COLOMBIA, SC (AP) – The eight historically black colleges and universities in South Carolina are receiving more than $ 2 million for technology updates, part of the emergency aid divided into a federal funding package related to the coronavirus outbreak.
Governor Henry McMaster’s office said on Thursday that the money would be used to upgrade schools’ skills to conduct online education, a need revealed during the move to distance learning earlier this year. Funding should be used for hardware, software, distance learning resources and e-books.
Roslyn Clark Artis, president of Benedict College in Columbia, made an original request for funding, which comes from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, granted to each state under the CARES Act. Artis served as a member of AccelerateSC, McMaster’s task force created to advise him on issues related to the reopening of the state’s economy after stoppages related to efforts to contain the outbreak.
McMaster’s office said the $ 2.4 million total allocations were based on a formula that takes into account student enrollments and percentages of institutions for Pell Grant beneficiaries. Funding goes to Allen University, Benedict College, Claflin University, Clinton College, Denmark Technical College, Morris College, South Carolina State University and Vorhees College.