PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – College of Agriculture and Human Sciences has successfully lobbied for the state of Texas to match the amount of funding CAHS receives from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The agriculture match will help the college continue its projected growth, meeting the needs of its students, its underserved clientele, and the college’s tripartite mission, says CAHS Dean and Director of Land-grant Programs Gerard D’Souza, Ph.D.
“A condition of each of the 1890 Land-Grant Universities (LGU) receiving its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) capacity funding is that the respective state matches the funding at least 1:1,” D’Souza said. “Historically, the maximum our college has received from the state has never exceeded 50%, so this is a pivotal moment for us to demonstrate that the return on investment (ROI) will be phenomenal, as always! Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) now joins the majority of the 19 members of the 1890 LGUs who receive the full ag match from their respective states.” 
The fight for a full state match has been a priority for the college for years, with many stakeholders and CAHS supporters pushing for funding. In February 2023, Dr. D’Souza spent a few days in Austin, Texas meeting with legislators to advocate the Ag match. On February 21, the Texas State Senate acknowledged the college in a resolution, commending CAHS for all it achieves and proclaiming its dedication to supporting its efforts.
The extra funding will increase the college’s service area by providing more resources for the college’s underserved stakeholders in Texas. The college serves about one million of the state’s underserved population with current funds. But with the Ag match, the college will be able to double the number it serves, particularly in rural communities with limited resources.
“Furthermore, we have county agents in 56 counties, which has grown in the past five years. We are poised to be present in almost 100 counties by next year,” D’Souza said. “The funding will increase our workload and enable us to provide more extension agents and community programs.”
There are many people who helped make this groundbreaking news a reality. Legislators, supporters, and stakeholders truly supported these efforts, not to mention our Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) delegates, CAHS Advisory Board, and alums. A special thanks to Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) Chancellor John Sharp, TAMUS Assistant Vice Chancellor for Government Relations Michael Gibson, former PVAMU President Ruth Simmons, Ph.D., PVAMU Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs James Palmer, Ph.D., PVAMU Senior Vice President of Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Carter-Horn, Ph.D., and others.
Most of all, a special thanks to the boots on the ground, working at the front lines and making a difference in our underserved communities statewide: county agents and extension staff, including Cooperative Extension Program (CEP) Executive Associate Director Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., and the CEP Headquarters staff, as well as the Information, Impact, and Sustainability Center (IISC) for telling the CAHs story, and other mission areas and support unit leaders.