Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 5-21-21

HBCU
Judge Approves $577 Million Settlement For Maryland HBCUs
ANNAPOLIS — A federal judge has approved a $577 million settlement in a law- suit over underfunding at Maryland’s four historically Black colleges and universi- ties.
The deal approved last Wednesday will provide $555 million in extra fund- ing over 10 years, beginning in 2023, for Bowie State Uni- versity, Coppin State Univer- sity, Morgan State University in Baltimore and the Univer- sity of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
The total amount in- cludes $22 million in legal costs for the plaintiffs who
spent 15 years litigating these claims.
The lawsuit accused Maryland of underfunding the institutions while devel- oping programs at tradition- ally white schools that directly competed with them, draining away prospective students.
In 2013, U. S. District
Judge Catherine C. Blake found that the state had maintained “a dual and segregated education sys- tem” that violated the Con- stitution. Blake issued an order Wednesday stating the settlement adequately ad- dresses the problem.
The funds are expected to go toward scholarships and financial aid as well as fac- ulty recruitment and devel- opment. Funds also can be used to expand and improve existing academic programs, including online programs, and to develop and imple- ment new academic pro- grams.
The Maryland General Assembly passed legisla- tion this spring finalizing the settlement. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan had vetoed a similar bill last year, saying he would approve no more than $200 million, The Bal- timore Sun reported.
(March 24, 2021 photo) Maryland House Speaker, Adrienne Jones, 3rd from left, points up while standing with the presidents of Mary- land’s 4 Historical Black Colleges and Universities, after a bill signing ceremony in Bowie, MD to set aside $577 million to settle a federal lawsuit. From left are: Aminta Breaux, President of Bowie State University; Heidi Anderson, President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Jones, Sen. Charles Sydnor; David Wilson, President of Morgan State University; and Anthony Jenkins, President of Coppin State University. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)
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