UM regents OK funding increase for black colleges

The Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland approved funding guidelines yesterday designed to comply with the agreement the state signed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights last year.

That agreement calls for enhancements to Maryland's historically black colleges and universities, and the regents agreed to request an additional 10 percent of the annual operating expenses at the three historically black schools in the system beginning in fiscal year 2002.

According to Associate Vice Chancellor Francis Canavan, the system will also seek supplemental budget requests to accelerate capital projects at the three schools - Coppin State College, Bowie State University and the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.

"The actual dollar amounts can vary depending on factors like enrollment," Canavan said. "But at current funding levels, this would mean an additional $16 million total for the three schools."