Senator joins bill to save NC's Historically Black Colleges and Universities

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- A North Carolina senator from Mecklenburg County has signed on to a new bill that hopes to generate money to keep Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) alive in the state.

"Many of these Universities, they have been our mainstay," Senator Joyce Waddell said. "They have educated African Americans who are in prominent places, doing great things throughout these United States. So we must be proactive when it comes to this."

North Carolina has ten HBCUs.

Waddell says three of them have been discussed as possible for shutting down: Elizabeth City State University, Winston Salem State University, and Fayetteville State University. The schools reportedly do not have enough money to keep them open and dwindling enrollment numbers.

If approved, Senate Bill 706 would create an endowment that would go to the universities to help increase enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.

WEB EXTRA: Click here to read the bill

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