Ossoff vows to push for more support for Georgia’s Black colleges
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff on Wednesday announced federal funding for several historically Black colleges and universities in Georgia, while stressing his desire to provide more aid to the schools.
Ossoff, D-Ga., said Clark Atlanta University will receive $1 million for its program to train students in cybersecurity. Morehouse School of Medicine will get $500,000 for its planned academic and research building.
The senator made the announcement at Spelman College, which has received $2.5 million for upgrades to its wireless network, research and virtual learning courses.
“If we have learned anything from the pandemic, we’ve learned that our technology infrastructure is absolutely essential to the teaching and learning enterprise,” said Spelman President Mary Schmidt Campbell. “We cannot function as educational institutions without first-rate, state-of-the-art technology.”
Ossoff and other high-profile Democrats have been under pressure from students and activists to provide more federal funding to HBCUs to address longstanding concerns such as older residential halls that need to be renovated or replaced.
HBCU leaders have also pushed for more money for technological improvements as they look to enhance their research capabilities. Georgia has 10 HBCUs.
“I’m going to continue to work to secure investments for Georgia’s HBCUs,” Ossoff said.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
