HBCUs Question Equity of Research Partnerships: "In an effort to meet critical research goals, a familiar trend among historically Black colleges and universities is to link up with larger research-intensive institutions. However, some officials are concerned that a Virginia-based HBCU is getting the short end of a research agreement.
A grant project between a historically Black school, Virginia Union University (VUU), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) was formally awarded in 2006, officials say. VUU and VCU are part of an affiliation referred to as the Virginia-Nebraska Alliance. The coalition involving the University of Nebraska Medical Center and local colleges is designed to encourage more minority students to enter the health care field.
During a recent Alliance meeting at VUU, some university representatives expressed frustration that VCU receives the vast majority of a research grant provided by the National Institutes of Health to study health care disparities. Of the $6.6 million grant, VUU received just $100,000 of it, officials say."
