Biden Administration Accuses State of Underfunding TSU by $2.1 Billion - Articles

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Biden Administration Accuses State of Underfunding TSU by $2.1 Billion

Posted by: Paul Burch on Sep 19, 2023

Tennessee and 15 other states have been accused by the Biden administration of underfunding their historically Black land-grant universities by billions of dollars over the last 30 years, reports the Tennessean. A letter from the secretaries of education and agriculture to Gov. Bill Lee said Tennessee has underfunded Tennessee State University by $2.1 billion. That figure was the highest among all states that received letters. Land-grant universities were created by the Morrill Act of 1862 allowing the federal government to give states land that they could sell to fund a university that emphasized agriculture and "mechanical arts." In 1890, a second Morrill Act required states to either end racial discrimination at their land-grant colleges or create separate schools for Black students. Tennessee State was created by the second Morrill Act.