Morgan State University President David K. Wilson to Serve as Inaugural Board Chairman for the Association of HBCU Research Institutions (AHRI)
BALTIMORE — Morgan State University, along with 14 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), has joined forces to launch the Association of HBCU Research Institutions (AHRI), a national coalition designed to accelerate world-class research, expand institutional capacity, and elevate HBCU leadership in addressing society’s most pressing challenges.
The organization aims to amplify the contributions of HBCUs in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research while expanding policy influence and accelerating transformative discoveries at scale. AHRI will advance this mission by increasing research capacity, strengthening institutional infrastructure, expanding funding opportunities, enhancing faculty recruitment, and broadening student access to research and career pathways.
Member institutions will also collaborate to increase the number of HBCUs achieving Research One Carnegie Classification—the highest designation for research activity. AHRI is supported by a strategic partnership with the Association of American Universities, where its offices will be co-located, as well as a three-year, $1 million grant from the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. Harvard University’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research will also provide technical assistance.
Morgan President David K. Wilson has been appointed to serve as AHRI’s board chair, while Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., president of Prairie View A&M University, serves as board vice chair. Howard University Interim President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., will serve as AHRI interim president.
“Historically Black Colleges and Universities have long served as engines of opportunity, innovation, and impact, yet the full measure of our collective research strength has not always been realized at the national level,” said President Wilson. “The formation of the Association of HBCU Research Institutions represents a decisive step forward—bringing together leading institutions with a unified voice to advance discovery, expand capacity, and confront the complex challenges of our time. Through this collaboration, we are not only amplifying the excellence that defines our institutions but also positioning HBCUs to play an even more influential role in driving solutions that benefit our nation and the world.”
AHRI’s founding members include 13 partner institutions classified as R2, High Research Activity: Morgan State University, Clark Atlanta University, Delaware State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Hampton University, Jackson State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University, South Carolina State University, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Texas Southern University, and Virginia State University; the University of Maryland Eastern Shore; and Howard University, an R1 institution and the only HBCU to have achieved that designation to date.
“Today is not just an announcement, but a declaration that HBCUs are not only contributors to research and innovation, but also leaders shaping a new era of discovery, reimagining both the solutions and the systems that drive research,” said Interim President Frederick.
Collectively, AHRI institutions account for 50% of competitively awarded federal research funding among HBCUs and drive solutions in health, science, education, justice reform, and economic development.
The launch coincides with AHRI’s inaugural research symposium, “Expanding the Research Mission of HBCUs,” convening higher education leaders, policymakers, and industry partners to explore strategies to strengthen research infrastructure and expand collective impact.
“AHRI marks a powerful new chapter in the HBCU research landscape, bringing institutions that have too often worked in isolation into sustained collaboration with one another and with the country’s leading research universities,” said Ruth Simmons, Ph.D., senior adviser to the Harvard University president on engagement with HBCUs and a three-time college president.
“We are privileged to leverage our expertise in research infrastructure and capacity-building to help strengthen the foundation for HBCU research excellence and support more institutions on the path from R2 to R1 status,” said Sara Naomi Bleich, Ph.D., vice provost for special projects at Harvard. “The H&LS Initiative’s growing portfolio of partnerships with HBCUs has shown how transformative these collaborations can be for students and faculty. This new partnership with AHRI will build on that success and further expand the opportunities and recognition for premier HBCU research institutions.”
AHRI was established through collaboration among visionary leaders committed to elevating HBCU research capacity and influence. In addition to Frederick, Simmons, Wilson, and LeGrande, collaborators included Harold L. Martin Sr., Ph.D., chancellor emeritus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. With administrative and legal support from Howard University, the organization was formally incorporated on June 14, 2023, and convened its inaugural board meeting on October 18, 2023.
AHRI leaders also issued a call to action for government, corporate, and philanthropic partners to invest in the future of HBCU research and innovation.
About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.
About AHRI
The Association of HBCU Research Institutions (AHRI) is a coalition of leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities dedicated to advancing research excellence, innovation, and public impact. In partnership with the Association of American Universities, AHRI is amplifying the collective voice of HBCU research institutions—elevating their national presence, strengthening policy influence, and accelerating transformative research that addresses society’s most pressing challenges at scale.
