A $4 million gift from The Brown Foundation, Inc. to Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) will support President Ruth J. Simmons’ Strategic Initiatives, including the work of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice.
“The Foundation holds a steadfast belief in forging pathways to opportunity through education, and we are pleased to help support Prairie View A&M University as it continues to strive toward new levels of excellence in education,” said Ann Ziker, Executive Director of The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Half of the gift will be earmarked for presidential initiatives that improve the opportunities and education available to students, and $1 million will be designated for the recruitment of outstanding new faculty.
“We’re immensely grateful to The Brown Foundation for its contribution to our institution,” said President Simmons. “This gift will have an enormous impact on the students at Prairie View, and by extension, the communities our work touches every day.”
The remaining $1 million of the grant will support the work of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice. “This generous gift from the Foundation will enable the Center to continue its work producing innovative research, hosting scholars and, implementing programs that, in accordance with its mission, aid in racial understanding, help frame national discussions about race, and lead to policies that can eliminate persistent inequities in society,” said Center Director Melanye Price.
Prairie View A&M University launched the center in March and now requires a mandatory class on the history of race for incoming students in the wake of the tragic death of Houston native George Floyd.
The Center will engage research, publishing, and training to develop strategies aimed at overturning systemic biases that impede minorities and other groups’ ability to access their full rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the center in November of the past year.
There will be a research fellowship program that will bring scholars from across the nation to the campus annually and an Activist-in-Residence, which will bring advocates and justice activists to the campus to build on students’ long history of political engagement.
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