Hampton University could rejoin Virginia’s land-grant lineup, positioning the Historically Black College and University ( HBCU ) to regain federal funding it lost over a century ago and expand access to programs connected to agriculture, engineering, and other applied sciences. The restoration could also open up opportunities for STEM workforce training, labs, and research, HBCU Game Day reported. Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton) introduced Senate Bill 274 on Jan. 13, 2026 to reinstate the school’s status and funding, and leaders from Hampton University spoke with the Virginia Senate Higher Education Subcommittee on the matter. They told the subcommittee that the school had held land-grant status from 1872 to 1920, according to the outlet. The federal government’s decision in 1920 to remove the designation rested on the belief that only one Black institution per state could hold land-grant status, leaving Virginia State University, HBCU Game Day shared. However, Hampton President...

Colin Kaepernick aims to equip youth with skills to use AI creatively and responsibly. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the former NFL star secured $4 million in funding to launch Lumi, an AI-powered storytelling platform designed to develop comics, graphic novels, manga, and other hybrid written-illustrated stories. The platform uses AI to help users create characters, define their traits and storylines, and leverage built-in image generation tools to bring their projects from concept to completion. Lumi aims to support students and teachers, according to its website. “I’ve seen struggling writers transform when they create a character that reflects who they are. I’ve seen teachers relax when they have tools that truly support, not replace, their role. Lumi was built for those moments,” Kaepernick said in a statement on the platform’s website. Kaepernick is now partnering with the Metro Nashville Public Schools district to pilot Lumi Story, according to The Tennessean. This...

The Education Department is changing its tune on the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in education. In February 2025, the Trump administration dismantled DEI-related programs, initiatives, and roles at the federal level, the Los Angeles Times reports . The same month, the Department of Education sent a letter to schools, discouraging them from considering race in college admissions, hiring processes, scholarship programs, and “ all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” The letter claimed that upholding DEI efforts resulted in discrimination against white and Asian American students. According to The Hill, K-12 schools were also notified that upholding DEI would result in a loss of federal funding, and were asked to sign a certification to show they would be compliant with the order. Inside Higher Ed reports that, soon after, groups of education unions, a national association, and a public school district challenged the Trump administration’s actions in...

Coco Gauff has doubled down on her commitment to HBCU students. Gauff comes from a family of HBCU graduates, Tennis reports, but didn’t have a chance to follow suit, choosing her tennis career instead. She has secured numerous titles, including 2025 French Open champion, 2023 U.S. Open champion, and is the highest-paid women’s athlete for the third year in a row, according to Sportico. Yet, she told Tennis that if she weren’t playing the sport, an HBCU would be in her playbook. “If I didn’t play tennis, I would have loved to attend an HBCU,” she told the outlet. “I have family members on both sides, both my grandmothers went to HBCUs, uncle and aunt went to HBCUs, and growing up, just attending, going to HBCU Classic games and things like that.” Coco Gauff Scholarship Program Gauff donated $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) in 2025 to provide scholarships to HBCU students playing competitive tennis. This led to the launch of the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program, which...

Kevin James will return to his post at Morris Brown College as president. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, James was removed from his post by the college’s Board of Trustees just over a week ago “without providing specific cause or substantive explanation,” he shared on LinkedIn. Trustee Nzinga Shaw was appointed interim president. James became the 19th president of Morris Brown College on March 1, 2019, and brought 24 years of experience as an educator to the role, notes Fox5Atlanta. Under his leadership, James helped Morris Brown College regain accreditation in 2021 after losing it in 2002 due to debt and financial mismanagement, per a separate AFROTECH™ article. James also restored access to federal financial aid, grew enrollment from 20 to over 540 students, and established long-term financial stability, among other accomplishments, per his LinkedIn post. He described the timing of his departure as “troubling” in the post, stating that the university was nearing an...

Rapper Nas is behind a first-of-its-kind academic fellowship at Harvard University. Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship In 2013, the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship was established at Harvard University through the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. It is reportedly the first academic fellowship named after a Hip-Hop artist, according to the Ivy League school’s website. The rapper, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, is known for “his lyrical skill, social analysis and commitment.” His works include a debut album “Illmatic” (1994), followed by “It Was Written” (1996) and later the “King’s Disease” trilogy (2020, 2021, 2022). He also is investing $2 million to establish The Hip-Hop Museum in The Bronx, alongside the Resorts World New York City casino, as AFROTECH™ perviously told you. The fellowship reflects what Nas said he always recognized in Hip-Hop. It is a form of education. “One thing that drew me to Hip-Hop was the things Kurtis Blow was saying, the things Melle...

Google has been hiring “tons” of workers without college degrees, according to its co-founder. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is a Stanford University graduate who studied computer science, according to Fortune. Various students have also flocked to pursue their college studies in that field, as they’ve been told it will provide a good salary. However, those promises have looked more bleak of late. Forbes notes that 170,000 undergraduates majored in the field in 2024, which was double that of a decade before, and that those students are now facing some of the highest unemployment rates (6.1%). The outlet also points out that there aren’t many six-figure starting salaries in big tech anymore. And though AI has raised concerns for many graduates, Brin suggests, per Fortune, that it doesn’t mean people should steer clear of pursuing their studies. “I wouldn’t go off and switch to comparative literature because you think the AI is good at coding,” he said, according to Fortune. “The AI...

There may soon be a shift in higher education. According to The Washington Times, the Department of Education will no longer fund college degree programs that cannot demonstrate their alumni earn more than high school graduates. This was decided by public- and private-sector policy stakeholders who voted on a decision that could impact higher education, including trade school certificates and graduate degrees. The rule ending support for “consistently failing programs” will take effect in July 2026 and will also impact eligibility for federal loans as well as Pell Grants, which have been helpful for low-income students. “After more than 15 years of regulatory uncertainty under the previous three administrations, we’ve developed an accountability framework that institutions can work with, students will benefit from, and taxpayers can rightfully expect to improve outcomes,” Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said in a statement, according to the outlet. The Department of...

As AI reshapes how students of all ages learn, retain information, and complete assignments, some enrollees at Louisiana State University (LSU) are facing cheating allegations. The allegations have created a significant backlog for the university’s Student Advocacy and Accountability Board (SAA), which reviews academic misconduct cases, many of them now tied to suspected AI use, WAFB 9 News reports. Suspected AI Use Puts Student’s Scholarship At Risk One student, identified only as Sarah, told WAFB 9 she was at risk of losing her scholarship after a professor gave her a zero on an assignment, claiming it was “93% AI-written.” “So, then I turn to the other people in my class, and they’re like, yeah, we got zeroes on it,” Sarah recalled. “We don’t know what’s happening. We email her. She emails us back and says she’s reported us to SAA.” Sarah said she received an automated message from the SAA after reaching out. The office informed her that it was backed up and that a case manager...

Morris Brown College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) based in Atlanta, GA, has parted ways with Kevin James as its president. James, the institution’s 19th president, shared the news in a LinkedIn post on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, saying the Board of Trustees fired him “without providing a specific cause or substantive explanation.” “This action is deeply concerning,” James wrote. “Research and my lived experience demonstrate that many HBCUs have struggled with board overreach and interference. Unfortunately, those dynamics are evident in this situation.” James said the Board’s decision “disregards established governance best practices” and violates his presidential contract, which runs through 2029. He shared plans to “pursue all rights and remedies” available under the agreement. “Morris Brown College has literally made history under my leadership as President,” James said in his post, citing a successful annual evaluation and continually strong performance...

College educators are reportedly rethinking their teaching methods as Gen Z students arrive on campus with weaker reading skills than previous generations. Nearly half of all Americans did not read a single book in 2025, and reading habits have declined by roughly 40% over the past decade, Fortune reports . Gen Z continues to lag behind other generations: Americans aged 18–29 read an average of just 5.8 books in 2025, the outlet notes. How Professors Are Adjusting Their Teaching Jessica Hooten Wilson, a professor of great books and humanities at Pepperdine University, told Fortune that some students now arrive in her classroom struggling to read even a single sentence or engage in basic critical thinking. Rather than lowering expectations, Wilson has adapted her approach to instruction. She now reads passages aloud with students, analyzes texts line by line, and returns repeatedly to a single poem or passage throughout a semester. The goal, she says, is to help students rebuild...

Howard University has introduced an AI course to prepare its students for leading-edge engineering roles, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. The Historically Black College and University (HBCU) is rolling out an Intro to Artificial Intelligence course in spring 2026, in partnership with CodePath and with the financial support of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). Howard faculty and CodePath’s faculty network will work together on course instruction in areas including data structures, AI literacy, and agentic workflows, per the press release. “Our work is rooted in the idea that HBCUs are not only equipping students for coursework but also building skills vital to succeeding and leading in the workplace,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams, TMCF president and CEO, in the press release. “Through programs like this and professional development such as what our Innovation & Partnership arm provides, our HBCUs are elevating excellence and creating pathways to opportunity...

Historically Black Colleges and Universities ( HBCUs ) play a central role in the lives of Black students, fostering a sense of community that endures long after graduation. Yet many high school students remain largely unfamiliar with the institutions and their impact. On Jan. 2, 2026, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) released a new study titled “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” which surveyed nearly 150 students, teachers, and school counselors across seven high schools in the Northeast, Midwest, and West. Through the study, UNCF researchers identified a significant knowledge gap: 67% of teachers and 60% of counselors were somewhat, very, or extremely knowledgeable about HBCUs, while 61% of students reported little to no familiarity with the institutions. Additionally, over half of students surveyed — 53% — said their school counselors never or rarely suggested attending an HBCU, and 54% said counselors hardly ever provided resources about HBCU attendance. “The pivotal...

An AI-powered solution was launched for displaced workers and recent college graduates in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area. Talent Capital Talent Capital, a regional career services initiative of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, was launched in Washington, D.C., by Mayor Muriel Bowser and partners in October 2025, according to a press release. The new program comes after over 317,000 federal employees lost their jobs in 2025, with defense, agriculture, and treasury departments taking the hardest hits, per Federal News Network. In the DMV area, 34,100 federal employees lost their jobs from January to September 2025, according to Bethesda Magazine. Furthermore, college graduates have also been challenged in the job market with fewer entry-level positions available, CNBC mentions. Youth unemployment is sometimes an “early indicator that the economy is slowing down or maybe even heading towards a recession,” according to Anders Humlum,...

Dwayne Tucker’s leadership is steering Tennessee State University (TSU) in a positive direction. Tucker is an alum of the school, having earned a bachelor’s in business management in 1980, according to a press release. He assumed the role of interim president at the university in December 2024, succeeding Ronald Johnson, who was forced to resign. WKRN News 2 reports he also previously led a network of charter schools in the metropolitan area. Tucker brings experience in human resources and profit and loss for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, notes the press release. He has also established board of director and compensation committee strategy, governance, and compliance-related programs. “It’s my pleasure to accept appointment of interim president for our beloved Tennessee State University,” Tucker expressed in the news release. “I also want to thank our board of trustees for their confidence in me as well as the bigger big blue community in terms of their support and...