Historically Black Land-Grant Universities Celebrate USDA Agreement as a 'Big Win' — and a Reassurance

West Virginia State University President Ericke S. Cage — chair of the Council of 1890 University Presidents — called the March 5, 2026 USDA Memorandum of Understanding a "big win," saying it provides a formalized platform for 1890 institutions to raise critical issues directly with the federal agency and find alignment with USDA funding priorities — a reassurance that came after a rocky start that included the temporary suspension of the 1890 Scholars Program in early 2025. (

Leaders of the nation's 19 historically Black land-grant universities are celebrating a formal agreement signed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month — describing it as both a practical victory and an emotional reassurance that their institutions remain valued partners of the federal government, even as the broader higher education sector navigates one of its most turbulent periods of federal funding uncertainty in decades.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed March 5 between the USDA and the Council of 1890 University Presidents sustains and expands the federal partnership with these institutions — commonly known as the 1890 universities after the Second Morrill Act of 1890 that established them. The agreement serves as a primary vehicle to implement the policy objectives of Executive Order 14283, the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at HBCUs, signed by President Trump last spring.