HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended a college scholarship program that helps students from rural and underserved backgrounds pursue careers in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines.
The recipients attend 19 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including Alabama A&M University, where 17 students received the scholarship last fall.
The suspension of the program was announced this week in a short message added to the program’s webpage. It reads: The 1890 Scholars Program has been suspended pending further review.
No further explanation was provided.
The program was established in 1992. Its name references the group of universities that sprung from the Morrill Act of 1890, which helped establish the 19 land-grant institutions. Recipients receive full tuition, room and board, and other benefits.
In 2024, 94 students were awarded the scholarship. Scholars must commit to at least one year of service to USDA for each year of financial assistance provided, according to the program website.
“It is infuriating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the 1890 Scholars Program ‘pending further review,’” said U.S. Rep Alma S. Adams, who chairs the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus. “This is a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody, and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture, and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day.”
Adams called for the USDA to “immediately rescind” the move.
“AAMU currently supports approximately 35 1890 Land Grant scholars. These students are in high workforce demand majors such as Food Science, Forestry, and other major needs in agriculture,” said Shannon Frank Reeves Sr., VP of Government Affairs at AAMU. “Considering wildfires in California, bird flu in the poultry industry, and 60% of Alabama’s economy being agriculture, these cuts are unexpected and will have a long-term negative impact on Alabama and the agriculture industry across the country.”
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