Mississippi’s three public HBCU’s -- Jackson State University, Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University will get an additional shot of cash from the state’s 2002 settlement of 1975 class-action lawsuit that alleged the state of Mississippi was systemically underfunding Mississippi’s three historically Black universities.
In 2002, Mississippi agreed to pay the three HBCUs about $417 million in additional funding over the next 20 years for capital improvements, endowments, and summer school programs. The money had been expected to wind down this month, but a budget presentation at the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees (Mississippi’s version of the Board of Governors) last week approved the additional allocation of funding, about $1.6 million, that the universities had not spent.
IHL also allocated another $3 million in interest from an endowment that the settlement created, which the board will allocate in perpetuity.
Settlement not enough
Ever since the lawsuit was settled, many advocates have maintained the payout was not enough to bring the HBCUs to a level playing field with Mississippi’s predominantly white institutions. Alvin Chambliss, the attorney who brought the lawsuit, didn’t want to settle, but the state of Mississippi cut a deal over his objections.
Mississippi was Mississipping
Just as the HBCUs were receiving the settlement funds, state lawmakers were making deep cuts to funding for higher education. To make up for the loss, the HBCUs had to use the settlement funds as yet another appropriation, rather than a way to catch up to the PWIs.
Mississippi was Mississipping
Just as the HBCUs were receiving the settlement funds, state lawmakers were making deep cuts to funding for higher education. To make up for the loss, the HBCUs had to use the settlement funds as yet another appropriation, rather than a way to catch up to the PWIs.
The settlement stipulated the universities could not control the income from the endowments until they reached at least 10% “other-race” enrollment. Until then, the income had to be spent on advertising and scholarships for “other race,” meaning white students. An ad hoc committee under IHL would be in charge of the endowment income for each HBCU until the university reached the enrollment requirement.
Jackson State and Alcorn State met the enrollment requirement, but Valley State never has been able to, so the IHL committee still oversees its endowment income.
State raised less than 3% of the $35 million it promised
As for the private endowment, the IHL board was supposed to raise $35 million that the HBCUs could also receive once they met the enrollment requirements. To date, it has only raised $1 million, only 2.85 percent of what was promised.
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