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TCF Releases “The Price of Excellence,” a Documentary Film and Battle Cry for HBCUs
The Century Foundation is proud to release the short documentary film, The Price of Excellence, which dissects the unequal treatment and funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) compared to their non-HBCU peer institutions.
Filmed on campus at North Carolina A&T State University, the documentary puts viewers in the shoes of students, faculty, alumni, and experts who make the case for targeted, equitable federal and state investments and fair access to research funding. As director JD Jones put it, the film is “both a love letter to the legacy of HBCUs—and a battle cry for their future.”
The film comes at a pivotal moment, as the Trump administration ramps up its attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and on higher education more broadly. Federal cuts to student loan programs threaten students’ already-too-limited affordable access to HBCUs, and looming federal cuts to Medicaid will force states to belt-tighten—which often translates into devastating state cuts to higher education, including at public HBCUs.
Yet momentum for change is building: leaders are starting to pay attention. Lawmakers like Congresswoman Alma Adams have spent years spotlighting the issue of HBCU underfunding at the federal level, alumni coalitions are exploring lawsuits to secure state matching grants, HBCU caucuses are forming in state legislatures, and more.
TCF Releases “The Price of Excellence,” a Documentary Film and Battle Cry for HBCUs
The Century Foundation is proud to release the short documentary film, The Price of Excellence, which dissects the unequal treatment and funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) compared to their non-HBCU peer institutions.
Filmed on campus at North Carolina A&T State University, the documentary puts viewers in the shoes of students, faculty, alumni, and experts who make the case for targeted, equitable federal and state investments and fair access to research funding. As director JD Jones put it, the film is “both a love letter to the legacy of HBCUs—and a battle cry for their future.”
The film comes at a pivotal moment, as the Trump administration ramps up its attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and on higher education more broadly. Federal cuts to student loan programs threaten students’ already-too-limited affordable access to HBCUs, and looming federal cuts to Medicaid will force states to belt-tighten—which often translates into devastating state cuts to higher education, including at public HBCUs.
Yet momentum for change is building: leaders are starting to pay attention. Lawmakers like Congresswoman Alma Adams have spent years spotlighting the issue of HBCU underfunding at the federal level, alumni coalitions are exploring lawsuits to secure state matching grants, HBCU caucuses are forming in state legislatures, and more.
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Tags: higher education, HBCU, documentary