BGE to Provide $3 million in Grants to Continue BGE Scholars Partnership with Morgan State and Other Maryland HBCUs

Since the partnership launched in 2021, 45 students have been awarded scholarships and 94 additional students were able to graduate with the support of persistence funding

BALTIMORE – BGE has announced the continuation of its partnership with Morgan State University and two other Maryland-based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUS) to award scholarships to full-time STEM majors from Maryland. Each school will receive a total of $1 million in grant funding over four years (2023-2026) from the BGE Scholars program. Morgan currently has 15 students participating in the program. 

“BGE continues to demonstrate a true commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through its investment in high research HBCUs, such as Morgan, and the STEM graduates we produce,” said Dr. David K. Wilson, president of Morgan State University. “The partnership we share is a substantive one, one that has already begun to show tangible results as we further critical research and prepare our scholars to take on challenges beyond their graduation. We extend our gratitude to BGE for the expansion of their investment in our students, and we look forward to mutually benefiting from even greater returns.” 

The funding is intended to provide an annual commitment at each school of $10,000 scholarships to 15 students pursuing degrees in STEM disciplines (for a total of $150,000); $50,000 to fund persistence grants, available to any student at the university; and $50,000 to support student and faculty-led innovation and research projects. In addition to the grant funding, BGE is also committing to leading student enrichment and career development activities and events such as the Black Excellence in Energy speaker series, summer internship prioritization, mentors, and job shadowing opportunities. 

“As partners in this effort since 2021, the HBCUs have been able to award scholarships to Maryland students to reduce their higher education debt, provide persistence grants to help students pay off unexpected expenses that impact degree completion and provide funding for faculty and student-led research opportunities,” said BGE President and CEO Carim Khouzami. “These foundational investments have yielded very promising early-stage impacts and have generated momentum for a promising future together. So today, we are excited to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership with each institution.” 

“This $3 million investment from BGE to students studying at Morgan State, Coppin State, and Bowie State is centered on a priority that is crucial to the long-term competitiveness of our state: and that’s STEM education,” said Maryland Governor Wes Moore. “These scholarships will help provide our students with some of the financial security they need to complete their degrees, and innovative research opportunities in the classroom that will set them up for success in their future careers. This effort pushes forward our administration’s goal to build a more equitable state, where no one is left behind.” 

In addition to Morgan, Bowie State University and Coppin State University will also receive funding from BGE. 

Since the partnership was launched with BGE’s initial commitment of $1,275,000, 45 students have been awarded scholarships and 94 additional students were able to graduate with the support of persistence funding. BGE and the universities will continue to build their partnerships beyond financial support to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Maryland.   

To be eligible for the scholarships, a student must be a Maryland resident, maintain a minimum 2.8 GPA, major in a STEM field, and demonstrate financial need.

*Photos courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor

About Morgan
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. 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 BGE 
BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, providing safe and reliable energy delivery to more than 1.3 million electric customers and 700,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company was founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and remains headquartered in Baltimore City to this day. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation's leading energy utility company. Engage with the latest BGE stories on bgenow.com and connect with BGE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

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Media Contacts:
Larry Jones or Dell Jackson, for University PR
443-885-3022

or 

Jane Ballentine, for BGE 
(410) 470-7433