Here in Missouri, Lincoln University — a land-grant HBCU — has been underfunded by roughly $360 million over the past 30 years compared to the University of Missouri, according to a new federal report.
The disparity in funding has resulted in millions of dollars of deferred maintenance.
The federal government requires states to match per-student funding to the land grant institutions in order to receive the funding. Missouri has only matched the grants twice in its history — 2022 and 2023 — requiring Lincoln University to pull from other sectors of its budget.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Missouri have asked the state to look into the inequality, including House District 74 Representative Kevin Windham Jr.
"Now it's time to start looking back into the past and seeing how we can rectify the issue of underfunding historically," said Windham. "I think that a good first step is having a special committee of the House or joint committee of the legislature and being able to look at these things with a critical eye."
- Kevin Windham Jr., Missouri State Representative
- Misty Nunn, Executive Director of University and Alumni Relations at Lincoln University
