BRIEF HISTORY

Thirty years ago the U.S. Congress recognized the critical need to assure that the benefits of a higher education be made accessible to everyone. Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was enacted to provide Federal assistance for a program to strengthen and improve the academic quality, Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was enacted to provide Federal assistance for a program to strengthen and improve the academic quality, strengthen the administrative capacity, and establish an endowment fund in order to achieve growth and self-sufficiency for developing institutions. Amendments to the Act have altered some of the elements of the program, but it remains basically as written-an instrument to provide assistance to institutions demonstrating a constructive effort to strengthen themselves.  The annual amount allocated by Congress to support the Title III Programs exceeds $300,000,000.   In recent years, nearly 500 colleges and universities throughout the United States, its territories, and possessions have received Title III funds annually.

The current Title III legislation authorizes three distinct programs:  Part A - Strengthening Institution Programs; Part B - Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program (undergraduate) and Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI) Program;  and Part C - Endowment Challenge Grant Program.  Fayetteville State University presently receives support under the undergraduate program  of Part B and under Part C.

Fayetteville State University has been a Title III grantee continuously since the latter half of the 1960s.  The institution is now in the fourth year of a five-year grant period.  The 2006-2007 project consists of nine activities and the administration and evaluation component.  The university's current funding level is $3,503,734. 

At the national level, the Title III Programs are administered by the Division of Institutional Development within the U.S. Department of Education (ED).  Title III is referred to as the "President's Program" (Chancellor's in FSU's case) since the funds are awarded to support institutional priorities identified by the university's administration.  Though the chief executive's involvement is not required in the day-to-day operation of the Title III Project, she is expected to be knowledgeable about its impact upon the problems and deficiencies identified in the grant application.