St. Philip\u2019s College, the nearly 130-year-old college on San Antonio\u2019s East Side, is expected to undergo additional renovation projects in 2026, among them the construction of a long-awaited formal main entrance.<\/p>\n
This is happening because of the infusion of nearly $15 million in unexpected federal funds aimed to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the front door for St. Philip\u2019s College, where is the main entrance? That\u2019s right, we don\u2019t have one,\u201d said President Adena Williams Loston as she announced the funds to the Alamo Colleges District board of trustees in November, calling this a \u201cterrific opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
The college plans to complete four campus expansion projects with this unexpected windfall of cash, an additional $14.6 million that is part of a significant investment for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together, HBCUs and tribal colleges will receive $495 million<\/a> in addition to their existing support from the federal government.<\/p>\n St. Philip\u2019s officials were notified of the additional funds on Sept. 27, and told they have one year to spend the funds, Williams Loston said. The plan is to use these to build a Veterans Hall, additional cafeteria space and make improvements to the Watson Fine Arts Center\u2019s heating and air conditioning system.\u00a0<\/p>\n The college is one of the oldest in the region, established in 1898, and the only one designated as both a Historically Black College and Hispanic Serving Institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, St. Philip\u2019s serves nearly 21,000 students out of the nearly 90,000 students enrolled across the five Alamo Colleges District, which also includes San Antonio College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Northeast Lakeview College.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an opportunity,\u201d Williams Loston said. \u201cWe do not have a center on campus that supports the student veterans\u2026 And in addition, because of our phenomenal growth, we now need added cafeteria facilities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the Department of Education announced it would shift dollars formerly allocated to support Hispanic Serving Institutions, a federal designation awarded to degree-granting colleges with at least 25% of Hispanic or Latino students enrolled.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the Trump administration officials with the Department of Education deemed these programs \u201cracially discriminatory,\u201d<\/a> citing the federally mandated quota as the main reason. They also announced these funds would instead go to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Native American-serving institutions, and others.<\/p>\n While the federal government deems this funding as unfair, Hispanic Serving Institution leaders say the program provides vital investments for more than 600 institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n