PVAMU Day at the Capitol, February 18, 2025, Save the Date

Students and alumni are invited and encouraged to take on the role of advocates during Prairie View A&M University’s Day at the Capitol. This event, scheduled to take place at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, aims to promote the University’s legislative agenda for 2025 while also articulating our strategic vision. As representatives of PVAMU, both current and former students embody the excellence that characterizes our institution and are uniquely qualified to communicate our needs to state representatives.

The Day at the Capitol presents a vital opportunity for participants to convey the significance of Prairie View A&M University as a premier institution. Many elected officials may not be fully aware of the achievements and quality of education that thrive on our campus. By sharing our experiences and insights, we can effectively advocate for essential funding and resources that will help maintain and enhance our status as a first-class university.

Explore PVAMU’s Strategic Plan– Journey to Eminence: 2035
Discover how our funding requests will help support the 
University’s vision!

FUNDING REQUESTS

To further enable PVAMU to contribute significantly to its students and the great State of Texas, we request funding support during the 89th Legislature in four priority areas that will enhance our ability to: (1) effectively enhance student success and help to meet labor market demands, (2) elevate as a premier HBCU with a tripartite mission of teaching, research and service, and (3) continue to bring positive reputational interest to the Texas higher education ecosystem.

14.03M ACROSS THE BIENNIUM (2026-’27)
Our first priority is a request to restore institutional enhancement (IE) funding of $14.03 M across the biennium. Institutional Enhancement (IE) funds are essential to support: faculty to teach the state-required developmental corequisite courses to students who do not meet the minimum Texas Success Initiative Assessment requirements, which on average is more than a third of each entering freshman class;  admissions and academic advising staff, who provide daily assistance to students and families in achieving greater awareness and access to college; career services staff who assist students in their development through career exploration, preparation, and internship opportunities; credentialed mental health professionals and support staff to educate students and provide wrap-around services that aid in healing and growth.

$10M ACROSS THE BIENNIUM (2026 – ’27)
PVAMU is in an elite category of R2 universities, as one of only 11 HBCUs in the nation to hold that distinction. Additionally, PVAMU is identified as one of five (5) HBCUs with the capacity to become an R1 university in the next 10 years. This would be a significant achievement for PVAMU, the Texas A&M University (TAMU) System and the State of Texas, as TAMU is the only R1 in the TAMU System and no HBCUs to date have achieved R1 status. Strengthening research funding will sustain the University’s current R2 research status while stimulating the development of a more robust research infrastructure to intensify and accelerate efforts to pursue R1 status. The $10M investment will support the recruitment of high-caliber faculty through new faculty positions to reduce the teaching load for research-intensive faculty; provide doctoral and post-doctoral support for research faculty, and allow for the hiring and training of research administration support staff. This increase in funding will ensure that PVAMU is poised to increase high quality and ground-breaking research within the state of Texas to help improve the human condition in public and allied health, agriculture, natural resources, alternative energy, engineering, artificial intelligence, big-data and cyber security, space exploration, biological sciences, transportation infrastructure, criminal justice and education.

$5M ACROSS THE BIENNIUM (2026-’27)
Increased funding, outside of the formula, for the Expansion of Public and Allied Health Programs will ensure PVAMU is able to pronouncedly impact the demand for qualified graduates to meet the projected workforce needs in Texas for health-related occupational groups which is projected to grow 27.6 percent faster than all other state occupations (16.6 percent). In August 2023, the University created the School of Public and Allied Health (SPAH). With bachelor’s degrees and minors available in public health and kinesiology, physical education, exercise science, and sports management, and future programs in healthcare administration. SPAH is now one of the fastest-growing academic programs at the University comprising over 10 percent of the University’s enrollment in its first year of operation; with plans to establish a public health-related research center. The center will address public health issues varying in nature, from rural health disparities to urban health challenges, as well as those on the national and global levels.

Support of this funding request will better position PVAMU to meet the growing enrollment demand for students seeking academic credentials in public and allied health through robust plans for faculty recruitment and retention, elevating faculty research, and community engagement activities to address pressing public health challenges and student success strategies focused on preparing high quality graduates ready to respond to these challenges.

CHANGES TO THE CURRENT UB RIDER  $1M
The Legislature established the Center for the Study and Prevention of Juvenile Crime and Delinquency in 1997 at PVAMU as a state and local resource for research, information, and education on juvenile crime and delinquency. The Center leverages a unique combination of criminal justice and psychology disciplines to address youth incarceration, mental health, including substance abuse problems, school disengagement and family issues that so often lead to a life of crime. The increased demand for the Center’s expertise and assistance in delinquency prevention in more counties across Texas than we are adequately funded to serve. Funding for the Center is provided with revenue received under Local Government Code Consolidated Fees on Conviction. Thís $1M unexpended balance funding request will be used for expansion of targeted research and training of school personnel, juvenile justice professionals, and community members from youth-focused organizations at existing Center sites, and the establishment of new sites in the Panhandle, Big Bend, and South Texas Plains to meet the needs. With this UB increase, the Center will be able to serve more children and families to prevent and reduce delinquency and justice involvement.

Special thanks to our sponsors: