(Washington, DC) – Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn was successful in securing $8 million for South Carolina Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Energy-Water appropriations in the Omnibus Bill that passed Saturday. Six million of the funds are through the National Nuclear Security Administration account. According to the legislation, "it is in the Nation's best interest to support the HBCU institutions across the country in order to deepen the recruiting pool of diverse scientific and technical staff available to the NNSA and its national laboratories in support of the national security programs." The bill contains the following:
Recipient Amount
Clafin University in Orangeburg $2 million
Allen University in Columbia $2 million
Voorhees College in Denmark $1 million
Morris College in Sumter $500,000
Benedict College in Columbia $500,000
In addition, South Carolina State University's James E. Clyburn Transportation Center will receive $2 million for its SCSU Environmental Institute. This Institute was approved by the South Carolina Higher Education Commission earlier this year and will study and research the transportation and disposition of hazardous waste and materials.
"As a graduate of South Carolina State, I have long believed that it and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities and most especially those that are 1890 Land Grant institutions have been under-funded and under-utilized in our efforts to better the quality of life of rural America," Congressman Clyburn said. "These funds will begin to bridge that gap of support between HBCUs and white majority institutions."
The measure is on the way to the White House where the President is expected to sign it into law.
# # #