'Infuriating': Trump blasted for suspending rural 1890 Scholars program

Congresswoman Alma Adams issued a statement late last week criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to suspend the 1890 Scholars Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Scholars Program was established in 1992 in partnership with USDA and the nation’s 1890 land-grant universities, of which there are 16, including North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. The scholarship program’s goal is to increase the number of students from rural and underserved communities who study food, agriculture, natural resource and other related sciences. It provides recipients with full tuition, fees, books, room and board.

“It is infuriating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended the 1890 Scholars Program ‘pending further review,’” Adams said. “This is a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody, and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture, and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day.”

Scholars must attend one of the 1890 land-grant universities and pursue degrees in agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, or related academic disciplines. The “1890s” schools were established or funded due to the 1890 Morrill Act, which was signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison. The goal was to expand the opportunities for people of color to access education, specifically in agriculture and mechanical arts.

“This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it,” Adams said.“I demand USDA immediately rescind this targeted and mean-spirited suspension and reinstate the 1890 Scholars Program, for which the deadline for students to apply was originally March 1, 2025.”

Jacqueline Torok, director of media relations for N.C. A&T, said the university currently has 20 scholars who “will not experience any change in financial support.”

The program has supported more than “100 high-achieving students” from rural and underserved communities studying agriculture, food, natural resources and related sciences at North Carolina A&T since it was established, Torok said.

“We are discussing this important program with the UNC System and our elected representatives and are hopeful that support will be fully restored in the near future,” she said.

The “1890s” — as they are often referred to — also include:

• Delaware State University
• Florida A&M University
• Fort Valley State University, Georgia
• Kentucky State University
• Langston University, Oklahoma
• Lincoln University, Missouri
• Prairie View A&M University, Texas
• South Carolina State University
• Southern University, Louisiana
• Tennessee State University
• Tuskegee University, Alabama
• University of Arkansas Pine Bluff
• University of Maryland Eastern Shore
• Virginia State University
• West Virginia State University

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com.