Executive Order to Strengthen the White House Initiative on HBCUs

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Executive Order to Strengthen the White House Initiative on HBCUs

Executive Order Signing to Strengthen the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities

White House East Room

4:40 p.m. EST

The President will sign a new executive order strengthening the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the White House East Room. This event demonstrates the President's strong appreciation for the historic role these institutions have played in educating our citizens and the Administration's commitment to assisting HBCUs with accomplishing their mission.

Expected Attendees

Approximately 60 HBCU presidents and students

Members of Congress

Members of the President's Cabinet

Special Performance

The Virginia State University Trojan Explosion Drum Line

The Trojan Explosion Marching Band performs at all home football games and most of the away games. The VSU Drum-line has performed for eight consecutive years at the Honda Battle of the Bands event, the longest continuous streak in the nation for being selected to perform there for over 70,000 band fans from around the country. In 2009, the drum-line won the Big Apple Classic competition at Madison Square Garden.

HBCUs: A National Resource

HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: "...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation." HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors.

Historical Overview of the HBCU Initiative

· In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Executive Order 12232, which established a federal program "... to overcome the effects of discriminatory treatment and to strengthen and expand the capacity of historically black colleges and universities to provide quality education."

· In 1981, President Reagan, under Executive Order 12320, established the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which expanded the previous program and set into motion a government wide effort to strengthen our nation's HBCUs. In 1989, President George Bush signed Executive Order 12677. This executive order established a Presidential Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to advise the president and the secretary of education on methods, programs, and strategies to strengthen these valued institutions.

· In 1993, President William Jefferson Clinton signed Executive Order 12876. This executive order required for a senior level executive in each agency have oversight in implementing the order, and that the Office of Management and Budget be involved in monitoring implementation of the order.

· On Feb. 12, 2002, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13256. This executive order transferred the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the Office of the Secretary within the U.S. Department of Education. Previously, the White House Initiative was housed in the Department's Office of Postsecondary Education.

Proposed Funding in the 2011 Budget for HBCUs

• The President's FY 11 budget supports this objective. In the Department of Education budget alone he's proposed $98 million in new money for HBCUs in 2011.

· This includes a 5% or $13 million increase for the Strengthening HBCUs program and support for the $85 million in mandatory funding for HBCUs in the pending Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

· The Budget also includes $20.5 million for the HBCU Capital Financing program, to provide HBCUs with access to financing for the repair, renovation, and construction or acquisition of educational facilities, instructional equipment, research instrumentation, and physical infrastructure. This funding will support $279 million in new loans in 2011, more than $100 million more than in 2010. The Budget also provides $64.5 million for the Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institution program, a $3.1 million or five percent increase.

· To ensure students can afford college, the Obama Administration has nearly doubled the aid available in the Federal Pell Grant program, from $18.2 billion in the 2008-2009 award year to a proposed $34.8 billion in 2011-2012. These funding increases support both a growing number of students eligible for Pell Grants and an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award from $4,731 to a proposed $5,710. Pell Grant awards for students at HBCUs will increase by about $400 million (to a total of $900 million) since the start of the Administration. The Budget also proposes to make Pell Grant funding mandatory, and index the maximum award to the consumer price index plus one percentage point.