S.C. HBCUs to receive $2.4 million in pandemic relief

Listen to this article

South Carolina’s eight historically black colleges and universities will receive a total of $2.4 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, awarded to states as part of federal pandemic relief.

A recommendation from state economic task force AccelerateSC, the investment will be used to support online instruction by upgrading hardware and purchasing software and electronic learning materials. Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Columbia’s Benedict College and a member of AccelerateSC, made the original request for fund allocation, according to a release from Gov. Henry McMaster’s office.

“I am pleased to announce this investment in our HBCUs,”  McMaster said Thursday in the release. “This spring when learning went from in-person to online, the faculty and students at our HBCUs faced significant technology challenges. These funds will be used to upgrade the capabilities of these institutions to serve students with online learning.”

Allocations were based on a formula factoring in how federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund dollars were dispersed. Student enrollment and each institution’s percentage of Pell Grant recipients were also considered.

The funds will be distributed as follows:

• S.C. State University, $632,397
• Benedict College, $547,539
• Claflin University, $546,023
• Allen University, $217,527
• Morris College, $166,048
• Vorhees College, $141,195
• Denmark Technical College, $119,174
• Clinton College, $53,493