The Florida State Senate approved a new $75 million dollar spending plan which included the approval the split of the college of engineering for Florida State University and Florida A&M University. FAMU will keep existing college of engineering, while FSU will receive $13 million to build a new one. FAMU President Elmira Mangum strongly opposed the approval as she said the University could not  academically or financially support a standalone college of engineering. FAMU and FSU have had a joint college of engineering for the past 30 years, with FAMU enrolling 369 students and FSU enrolling 2,142 students last year via Miami Herald.

Morgan State University Professor Manoj Kumar Jha was convicted of fraud, and faces up to 90 years in prison. Formerly the director of the university’s Center for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering and Research, Jha’s charges seems from a scheme to defraud the National Science Foundation and his students. He was accused of obtaining $200,00 in grant funds from the NSF and using them for personal expenses. Jha was also accused of the same scheme with his students when falsely told them  to return their stipends from a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. According to the Baltimore Sun, he is the second professor  in the past year at Morgan State to be accused of fraudulent money scheming. Now Morgan State plans to step up its efforts to prevent the potential for this kind of activity in the future, while Jha is to be sentenced in July.

As South Carolina State University’s awaits the state legislators decision on their request for $13.6 million to cover outstanding debt, the University officials are seeking ways to lower the deficit and the athletics department is a major debt. According to the Times and Democrat, SCSU’s athletic program racked up a $6.67 million deficit from last year’s $9.69 million in spending and only $3 million in revenue. Previously, the funds for the athletic program were taken from the education budget but the University’s Vice President of Finance James Openshaw plans to change that if approved for the $13.6 million, taking funds from auxiliary funds instead.

St. Paul’s College closed its doors in June 2013 mainly due to debt, questions about its politics and a declining enrollment, now the college hopes to sell the 130-acre campus and its accompanying 35 buildings with hopes of reopening and continuing to educate students. According to the Times Dispatch, President Millard Stith wants to sell to another college or university. On April 9th, St. Paul’s College will take sealed-bid sale offers from prospective buyers.

Texas Southern University President John M. Rudley was appointed to serve on the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Financial Advisory Board by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. As a member of the board, Rudley will help to advise Duncan on the best ways to finance, with some focus on construction, HBCU along with 20 other board members. Rudley will serve on the board until September 2015 via Houston Forward Times

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Grambling State Selects New Director of Recruitment

Saint Augustine’s University President Announces Retirement