By Greg Nasif

“Godmother of HBCUs” Welcomes Infrastructure Investments She Fought for in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D, NC-12), Founder and Co-Chair of the bipartisan HBCU Caucus, celebrated a federal investment of nearly five million dollars into Tennessee State University as part of the federal Institutional grants for the New Infrastructure, Technology, and Education for HBCU Excellence (IGNITE) Act she led and passed in the 2023 Omnibus Budget bill. 

The investment of $4,946,573 will go into repairing infrastructure backlogs on campus. At TSU, some of the funds are slated to support a new biomedical research center. 

“Tennessee State University is pleased to receive this funding and appreciates the efforts of Congresswoman Alma Adams and her commitment to our university, our students, and all HBCUs,” said TSU President Glenda Glover.

“Congresswoman Adams has been a longstanding champion for HBCUs from starting the HBCU Caucus to her continuous advocacy for our institutions by securing millions of dollars in much needed funding.”

“Hard work to pass infrastructure funding for our HBCUs is finally turning legislation on paper into brick and mortar results,” said Rep. Adams. “This nearly $5M IGNITE grant for Tennessee State University, long overdue, will pay off immediately for their students, and in the long run with a new biomedical research center that saves lives. With a fully supportive White House, I will keep working to secure more funding to close the backlog of needed repairs on HBCU campuses where so many young people of color are building their futures.” 

Dr. Quincy Quick, Associate Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs and Chief Research Officer expressed much appreciation for Congresswoman Adams efforts.

“As an R2 Carnegie designated research institution, this funding will considerably assist Tennessee State University in our pursuit to achieve an R1 research designation, the highest research education classification bestowed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education,” Dr. Quick said. “This funding will support the establishment of the Center of Biomedical Sciences, and significantly enhance our biomedical sciences and behavioral research capacity.”

Rep. Adams has advocated for a fuller version of the IGNITE Act to address the vast backlog of infrastructure repairs and investments HBCUs seek to rebuild their campuses and stay competitive with the many land-grant universities which Black students were forbidden from attending for up to a century or more.