MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2019 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Bell (65th), Holloway, Clarke, Paden, Hines, Karriem, Rosebud, Banks, Dortch, Johnson (94th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING THE "MISSISSIPPI INITIATIVE ON HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUS)" AS A MEANS TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES FOR HBCUS TO PARTICIPATE IN AND BENEFIT FROM STATE PROGRAMS THAT SERVE TO ENSURE THAT THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI HAS THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE PROPORTION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM HBCUS IN THE COUNTRY AND ENCOURAGE LEGISLATIVE SUPPORT OF SUCH INITIATIVE THROUGH APPROPRIATE LEGISLATIVE ACTION AND FUNDING.
WHEREAS, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have made historic and ongoing contributions to the general welfare and prosperity of our country; and
WHEREAS, America's HBCUs, for over 150 years, have produced leaders in business, government, academia and the military, and have provided generations of men and women with hope and educational opportunity; and
WHEREAS, 105 HBCUs are located in twenty states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and serve more than 300,000 undergraduate and graduate students; and
WHEREAS, these institutions continue to be important engines of economic growth and community service, and they are proven ladders of intergenerational advancement for men and women of all ethnic, racial and economic backgrounds, especially African Americans; and
WHEREAS, these institutions also produce a high number of baccalaureate recipients who go on to assume leadership and service roles in their communities and who successfully complete graduate and professional degree programs; and
WHEREAS, in February 2010, President Obama signed Executive Order 13532 to highlight excellence, innovation and sustainability of HBCUs, using partnerships with federal agencies and departments and the private sector to sustain the important work of HBCUs; and
WHEREAS, it should be the intent of the Mississippi Legislature to promote and enhance the role of historically Black colleges and universities located in Mississippi as prime contributors to the economic growth of the state by encouraging such institutions to continue their efforts to organize a consortium for the purpose of strategically partnering with the state and private industry to effectively achieve superior economic development in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the educational programs already provided for and funded by the state, financial support may also be provided for the organization, operation and continuation of a "Mississippi Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)" through additional funds to be appropriated by the Legislature, which such funds shall be expended for the equitable benefit of the HBCU institutions participating in the initiative for the purpose of meeting its established key objectives; and
WHEREAS, the initiative end goal is purposed to establish and administer methods to strengthen the capacity of historically Black colleges and universities to provide the highest quality education, increase opportunities for these institutions to participate in and benefit from state programs, and ensure that the State of Mississippi has the highest proportion of college graduates from HBCUs in the country; and
WHEREAS, the initiative working with state departments, agencies, offices, the private sector, educational associations, philanthropic organizations and other partners is responsible for the performance of five core tasks:
(a) Strengthening the capacity of HBCUs to participate in state programs;
(b) Fostering enduring private-sector initiatives and public-private partnerships while promoting specific areas and centers of academic research and programmatic excellence throughout all HBCUs;
(c) Improving the availability, dissemination, and quality of information concerning HBCUs to inform public policy and practice;
(d) Sharing administrative and programmatic practices within the consortium for the benefit of all; and
(e) Exploring new ways of improving the relationship between the state and HBCUs; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to shed light on the critical need of a diversified educational and workforce environment, which can only be through equitable distribution of assistance and access to a quality postsecondary educational experience and the benefits offered through a system of collegiate partners working in tandem to accomplish the common goal of promoting educational and economic opportunities in the state of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby acknowledge the importance of creating the "Mississippi Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)" as a means to increase opportunities for HBCUs to participate in and benefit from state programs that serve to ensure that the State of Mississippi has the highest possible proportion of college students graduate from HBCUs in the country and encourage legislative support of such initiatives through appropriate legislative action and funding.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, each of the state's historically Black colleges and universities and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.