Historically Black Colleges and Universities got a major financial boost recently when the NCAA announced that it would commit more than $3 million to HBCU athletic programs.
Among the six HBCUs that will benefit are: Jackson State University, Tennessee State University, Coppin State University and Norfolk State University. The funds are all in an effort to increase student-athlete academic success. It is part of a three-year pilot program called Limited-Resource Institutions Grant Program Pilot. In total, $4.365 million in grant funds will be committed; it is the remainder from the White Case Settlement.
White V. NCAA was filed by four former Division I athletes in which they claimed that the NCAA amateurism rules limited their compensation for college sports. In this case, specifically football and basketball. In 2008, the NCAA settled the lawsuit with the establishment of a $10 million fund to provide scholarship and other career placement benefits for the members of the class represented by the plaintiffs. According to the NCAA, the Former Student-Athlete Fund website was created to assist qualified candidates applying for receipt of career development services and/or reimbursement of educational expenses.
California State University at Northridge, Coppin State University, Jackson State University and Jackson State University each received $900,000. Morehead State University got $360,000, while Norfolk State University was awarded a total of $330,000.
The funds will be used to support new programming and expand existing programs through initiatives, including summer bridge programs, summer financial aid, and mentoring and tutoring.
And, the HBCUs can also use the monies to increase academic staff and technology.
According to a NCAA spokesperson, “There are more than 400,000 NCAA student-athletes and just about every one of them will go pro in something other than sports.”