US education secretary, Clyburn tout HBCU funding during SC State visit

Touting money sent to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said more is needed to support students as they go to college.

Cardona spoke at S.C. State University Monday alongside school alum House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, to promote the federal COVID relief that has been sent to the HBCUs.

“We’re going to continue to fight for our HBCUs and our institutions of higher education in general across the country,” Cardona said.

Cardona said colleges and universities received federal COVID relief to help them stay open and survive financially during the pandemic. In 2021, more than $5.8 billion in federal money was spent on HBCUs.

During a discussion with students, Cardona heard concerns about whether they have enough social and emotional support in school after being virtually schooled early in the pandemic and enough financial support amid the student loan debt crisis. He also heard concerns about making sure students have good relationships with school personnel.

“Education is a people business, so it’s really important that the connections that are made are grounded on strong positive relationships,” Cardona said.

Student housing shortage

However, the school also is dealing with a housing shortage as dorms have had to close and no new housing has been built on campus.

Amid concerns SC State won’t have enough rooms for its students — the school has its largest influx of new students in 15 years — officials said anyone who requests housing should receive it.

School President Alexander Conyers said many upperclassmen have to be shifted to “supplemental housing” adjacent to the main campus.

The school has money to renovate an existing residence hall to open up additional housing on campus in the near future.

“A lot of that has to do with the tremendous lack of investment that the state of South Carolina has made in this institution over the past few years, and investment in the last two or three years,” Clyburn said. “They have now begun to take a look at that and are now making the investments that we need in this school, and I think the president’s headaches are going to go away very soon thanks to the enlightened leadership that we currently have in the state of South Carolina realizing the value of this institution.”

Under the American Rescue Plan Act, passed during the Biden administration, HBCUs in South Carolina have received more than $112 million.

Cardona said President Joe Biden’s budget proposal asks for more money for higher education spending, including HBCUs.

“At the federal level, there’s a level of urgency. We want to see that urgency matched at the state level for HBCUs as well,” Cardona said. “We saw what happens when our schools closed. Everything shuts down. Let’s take that as a lesson to make sure we’re investing appropriately in our education (systems) and in our institutions of higher education.”