WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today attended the United Negro College Fund’s (UNCF’s) first annual State of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Address. At the event, Brown was recognized as a member of the HBCU Congressional Honor Roll. Brown is one of just 59 members of Congress who were recognized for being champions and strong advocates for HBCUs during the 115th Congress. Only 10 percent of the Senate was named to the Honor Roll, along with just 49 of the 435 House members.

“HBCUs have fostered generations of African American leaders in law, academia, agriculture, politics, health care, and the sciences, who otherwise might have been denied the opportunity. HBCUs have a rich tradition in helping make our workforce more diverse and they do an incredible job of providing opportunity to underrepresented and low-income students,” said Brown. “It’s critical we continue to secure the kinds of investments needed to ensure these institutions, which have anchored our communities for years, can continue training the next generation of leaders.”

“As the President of Wilberforce University, I was proud to be a part of the inaugural State of the HBCUs address and, more importantly, I was proud to see Senator Sherrod Brown in attendance,” said Dr. Elfred Anthony Pinkard. “Senator Brown has been a great representative for the State of Ohio and for issues pertinent to HBCUs. He is well deserving of the HBCU Honor Roll distinction.”

“Senator Sherrod Brown has been an advocate for HBCUs and issues impacting low-income, first generation college students for years,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “When we contemplated who would serve on our inaugural HBCU Honor Roll, it was without question that the Senator would be on the list. We know that we can count on Senator Brown to be a partner on issues near and dear to the HBCU community.”

Senator Brown has long fought to secure funding for HBCUs like Central State University and Wilberforce University in Ohio:

  • In FY 2018, Brown helped secure a 14 percent increase in HBCU appropriations, including additional money for Title III programs, $10 million to provide deferments of loans made under the HBCU Capital Financing Loan program and $20 million to cover the loans of the program. The funding will also bolster research opportunities for HBCUs. That funding was again secured in the FY 2019 appropriations bill, and Brown will continue fighting to ensure future investments for HBCUs.
  • In the 2014 Farm Bill, Brown helped secure Central State University’s recognition as an 1890 Land Grant University. For more than 100 years, Central State University was denied 1890 Land-Grant status, meaning it was ineligible for funding from the USDA for its innovative scientific research. In 2014, Brown along with Reps. Fudge and Beatty, helped correct that injustice in the last Farm Bill by ensuring Central State received land-grant status.
    • In the 2018 bill, Brown authored and fought to secure investments that will ensure the 1890s can expand their research capacity and outreach in the coming years.

UNCF 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, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country.

 

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