Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was enacted to provide Federal assistance for a program to strengthen and improve the academic quality, strengthen the administrative capacity, and establish an endowment fund in order to achieve growth and self-sufficiency for developing institutions. The Title III Program began as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which sought to provide support to strengthen various aspects of the schools through a formula grant program to accredited, legal authorized HBCUs.
This program provides financial assistance to HBCUs to establish or strengthen their physical plants, financial management, academic resources, and endowment-building capacity. Activities may include:
- Student services; educational equipment acquisition; facility renovation and construction; faculty and staff development;
- The establishment of a program of teacher education designed to qualify students to teach in public schools; the establishment of community outreach programs that will encourage elementary and secondary school students to develop the academic skills and the interest to pursue postsecondary education;
- The acquisition of real property in connection with the construction, renovation, or addition to or improvement of campus facilities; education or financial information designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students;
- Families, especially with regard to student indebtedness and student assistance programs under Title IV; and
- Services necessary for the implementation of projects or activities that are described in the grant application and that are approved, in advance, by the Department, except that not more than two percent of the grant amount may be used for this purpose.
Title III has funded project activities designed to help meet various strategic goals of the University. Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, authorizes these grants to strengthen institutions in the areas of Academic Quality, Fiscal Stability, Student Services, and the quality of Institutional Management. MVSU is the recipient of two federal grants that are managed by the Title III office. They include the Title III HBCU Program and the Mandated/SAFRA (formerly College Cost Reduction Act Allocation/CCRAA) Program.