TULSA, Okla. — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 23 to support the growth of historically black colleges and universities.
He planned to collaborate with nonprofits and government agencies to expand America's workforce in technology, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Trump said the executive order will promote student success by making degrees at HBCUs more affordable. He plans to partner with the Department of Agriculture and state governments to address barriers to schools' access to federal funding.
Joseph Dickson is a student at Langston University, Oklahoma's only historically black university. He said this has been long overdue.
"Most HBUCs will tell you that they're missing is the funding… So the fact that we now get that you're going to see a transformation of so many different schools," said Dickson.
Trump stated that he planned to upgrade institutional infrastructure and enhance the availability and quality of information regarding HBCUs in terms of public policy. Dickson said he can't wait to see these improvements.
"We're going to have more materials to produce better students, better classes, better overall everything," said Dickson.
As of April 24, it is unclear when universities could receive additional funding.
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