GREENSBORO, N.C. — As North Carolina A&T celebrates Homecoming and all the things that make the school great, campus leaders say the school could do even more if state lawmakers had not underfunded NC A&T for years.
It all comes down to how much money NC A&T got per student compared to its land-grant counterpart, NC State. A new report from the federal government shows NC State got substantially more.
The Secretary of Education sent a letter to Governor Roy Cooper saying over the last 30 years, North Carolina has underfunded NC A&T by over $2 billion.
The Secretary writes: “The longstanding and ongoing underinvestment in North Carolina A&T State University disadvantages the students, faculty, and community that the institution serves. Furthermore, it may contribute to a lack of economic activity that would ultimately benefit North Carolina.”
NC A&T says nowadays funding levels have finally equaled out, but there is a question about whether the school should get some of the money they missed out on in the past. They say it could make a huge difference to get restorative payments.
“You look at the history of segregation, most HBCUs are located in impoverished communities. Communities that have been deliberately neglected by both city and state administrators,” said Dr. Jelani Favors with the school’s Center of Excellence for Social Justice. “Our hope is if we properly fund institutions like North Carolina A&T we know that is going to directly impact East Greensboro. We know that’s going to bring greater jobs. We know a rising tide lifts all boats. Funding North Carolina A&T equally and restoratively in terms of the billions that have been lost is going to have an incredible impact on the citizens of our community.”
NC A&T is not alone. The Federal government found that 16 states have underfunded HBCUs by more than $12 billion. Some schools across the country are suing to try and get some of that money.
“I can’t say that the administration of this campus would support a lawsuit, but I do know they would support increased calls, increased demands even for the state of North Carolina to do what’s right,” Favors said.
2 Wants To Know talked with several folks over at the state capitol who say they want to study this issue further before making a decision. We’ll keep you posted.