Proposed changes to how the state funds its eight public universities could harm historically Black institutions, some lawmakers said.
The funding formula updates, which legislators discussed with higher education officials in December, would tie state money to post-graduation student success such as the number of Mississippians attaining jobs and completing some form of education beyond high school.
A delegation of Black lawmakers said that factoring graduation rates, post-graduation employment and degrees awarded by universities into their allotted funding would unfairly penalize historically Black colleges and universities for challenges tied to decades of underfunding.
Black lawmakers spoke about the funding formula to a standing room-only crowd of more than 160 alumni and supporters at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Jackson on Monday. The goal of the event, organized by Jackson Democrats Sen. Sollie Norwood and Rep. Grace Butler Washington was to educate and warn HBCU stakeholders about proposals the state Legislature is considering this session.
It was also a rally to encourage supporters to stay engaged.
“We need to be cautious as we proceed forward,” said Rep. Bryant Clark, a Democrat from Pickens and a 1998 graduate of Mississippi Valley State.
The Board of Trustees for the Institutions of Higher Learning, which oversee the state’s public universities, uses a formula that equally distributes funding across the eight universities without factoring in performance or enrollment.
HBCUs serve many students who lack resources and face more barriers to completing higher education. More than three quarters of the undergraduate student body at Mississippi’s three public HBCUs rely on Pell Grants — federal student aid provided to students who demonstrate exceptional financial need — to attend. By comparison, Pell Grant recipients make up about half of the student enrollment at only two of the state’s predominantly white institutions — Mississippi University for Women (56%) and University of Southern Mississippi (52%).
Mississippi settled a lawsuit over funding disparities at its public universities in 2002 — the $500 million Ayers settlement — but chronic underfunding of higher education by the state means these funds have not caught HBCUs up to their PWI counterparts.
A crowd packed into Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Jackson on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 for a discussion led by Black state lawmakers about how the state allots money to its public colleges and universities. Credit: Candice Wilder/Mississippi TodayThe proposed funding formula success metrics could lead to closing Mississippi Valley State, Clark said.
Valley State’s average six-year graduation rate is 27%, the lowest of Mississippi’s public institutions, according to IHL data. MVSU awarded 242 degrees in the 2023-24 academic year, the lowest among the state’s public universities, even similarly sized ones. Of almost 2,200 students enrolled at MVSU in fall of 2023, 985 received Pell Grants, federal financial aid awarded to students from low income households, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Students who attend Mississippi Valley State have more barriers to get to the rural campus, including transportation, cost and affordability, Clark said. It is unfair for the Legislature and IHL to consider a funding formula that doesn’t take into account the disproportionate challenges to graduation that the students enrolled face, he said.
Mississippi Valley State is also an “economic engine” for the Delta region, Clark said. The university contributes $75 million to the the state’s economy and produces more than 980 jobs, according to a 2024 HBCU Impact report from the United Negro College Fund.
Instead of focusing on closing them, the Legislature and IHL should view the state’s HBCUs as a model of efficiency, doing more with fewer resources, Clark said. “We continue to educate our students at just a fraction of the cost.”
Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State alumni tend to remain Mississippi residents and enter the state’s workforce after graduation, said Rep. Greg Holloway, a Democrat from Hazlehurst. For predominantly white institutions such as the University of Mississippi or Mississippi State University, he said, “you can’t say the same thing.”
“They don’t talk about us and our impact,” Holloway said to thunderous applause. “This new formula is about a money grab. Displacing resources from one place to another. We should be talking about how to provide quality education for our HBCU students. We deserve more.”
Students should pay attention to the threat of closing one of Mississippi’s HBCUs, said Camrynn Wimberly, a senior studying political science at Jackson State. Wimberly rallied a few of her classmates to attend the town hall. She shares policy issues and information on her social media.
“Our schools, we’re more than just football, partying and pledging fraternities and sororities,” Wimberly said. “We’re history.”
At the end of the event, Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson, encouraged HBCU alumni to send emails, call and pressure lawmakers to pay attention to their concerns. Summers also led a call and response chant, and participating lawmakers and audience members locked arms.
“When we fight,” Summers shouted into the microphone. The audience shouted back, “We win!”
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