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