoffs in education,” NAFEO president Dr. Lezli Baskerville said.
In addition to hearing from congressional leaders about health care and education legislation, NAFEO members pressed for legislative funding requests under the Higher Education Act’s Title III for fiscal year 2011, including:
- $282 million for strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- $18.75 million for strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions
- $67 million for strengthening HBCU graduate programs
- $25 million for Endowment Challenge Grants
- $21 million for HBCU capital financing
“Title IIIB programs will continue to help HBCUs meet challenges and provide vital services to their communities,” said Sylvia Thomas, president of the National Association of Title III Administrators, at the NAFEO congressional summit.
