(January 20, 2021 – Houston Business Journal) – Prairie View A&M University and Shell Global Solutions signed a multimillion-dollar agreement for research, innovation and diversity on Jan. 18.
The PVAMU-Shell Nature Based Solutions Research Program is a five-year, $5-million partnership headquartered in the university’s College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. Additionally, Shell will give PVAMU another $1 million to support diversity and inclusion.
PVAMU President Ruth J. Simmons noted that this is the first partnership the school has inked since the university received its R2 research designation from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, which was announced Jan. 3. That is the second-highest ranking for universities with a commitment to research.
“That’s a very important classification to us to recognize that we are growing as a research institution and that we’re joining 130 other institutions in the country in being in that classification,” Simmons said in the Jan. 18 announcement.
The NBS partnership will allow Shell to use the university’s 700 acres of farmland dedicated to research and will include building a new state-of-the-art greenhouse on the farmland. Shell staff will also work on joint research projects to help train the next generation of scientists at PVAMU.
“This partnership marks a significant milestone in our relationship, paving pathways for Prairie View A&M faculty and students to (be involved) in interdisciplinary research and innovation activities with Shell research and development (teams) solving global challenges,” said Magesh Rajan, PVAMU vice president of research and innovation.
Meanwhile, the diversity and inclusion funds “will be used for university infrastructure improvements and to support PVAMU’s growth while creating a more diverse technical talent pipeline through retention programs,” the university said.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion is a passion of mine. Shell is striving to become one of the most diverse and inclusive organizations in the world, a place where everyone feels valued and respected,” said Gretchen Watkins, president of Houston-based Shell Oil Co. “This commitment starts with our employees and includes our work with external partners such as research institutions and universities like Prairie View A&M.”
PVAMU, one of the nation’s 10 largest historically Black colleges and universities, has received several donations over the past couple of years related to diversity and more.
In November, Charles Butt, chairman and CEO of San Antonio-based H-E-B LP, contributed $5 million to create Founders Scholarships, which are scholarships for PVAMU students from Texas public high schools. The Brown Foundation Inc., a Houston-based foundation, gave $4 million to PVAMU in July. In June, two of the world’s largest tech companies, Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google, gave the school $1.25 million and $5 million, respectively. In December 2020, billionaire MacKenzie Scott gifted the university $50 million to be used at Simmons’ discretion. Less than a month later, PVAMU received $1 million from Houston-based Halliburton Co. to fund new scholarships.
PVAMU has been among the 10 largest HBCUs nationwide over the past decade prior to the pandemic, based on U.S. Department of Education enrollment data. PVAMU’s most recent enrollment prior to the pandemic was around 9,500 students, ranking it No. 5.
Prairie View A&M is No. 6 on the Houston Business Journal’s 2021 Largest Houston-Area Colleges and Universities List, with an enrollment of 9,000 students for the 2021 fall semester.
This article by Olivia Pulsinelli, Assistant managing editor, originally appeared in the Houston Business Journal.