By Texas Southern University Receives $1.9 Million Grant to Promote Civics Education
The United States Department of Education recently awarded a three-year $1.9 million grant to Texas Southern University and West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) as part of its American History and Civics Education National Activities-Seminars for America’s Semiquincentennial Program.
At Texas Southern, work on the grant will be carried out by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center, which is located within the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, under the direction of Dr. Michael O. Adams. Dr. Adams, the Founding Director of the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center, noted that Texas Southern was one of only two historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) nationwide to receive one of these prestigious grants.
“The work this grant will support at Texas Southern will help boost civic literacy in underserved urban communities such as Houston,” Adams said. “It is also a unique partnership. Texas Southern is an urban-serving institution in the heart of one of the largest cities in the country and an institution. West Texas A&M University is located in the Texas panhandle. Despite our geographic differences, we both serve the underserved. This makes us especially well-suited for this important task.”
With this generous financial support from the United States Department of Education, Texas Southern and WTAMU will co-design and implement a cycle of seminars and workshops as part of activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America through the study of the country’s founding principles, constitutional traditions, and political heritage. Together, the universities will develop the curriculum for the seminar series, with Texas Southern taking the lead in designing, organizing, and hosting seminars for educators and students in urban areas.
“As we commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the United States in 2026, these efforts by Texas Southern University and West Texas A&M University to improve civic literacy have never been more important, and will help lay the foundation for the success of the unique American experiment in democracy for the next 250 years.”
The product of the grant will be a series of innovative seminars and curricular materials which will enhance civic literacy and teaching excellence among educators and students in Texas, in particular, and across the country more generally.
