March 17, 2025 Story by: Editor
Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) is anticipating reductions in student aid and services as the new administration implements policy changes affecting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). University President Valerie Kinloch emphasized that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been integral to the institution since its founding. Following the UNC Board of Governors’ decision in May to eliminate its DEI policy, Kinloch told The Charlotte Observer that DEI has been “part of the fabric” of JCSU from its inception.
JCSU, a private university established to provide education to Black Americans excluded from other institutions, is not part of the UNC System. However, Kinloch expressed disappointment in the board’s decision, calling it a “disservice” to students. “I’m disheartened that many universities are erasing, banning or disarming any kind of critical perspective when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she told The Observer in July. She further explained, “Diversity is not about just Black people … Diversity is about understanding that we form a collective of critical, conscious individuals who pursue equity and justice because we have racial, ethnic, linguistic, and gender differences.”
Since taking office in January, President Trump’s administration has introduced significant cuts to federal funding, including those supporting DEI-related education programs. In a directive issued on February 14, the U.S. Department of Education warned schools receiving federal aid to exclude race-based considerations in areas such as admissions, hiring, financial aid, scholarships, and campus life. Institutions failing to comply risk losing federal funding.
With approximately 1,300 students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and 23 degree programs, JCSU relies heavily on federal funding. Nearly 99% of students receive financial support through loans, grants, or federal work-study programs. Angela White, JCSU’s senior vice president for strategic enrollment and retention management, spoke with The Charlotte Observer to explain how federal funding supports the university and how potential cuts could impact its operations.
JCSU’s Dependence on Federal Funding
Q: What does federal funding currently look like at JCSU? How much does the school receive, and what programs does that funding support?
A: “We do have Title III funds. Those are federal funds specifically designated to historically Black colleges and universities for the sake of strengthening HBCUs, and as we unpack that a bit more, it is designated for student success as well as infrastructural needs we may have as an institution – because typically, our HBCUs are underfunded. So those funds are to provide robust support structures and services for our students that lead to student success.
“There are three programs supported through the Department of Education, typically called TRIO programs. These typically support underrepresented, first-generation, low socioeconomic status students. Then we’re also able to support a portion of students who have documented disabilities… At JCSU, about 25% of our students are first-generation college students. So you can already see the implications of those types of programs being either reduced, altered, or eliminated as a result of deconstruction of the Department of Education.
“Apart from that, we receive federal funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Veteran Affairs, which supports our veteran and military-affiliated students.”
Impact of Federal Funding Cuts
Q: Has JCSU experienced any immediate effects from federal funding cuts since President Trump took office?
A: “Thankfully, we have not seen any impact as a result of some of the early decisions that have taken place. We have been able to function as normal. However, as an institution, and under the leadership of our president, Dr. Valerie Kinloch, we are thinking strategically about ways to prepare for some of those decisions trickling down to impact our university.”
Q: What steps is JCSU taking to prepare for potential financial challenges?
A: “When we think about our programs supported through the Department of Education, these things are essentially law. So, we understand that the current president cannot eliminate those things with an executive order. However, he can put these executive orders in place that may lead to alterations or delays in processes.
“So, for us, we have been thinking and really starting to strategize more around other sources of funding. As we think about our students who rely on federal aid – and again, that’s 99% of our students – how can we engage in capital campaigns, with institutional advancement through private donors and corporations, that provide the level of funding that we historically need? To fill the gap for our students or provide what they would typically receive through federal aid?
“We’re thinking about corporations that could be long-term partners with the university and also really thinking through other ways to scale and sustain our programming as well… so not just tuition, fees, and other expenses but also our programs.”
The Impact of DEI Restrictions on JCSU
Q: Since JCSU is private, how would restrictions on DEI programs affect the university?
A: “That is a benefit to being private. Some of the things that institutions within university-wide systems have to adjust as a result of consistency across those systems, we do not necessarily have to make those adjustments.
“So, for example, as the UNC system makes decisions, one single university cannot say, ‘Hey, we’re not going to align with this.’ They have to really comply with what the entire system has instituted across the board.
“For us, we’re governed more so from our internal governing body. Of course, we have our report out to governmental bodies, but we are buffered a bit more than the public institutions. However, some of the federal funding processes could be altered in a way that delays distributions or delays the level students receive funding …
“As a private institution, we do have a higher tuition and fee rate, and the percentage of students who require federal aid, that’s where we could see some of that impact. Going back to programs supported through the Department of Education – if these types of programs are underfunded or the level at which they are funded is altered, students that we typically support would be impacted by that … There would be more strain on JCSU’s ability to provide those essential services to our students.”
JCSU’s Role in the National DEI Conversation
Q: Given the national conversation about DEI, what role does JCSU play in this landscape?
A: “As President Kinloch stated, it is woven in the fabric of who we are. One of the great things about being a historically Black college and university is that we have an opportunity to demonstrate the HBCU context is not homogeneous. There’s a lot of heterogeneity to the composition of an HBCU…
“Our mission is to ensure access to people of color, but it’s not just solely people of color who are receiving educational development within HBCUs. For example, there are two HBCUs in the Western Virginia territory that are almost 90% non-African American. We are really displaying more and more of just that heterogeneity.
“And with that, we are still, as a private institution, able to hold onto a lot of the cultural aspects of who we are as an HBCU and what we were designed to do, which was really to provide access and to educate Black and brown students and to produce these scholars who can then go out into the broader society, broader community and make an impact.”
Q: Is there anything else you’d like people to understand about this issue?
A: “I do believe that it is vitally important for those who believe in the education of Black and brown students to amplify their voice during this period that we’re in. DEI and HBCUs are very overtly under attack. We are seeing the elimination of programs that have the potential to really have long-term impact on these communities.
“It is a time for us to really stand as a unified front and, and really advocate on behalf of our students.”
Source: Charlotte Observer
