A multi-million-dollar initiative is on the way to ensure the responsible use of AI at two HBCUs. ASCEND-AI According to a press release, Howard University and Bowie State University will benefit from a $4 million initiative called ASCEND-AI (Advancing Student and Collaborative Educator Networks for Digital AI Integration). It is led by LaTanya Brown-Robertson, associate dean for academic innovation and student success in Howard’s College of Arts and Sciences , and is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. ASCEND-AI will reach about 400 undergraduate and graduate students and 50 faculty members across each campus annually to increase their AI literacy. The program seeks to strengthen its evaluation of AI-generated misinformation and hallucinations and encourage ethical use of AI. Additionally, the partnership will prepare participants to use AI for innovation and entrepreneurship. Faculty members at Howard University and Bowie State University will be trained...

MacKenzie Scott is continuing her support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the donation of $42 million to Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). ECSU Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove Sr. announced the gift on Friday, March 13, 2026, during the university’s Founders Day Convocation, which marked 135 years since its founding in 1891. The institution has long been committed to expanding access and opportunity through its mission to educate, empower, and elevate, according to a press release. “I want to express our deepest gratitude to MacKenzie Scott for this remarkable act of generosity and for her recognition of the critical role that HBCUs play in expanding opportunity and strengthening communities,” Hargrove said in a statement. “Her investment affirms what we already know: that institutions like ECSU are powerful catalysts for change.” How MacKenzie Scott’s $42M Gift Will Benefit ECSU The gift marks the largest per-student donation among HBCUs in Scott’s...

Tuskegee University is working to increase access to nursing careers. Nursing Apprenticeship Program Details According to a press release, the Historically Black College and Universit y (HBCU) has approved its nursing apprenticeship program, which was established to strengthen Alabama’s healthcare workforce and expand care access. The program marks a first for a four-year HBCU in the state of Alabama. Registered through the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship within the Alabama Department of Labor, the program includes classroom instruction, paid on-the-job learning, clinical experience, and one-on-one mentorship from experienced nurses. Apprentices Will Be Paid What’s more, participants can earn wages during clinical rotations. “This apprenticeship represents a different way of thinking about how we prepare Alabama’s healthcare workforce,” said Meredith Smith, director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, according to the news release. “By blending education with paid and...

Funding is being raised to keep the doors open at Barber-Scotia College in Concord, NC. The Historically Black women’s college lost its accreditation in 2004, per its website, but under the leadership of its president, Chris V. Rey, J.D., it is working to regain it. In a Facebook video from January, Rey acknowledged that the school had recently had its hardest day since he took over as president in 2023, according to his LinkedIn. The school has struggled to raise funds to continue operating but has acknowledged support from alumni and individuals who align with its mission, he noted. “It’s not easy raising money for an unaccredited institution … We have completely run outta money as an institution,” Rey said in the Facebook video. “Many of our students, who have decided to come and be on this journey with us, many of ’em, they have struggled to pay ’cause they don’t have access to federal financial aid yet. And it has been truly a challenge for them. Some of our major donors that...

Morris Brown College has been awarded new funding to support its hospitality management program. The Historically Black College and University (HBCU) is currently led by Dr. Kevin James, who, in a conversation with Atlanta News First, joked that he had recently taken a five-day vacation. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, in January the college’s Board of Trustees removed James from his post as president “without providing specific cause or substantive explanation,” he said in a post on LinkedIn. He was reinstated on Jan. 20, 2026, and the board acknowledged that it had not complied with the procedural and contractual requirements outlined in James’ employment agreement, which has him under contract until 2029, according to his post. “We are back. We are pushing forward, and we’re very, very excited,” James told Atlanta News First. He aims for the college to become a top institution and describes the school’s era as a “hard reset,” according to the outlet. The college was recently...

Congresswoman Valerie P. Foushee has introduced legislation to ensure that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) expand their stake in AI. According to a press release, Foushee, who is also the co-chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, introduced the HBCU Artificial Intelligence Research Leadership Act. The legislation would ensure that HBCUs can launch federally funded AI Research Institutes. It would require the National Science Foundation’s National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program to reserve 10% of research institutes for HBCUs. These research institutes would be operated by an HBCU or would be established in partnership with an HBCU. “This legislation expands access to cutting-edge research, strengthens the AI workforce pipeline, and creates high-quality jobs and economic opportunity in communities that have too often been left out of major federal investments. By ensuring HBCUs are full partners in our...

Comedian Katt Williams is partnering with Miles College to ensure students are ahead of the learning curve in technology. Complex reported that Williams and the Alabama historically Black college and university (HBCU) are launching a scholarship to support learners in AI and augmented reality (AR). The scholarship fund will provide students with opportunities to learn virtual production, CGI, and immersive storytelling. “There are a lot of jobs right now that in five years won’t be in existence because of AR and AI, and we want to make sure that our students are equipped with the tools they need to operate in that world,” Miles College President Bobbie Knights said, according to WVTM 13. In addition, Williams is opening a production hub in Anniston, AL, at the closed U.S. Army training base, Fort McClellan. The hub — launched under his production company Kemet Movie Works — takes inspiration from the region’s history, including the Chitlin’ Circuit, which supported the careers of...

Southern University and A&M College marked a significant milestone in the construction of its $68 million science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) complex. In an Instagram post published Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, the Baton Rouge, LA-based Historically Black College and University ( HBCU ) shared plans that the state-of-the-art facility will be completed in 2027. “A major milestone is now in place,” the university shared in the post. “Today, Southern University celebrated the topping-off of the new STEM Complex, marking the placement of the final structural beam.” According to a news release, the project is funded through Louisiana’s Capital Outlay Act. Transforming STEM Education On Campus University officials believe the facility will transform STEM education on campus and beyond, positioning students to compete at the highest levels. “Our mission is to provide a transformative educational experience and opportunities to our students so they can become global...

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is strengthening medical education across several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). According to information on RWJF’s website, an estimated 70% of the nation’s Black doctors and dentists are educated at HBCUs. These professionals often return to work in underserved areas and conduct inclusive research, notes the website, adding further importance to the foundation’s investment in HBCU medical programs. Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine Awarded $1.75M In early February 2026, The foundation awarded a $1.75 million grant to the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM), supporting advancements in medical education and healthcare across the Gulf South and other regions, according to a news release. XOCOM leaders will receive support for development and engagement as they pursue preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to become the “fifth allopathic HBCU medical school” in the nation, notes...

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, students at Florida A&M University ( FAMU ) have run into difficulties while promoting events for Black History Month, saying the university’s approval process flags certain words, including the word “Black.” Aaliyah Steward, a final-year law student, brought the issue to News 6, which reported the story on Feb. 6, 2026. Steward told News 6  that her organization, the Black Law Students Association, had to abbreviate the language used on Black History Month flyers, noting that they also couldn’t use the words “women” or “affirmative action.” News 6’s report garnered widespread public attention and social media reaction, including from prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Grammy Award-winning artist SZA, notes the outlet. On Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, FAMU responded, citing a “staff-level error” that caused the issue. News 9 reported that internal university emails suggested that the words weren’t prohibited, but that the issue stemmed from an...

February is Black History Month , but students at Florida A&M University (FAMU) say promoting events has been challenging because the university’s approval process flags certain words. Aaliyah Steward, a student finishing up her final year at FAMU’s College of Law, says she has faced obstacles while trying to publicize the month’s events for the Black Law Students Association, WKMG News 6 reports . Steward claims that a review of event flyers flagged terms such as “black,” “affirmative action,” and “women,” preventing their broadcast or publication. “We couldn’t use the word ‘black’ in Black History Month. We would have to abbreviate it,” Steward said, per News 6. “I was very angry and baffled because this is a Historically Black College and University ( HBCU ), and for them to say we can’t use the word ‘black’ was kind of insane.” Why FAMU Is Restricting The Word ‘Black’ According to the outlet, Florida’s State Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s 12 public universities —...

Rapper T.I. has opened his pocketbook to support a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Dr. Kevin James, who is the current president of Morris Brown College, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, made an announcement on Jan. 28 that the school has received more than $800,000 in new public and private funding as it continues to rebuild after regaining its accreditation in 2021. This follows recent uncertainty for the school, which saw James removed from his position in early January 2026 by the college’s Board of Trustees, according to AFROTECH™. At the time, he claimed the removal had been “without providing specific cause or substantive explanation” and that his presidential contract was effective through 2029, per the outlet. James was ultimately reinstated a week later after the school acknowledged that his exit had not been in compliance with the procedural and contractual requirements outlined in his employment agreement. In the latest funding announcement, James...

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...

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...

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...