N.C. A&T aims to achieve R1 status by the end of the decade. However, this goal is particularly challenging as no Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) currently hold the designation.
Howard University briefly attained R1 status in 2000 but was reclassified as R2 when Carnegie adjusted its classification formula in 2005. Currently, 11 HBCUs, including N.C. A&T, hold R2 status.
Despite this classification, Endowed Biology Professor Joseph Graves argues that N.C. A&T has long been operating at an R1 level.
“So, if you rank the UNC system campuses and the research output… We’re number three of the entire system,” Graves said.
This year alone, N.C. A&T secured a record $147.4 million in research funding.
