The Georgia Senate Study Committee on Excellence, Innovation, and Technology at HBCUs, which met over the course of 2022, issued its final report on Thursday. Georgia is home to ten of the nation’s 100 HBCUs, including Martin Luther King’s alma mater of Morehouse College and Spelman College, one of two all-women HBCUs in the country.
The study committee was created to study the “conditions, needs, issues and challenges facing Georgia’s HBCUs” and make recommendations for action that are “necessary or appropriate.” It was also created to highlight the economic and social benefits of HBCUs in the state. Georgia’s HBCUs produce $1.3 billion in total economic impact, 12,040 jobs and $9.1 billion in lifetime earnings.
State Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-39) was Chair of the Study Committee, joined by Republicans then-Sen. Butch Miller (R-49) and Sen. Jason Anavitarte (R-31). Additionally, Sen. Freddie Sims (D-12) a graduate of Fort Valley State, Sen. Valencia Seay (D-34) a graduate of Clayton State, and Sen. Tonya Anderson (D-43) a graduate of Alabama State, all brought first-hand experience as graduates of HBCUs.
“This is an opportunity for Georgia to become the nation’s leader in how states fully support HBCUs and maximize their economic and social impact for their graduates and surrounding communities,” Halpern said.
Among the study committee’s recommendations during the 2023 Georgia General Assembly:
- Establish a bipartisan state HBCU Caucus of House and Senate members to discuss policies, budgets, programs, and other issues for Georgia’s HBCUs. The caucus would be modeled on the U.S. Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus.
- Create HBCU Subcommittees with the General Assembly’s education committees.
- Pass legislation to launch HBCU Innovation and Economic Prosperity Planning Districts, encouraging community and business support for the state’s ten HBCUs.
- Produce regular public reports on Georgia’s HBCUs. Ideally, a third-party entity would be commissioned to publish a biennial snapshot that would be submitted to the General Assembly, the governor’s office and the University System of Georgia.
- Additional recommendations include investing in and incubating small-business development in HBCU communities, environmental upgrades like preserving greenspace and waterways, building bike lanes and walking paths and workforce development centers.
The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) was established in 1867 as the Peabody Fund to advocate for equitable education policies to elevate low-income and students of color in southern states. The SEF helped to present a number of recommendations during Study Committee meetings on how the state could boost HBCUs.
“HBCUs play a vital role in Georgia and many southern states as centers of learning, community, and opportunity,” said Raymond Pierce, the SEF president and CEO. “These recommendations set a new, ambitious agenda for how the state of Georgia can help HBCUs thrive even more, benefiting students and communities across the state and setting an example for many other states to follow.”
