Black Colleges Gain Status in GEAR UP Grant Competition - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, Oct 12, 2000

Black colleges fared somewhat better in the 2000 Gaining Early Access and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs grant competition than they did in the program's inaugural competition last year.

Some HBCU leaders were critical of the first grant awards under GEAR UP, a new federal program that promotes college awareness in students as early as middle school.

Claflin College in South Carolina was one of the few HBCUs to get a primary role in the inaugural grant competition in 1999.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Education announced awards for this year last month, selecting three HBCUs among the 75 new recipients.

Winners included Savannah (Ga.) State University, which received $272,000; North Carolina A&T University of Greensboro, which was awarded $437,913; and Fayetteville (N.C.) State University, which received $320,000.

Several Hispanic-serving institutions and tribal colleges also were among the 75 new local partnership grantees.