COMMENTARY: We Must Work Together to Support HBCUs’ Sustainability in America

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education sent all colleges and universities across the nation a notice, reminding them that they need to comply with the newly updated cybersecurity regulations published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The regulations – which include specifications such as implementing critical controls for information security programs, maintaining oversight of service providers, and designating an individual to oversee a school’s cybersecurity infrastructure – came in response to& an uptick in ransomware attacks on schools around the United States. While these regulations are certainly warranted in an age where personal data is becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber-criminals, the penalties for failing to comply with the regulations – especially the withholding of federal needs-based funding under Title IV – pose an existential threat to schools operating under tight budgets. Take Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which have, throughout their existence, struggled to find the substantial funding that many state and private predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education enjoy and who are already steeling themselves to deal with an expected surge of applicants following the Supreme Court’s regressive decision to effectively end Affirmative Action admission programs. The loss of Title IV funding would drastically affect...