“I was able to lead the successful effort with Members of Congress to secure $80 million in scholarships for our 1890 Land Grant Universities and worked hard to ensure that funding for our 1890 Institutions, creation of Centers of Excellence, and upgrades to agricultural and food sciences research facilities, which were included in the 2018 Farm Bill,” said Chairman David Scott.  
 
“And, I look forward to working with our 1890 University Presidents, Secretary Vilsack, and the United States Congress in making this scholarship program for our 1890 institutions a permanent scholarship program,” continued Chairman David Scott. “I look forward to hearing from our 1890 Presidents on how this scholarship program is helping their students.” 

“1890s Land Grant Universities are some of our largest and most impactful Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and this hearing makes that clear,” said Congresswoman Alma Adams, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. “Yet, these institutions still face major issues regarding state matching funds and insufficient infrastructure on campus to conduct cutting edge agriculture research. As Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, it is a priority of mine to make sure the 1890s continue to have the resources to unlock the potential of millions of students across the country.  

“As this hearing and the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus’s Diversity in Tech Summit will illustrate on the same day, all stakeholders from Congress to the private sector must continue to ensure these engines of equity – the 1890s – continue to succeed.” 
 
Chair Plaskett added, “Support for the 1890 institutions is strong on this Committee. That was evident in the 2018 Farm Bill, with that legislation providing critical support for scholarships, centers of excellence, and addressing issues to ensure equity between the 1890s and their 1862 counterparts. While I am proud of the achievements we secured in the 2018 Farm Bill, there is more work to be done to support our students, our researchers, and our extension professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges associated with it, have underscored the fact that more work needs to be done to support these institutions. Our next generation of farmers deserve substantive funding to support important research initiatives. I look forward to supporting existing farm bill provisions that will assist in the success of these agriculture programs and their students.”

A live stream of the hearing will be available on YouTube.

All additional information on this hearing can be found here.