SLS 21RS-640 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 20
BY SENATOR FIELDS
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH. Recognizes Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Day at the Capitol.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To recognize Monday, April 26, 2021, as Historically Black Colleges and Universities
3 (HBCU) Day at the Capitol.
4 WHEREAS, Louisiana is proud to be home to eight Historically Black Colleges and
5 Universities: Dillard University, Grambling State University, Southern University and A&M
6 College, Southern Agriculture Research and Extension Center, Southern Law Center,
7 Southern University New Orleans, Southern University Shreveport, and Xavier University
8 of Louisiana; and
9 WHEREAS, Louisiana is also home of the nation's only HBCU System (Southern
10 University System) which is uniquely positioned as an exemplar of successful HBCU
11 policies and practices; and
12 WHEREAS, Louisiana's HBCUs collectively enrolled 22,854 students in 2019-2020;
13 and
14 WHEREAS, since their establishment 184 years ago, HBCUs have provided black
15 students with a powerful avenue, and for some, the only path to a college degree; and
16 WHEREAS, as Louisiana grapples with both the global COVID-19 pandemic and
17 historical national civil unrest, HBCUs have proven to be invaluable assets based on their
18 history, student experiences, and societal contributions; and
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SLS 21RS-640 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, several HBCUs and their leaders are contributing to research to help
2 fight the biological and socio-political impacts of the pandemic; and
3 WHEREAS, higher education universally provides wide-ranging benefits to students,
4 including higher average lifetime wages, better career opportunities, increased job security
5 and satisfaction, and better health, and are a considerable economic impact on their
6 communities, state, and region; and
7 WHEREAS, HBCUs enroll and successfully graduate greater numbers of
8 low-income, first-generation, and academically underprepared college students compared
9 to non-HBCUs; and
10 WHEREAS, evidence demonstrates high levels of student-faculty engagement and
11 mentorship at HBCUs, leading to stronger student success; and
12 WHEREAS, HBCUs are credited with building the black middle class in America
13 with black graduates of HBCUs who are significantly more likely to be better off financially
14 and socially; and
15 WHEREAS, research has found that, on average, 58% of black HBCU graduates
16 strongly agree that professors at their university cared about them as individuals (compared
17 to 25% for black non-HBCU graduates); and
18 WHEREAS, black HBCU graduates are nearly twice as likely as black graduates of
19 non-HBCUs to strongly agree that their university prepared them well for life outside of
20 college (55% vs. 29%); and
21 WHEREAS, the pageantry, traditions, bands, and rivalries of HBCUs are second to
22 none; and
23 WHEREAS, Louisiana's HBCUs have distinguished themselves in numerous ways,
24 both nationally and in the state as follows:
25 Dillard University: One of the nation's leading producers of black physicists; and
26 Grambling State University: The leading producer of computer science graduates
27 in the state of Louisiana and the only institution to offer bachelor's degree programs
28 in cybersecurity and cloud computing; and
29 Southern University and A&M College (SUBR): The leading producer of black
30 engineers in Louisiana whose graduates play significant, creative, and administrative
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SLS 21RS-640 ORIGINAL
1 roles at NASA, Boeing, IBM, Entergy, and Dow Chemical, among other leading
2 companies; and
3 Southern University New Orleans (SUNO): The only HBCU in the state to offer
4 a forensic science program; and
5 Southern University Shreveport (SUSLA): The only comprehensive two-year
6 community college in north Louisiana with an aerospace technology program; and
7 Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center: The first
8 HBCU to launch its own CBC and THC medical marijuana lines; and
9 Southern University Law Center (SULC): Counted among the many SULC alumni
10 are 104 graduates currently serving as judges; and
11 Xavier University of Louisiana: Nationally recognized for the number of black
12 graduates who go on to successfully complete medical school (Medical School
13 Association of American Medical Colleges' 2020 report); and
14 WHEREAS, it is appropriate to commend Louisiana's eight Historically Black
15 Colleges and Universities for their outstanding achievements in their local communities, the
16 state, and the world.
17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
18 does hereby recognize Monday, April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the Capitol and does
19 hereby especially acknowledge Louisiana's HBCUs' invaluable contributions to our residents
20 and state.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
22 Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, commissioner of higher education, and chair of the HBCU Advisory
23 Council.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Ann S. Brown.
DIGEST
SR 20 Original 2021 Regular Session Fields
Recognizes Monday, April 26, 2021, as HBCU Day at the Capitol.
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