Lincoln University Students Sue Missouri Over Decades of Underfunding

Seven current and former students at Lincoln University of Missouri have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the state of systematically underfunding the historically Black university for decades, allegedly violating the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights law.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri Central Division, seeks compensatory damages under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Plaintiffs claim years of inadequate funding caused educational and economic harm. They are also seeking an injunction requiring Missouri to fully match Lincoln University’s federal land-grant funding going forward.

Additional funding could support campus repairs, faculty recruitment, student services, financial aid and agricultural research programs.

Lincoln University, located in Jefferson City, is Missouri’s first historically Black land-grant institution, while the University of Missouri is the state’s predominantly white land-grant university.

According to the complaint, Missouri allocated less funding per student to Lincoln than to the University of Missouri during most fiscal years from 1987 through 2020. The lawsuit cites a September 2023 letter from the U.S. agriculture and education secretaries estimating that Lincoln was underfunded by $361.6 million during that period.

Plaintiffs also allege Missouri provided no matching state funds for Lincoln’s federal land-grant allocation between fiscal 2000 and 2007 and only partially met matching requirements afterward. Lincoln reportedly redirected roughly $43.5 million from its operating budget between 2000 and 2016 and returned nearly $8 million in federal funding from 2016 through 2018 because matching requirements could not be met.

The complaint says Missouri fully matched the University of Missouri’s land-grant funding during the same period.

The lawsuit names Missouri, the state Coordinating Board for Higher Education, Governor Michael Kehoe, Higher Education Commissioner Bennett Boggs and University of Missouri System President Mun Choi as defendants.

Plaintiffs, including four current students, describe deteriorating residence halls, limited health and dining services, fewer course options, inadequate advising and financial pressures. They argue these conditions reflect the lasting effects of Missouri’s historically segregated higher education system.

The University of Missouri declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation, while other state officials and Lincoln University did not immediately respond.