PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Feb. 25, 2025) – Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has once again secured its place as a distinguished R2 institution (Doctoral University; High Research Activity) under the newly revamped Carnegie Classification system. This reaffirmation highlights PVAMU’s ongoing commitment to research excellence, innovation and academic distinction among higher education institutions nationwide.
The updated Carnegie Classification framework mandates that institutions demonstrate a sustained commitment to research productivity, awarding at least 20 doctoral degrees annually and maintaining significant research expenditures. Additionally, research institutions are now categorized with greater precision, reflecting both their research impact and the nature of their doctoral programs. PVAMU’s reaffirmed R2 status places it among an elite group of universities nationwide, underscoring its growing research expenditures, scholarly contributions and commitment to graduate education. PVAMU is one of only 13 historically Black colleges and universities to attain R2 status and one of just five in the Texas A&M University System to earn this honor.
According to Dr. Tomikia P. LeGrande, president of Prairie View A&M University, “Our status as an R2 university is reflective of our faculty’s outstanding work and the leadership of our division of research and innovation. Sustaining excellence in research is not merely about reaching milestones—it is about setting new standards of rigor, innovation, and impact. Our journey is defined by unwavering commitment, relentless perseverance, and the pursuit of knowledge that transforms communities and empowers future generations. The tangible results of our faculty’s research directly impact communities that oftentimes have been under-resourced, disenfranchised, or marginalized. We are proven leaders in several research areas, and we have no intention of resting on our laurels. Our vision, as defined in our strategic plan, Journey to Eminence: 2035, is that Prairie View A&M University will be a premier, public, research-intensive HBCU that serves as a national model for student success.”
Among its notable research advancements, PVAMU has steadily increased doctoral degree conferrals and expanded research funding across multiple disciplines. The University awarded nearly 100 doctoral degrees in the past three years and generated more than $80 million in research expenditures during the same three-year period used for the designation assessment. PVAMU’s research continues to grow, with ongoing initiatives in cybersecurity, space exploration, renewable energy, transportation infrastructure, engineering, education, business, agriculture, and other STEM fields and humanities critical to global progress. This performance places PVAMU among the top research-producing historically Black colleges and universities and continues to enhance its influence in key academic disciplines.
Dr. Magesh Rajan, vice president for research and innovation at Prairie View A&M University, added, “Our faculty is committed to engaging in proactive and concerted efforts to increase our research contracts and grant amounts, while also graduating more students and expanding the types of research conducted on our campus. Their tireless efforts in securing funding, publishing impactful research, mentoring the next generation of scholars, and fostering innovation have been instrumental in maintaining our institution’s place among the nation’s top research universities.”
Since achieving R2 status in 2022, PVAMU has demonstrated a remarkable trajectory of growth, now surpassing $34 million annually in FY24, marking an impressive 75% increase in research funding in just three years.
As PVAMU looks ahead, it remains committed to advancing its land-grant and research mission, fostering innovation and enhancing its role as a leader in higher education. The reaffirmation of its R2 status marks another step in its journey to eminence, promising even greater discoveries and achievements in the years to come.
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