A few weeks back I had a choice to attend the homecoming of my alma mater, University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) or my father's alma mater and a place I have been visiting since I was a boy, Norfolk State University (NSU). I chose the Historically Black College/University (HBCU) Norfolk State University, home of the Spartans! Arriving on campus, I just felt at home, like I was attending a huge family reunion and everyone there is my cousin, aunt or uncle. You can walk up to anyone having a cookout and they will offer their food and drink because you are family. There is this overwhelming sense of pride and love and everyone is just having a good time.
While in Norfolk, my friends and I were sad to hear that NSU is facing accreditation issues which has led to a drastic decrease in applications and shrinking the incoming freshman class of 1000 students each year from 2005 to 2012 to just a class of 400 in this year's class. My first year Microeconomics class at UMCP had that many students! Nonetheless, I, along with green and gold spartan alumni, had a wonderful weekend supporting, socially and financially, the survival of a university founded and created to educate Black students. Some may ask what is so special about an HBCU? Do you get more than just an education from an HBCU? It really depends on the student and your past experience. In my humble opinion, it really comes down to the type of student you are; if you can exist on a campus with thousands of other students and still find your way academically and socially, a bigger school is for you. If you need that one-on-one attention from your professor, if you need that structure, HBCU may be for you. In addition, if you grew up and went to school with all Blacks, it may benefit you more to go to a PWI and vice versa.
NSU is not alone; HBCUs are struggling with poor leadership, unequal government funding, and declining enrollment based on factors that cannot be controlled. The financial recession did nothing to help all colleges and universities because they tend to spend less during a recession. I do not want to give the wrong impression that every HBCU is having problems. Hampton University is a great example of an HBCU that has consistent enrollment numbers as well as good leadership. On the other hand, there are some HBCUs that are having fundraising issues and/or making sure their students graduate. And then there are some schools that are in dire straights or have already closed.
There are about 15 or so HBCUs that are in serious trouble and they include South Carolina State, Wilberforce University (the oldest private HBCU in the nation), Howard University, and Elizabeth City State University.
South Carolina State University (SCSU) was officially shut down by South Carolina House officials as of July 1, 2015 because its total debt exceeded $83 million. The university's trustees fired the president, faculty and staff, and ironically, the South Carolina House and Senate officials approved proposals to dismiss all trustees. Good news is that SCSU will be able to start fresh and resume operations during the 2016-2017 academic year.
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, was nearly shut down in May 2014 when lawmakers amended a bill that would have looked into the consolidation or closure of the university.
Wilberforce University, located in Ohio, is suffering from a decade of financial hemorrhage and declining enrollment 158 years after its founding. Wilberforce had until December 2014 to prove to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association that it deserves to remain accredited. In order to keep its accreditation, Wilberforce must address deteriorating buildings, poor leadership, ballooning debts, and its inability to meet and maintain academic standards.
Howard University (HU), located in Washington DC, a university trustee wrote a devastating letter in 2013 about HU's fiscal and management issues and warned the university would be closed in 3 years if something was not done. The trustee stated, "the combination of fewer students who can arrange for financial aid, coupled with high school counselors who are steering students to less expensive state and junior colleges, has resulted in lower enrollment and this trend is expected to continue."
The government has indirectly assisted in the decline of African-American enrollment. In the fall of 2011, the criteria for PLUS loans were tightened and communication to applicants informing them of these changes was poor. PLUS loans are direct federal loans to the families of students once the student has maxed out their federal financial aid options. Once the changes kicked in, the results were staggering; many families were unexpectedly rejected from the program thus reducing the number of students with the ability to attend school. From 2011 to 2013, the US News and World Report stated there were 45% FEWER PLUS loan recipients at HBCUs. In a 2-year period, 1 in 2 students were unable to return to school!
Morehouse College, the all-men's premier HBCU located in Atlanta, Georgia, spiraled into dire financial straits in 2012 after the PLUS credit changes. Incoming freshmen could not afford Morehouse which caused a forced faculty and staff furlough.
Another little-known tidbit when it comes to government funding at both the federal and state level, it has been inequitable between public HBCUs and PWIs. For example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receives $15,700 in state funding per student while HBCU North Carolina A&T University receives $7,800 in state funding per student.
The narrative in the mainstream media will have you believe that Black enrollment in colleges and universities has skyrocketed. This is true, but not entirely. At top-tier research institutions, like UMCP, the share of Black students has dropped every year since 1994. In addition to UMCP, this list includes large public universities like UCLA, Florida State, Michigan as well as Ivy League and selective private colleges. Why?
Researchers say one of the reasons is "ever-more-selective" admission rates, that include standardized test scores, which leave high school counselors in predominantly Black schools under-prepared to respond. These same counselors, as a result of tighter admissions, steer Black students toward schools that are less selective.
Just this past weekend, I was back on campus at UMCP, a university founded by Charles Calvert, a former slave owner, and was happy to find out that a statue was being erected on campus of Frederick Douglass. This seemed like an act of embracing my community but at the same time, first-year Black student enrollment has decreased significantly over the last 10 years. At one point, UMCP was 4th in awarding undergraduate degrees to Black students, which included HBCUs; today, UMCP has dropped to 25th overall.
If you have a reduction of Black students attending and receiving degrees from PWIs and HBCUs either closing (Morris Brown, St. Paul and others by clicking here), losing accreditation, or simply unable to recruit and retain Black students to their respective universities, where are all the Black students going to go for higher education? HBCUs enroll 11% of African-American students despite the fact that HBCUs represent 3% of all colleges and universities; HBCUs graduate 1 in 5 African-Americans earning an undergraduate degree. Research would suggest they are not going anywhere.
If getting our Black students to college is critical, why should we care if Black students attend HBCUs over PWIs?
From the article, "Do Historically Black Colleges Provide the Safe Spaces Students Are After?":
"In the post-Brown v. Board of Education educational landscape, HBCUs have struggled to quiet the critics questioning their relevance. At a time in which young black people are constantly attempting to have their voices heard, the ability to prioritize race as a meaningful marker in their college experience by attending HBCUs might factor into college choices more than it once had. Pushing for an inclusive university means pushing for a place that doesn't place on minority students the same type of burdens—discrimination, racism—that they’re bound to face once they graduate. HBCU students have the advantage that concern for their mental, emotional, and psychological well-being as young black adults is, traditionally at least, ingrained into the fabric of their institutions. That is what a safe space looks like for colleges today—a place that insulates students from the American racial injustices, not one that magnifies it."
HBCUs seem to provide support systems that are deeply entrenched throughout all aspects of the university. HBCUs offer cultural centers tailored for minority students that offer communities-from students to the faculty to the way of life-that are culturally relevant and relatable in all kinds of ways.
What can we do to increase enrollment at HBCUs?
- Support and give to organizations like the Tom Joyner Foundation and the United Negro College Fund. The Tom Joyner Foundation supports HBCUs with scholarships, endowments, and capacity building enhancements. The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) raises money for and helps students receive college degrees at member institutions and with UNCF scholarships.
- Promote and push more of our high-performing high school athletes to our HBCUs. (This will be expounded in Part 2.)
I think this says it all...
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