Holmes Hall, one of Morgan State University's main campus buildings.

(Image via Facebook)Thanks to the Maryland Department of Commerce, an octet of the state’s public and private universities can now commit a collective $16.4 million toward professorships in STEM, health and adjacent fields.

Half of that sum, or $8.2 million, comes from matching grants that the stage agency endowed via its Maryland E-Novation Initiative Fund (MEIF), which it administers to match private fundraising for endowed professorships and chair positions. The other half, per the MEIF’s mandate, came from private fundraising that the beneficiary universities and colleges raised.

Image: Holmes Hall, one of Morgan State University's main campus buildings. (Image via Facebook)