Biden, Clyburn keeping spotlight on SCSU, HBCUs
Not many institutions of higher learning can boast of having both the president and vice president of the United States speak on campus in less than a year’s time.
Such is the case for South Carolina’s only state-supported historically Black university, South Carolina State.
In December, SC State was host for President Joe Biden for a commencement speech. Then on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris came to Orangeburg to speak at SC State’s convocation ceremony.
Of note, SC State has also had other high-level visitors from the Biden administration, including the secretary of energy and secretary of education.
The focus on SC State – and neighboring private HBCU Claflin University – comes as the Biden administration is emphasizing its support for HBCUs.
Biden and Harris say they delivered in their first year alone a historic $5.8 billion cumulative investment in and support for HBCUs:
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• American Rescue Plan. Biden’s ARP and other pandemic relief provided nearly $3.7 billion in relief funding to HBCUs. The emergency grants were funded directly to HBCUs from the Department of Education and helped HBCUs and their students mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on students’ educational attainment.
• Debt relief. The Department of Education discharged approximately $1.6 billion of debt from loans provided to HBCUs for capital improvements through the Department’s HBCU Capital Financing Program. The action resulted in debt relief to 45 HBCUs.
• Grant funding. In July and August 2021, the Department of Education awarded more than $500 million in grant funding to HBCUs for academic capacity-building and fiscal stability.
Now comes the administration’s plan to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for college students – with the amount doubling to $20,000 for financially needy students receiving Pell Grants, which are a mainstay of funding for students at HBCUs.
The Biden administration is hoping the support for HBCUs will not only translate into stronger institutions of higher learning but political support. Black voters are integral to Democratic hopes of keeping control of Congress in the 2022 midterms.
And while South Carolina is not being watched among states likely to contribute to Democratic gains in November, the continuing presence of House Majority Whip James Clyburn is undoubtedly a major priority for the Biden team.
As one Democrat who should face little difficulty in winning in the Palmetto State, Clyburn has a lot at stake in Democrats maintaining control in the House. And so does his alma mater SC State, which is enjoying the support and unprecedented recognition it is getting in no small way because of the congressman.