HBCUs--Historical or Non-Existent

Historically Black Colleges and Universities will always be historical but it seems as if many of them might become non-existent this decade if lawmakers particularly Governors get their way. It all started in 2008 with the state of Georgia where State Senator Seth Harp put forth a proposal that would merge two HBCU’s with predominately white institutions. In fact Harp’s proposal would merge the historically black 3,400-student Savannah State University with Armstrong Atlantic State University, a majority white school. Also, Albany State University, which has about 4,100 enrolled, would combine with nearby Darton College, which also has a predominantly white student body. The new campuses would keep the names of the older and more established black colleges.

Now in 2009, in Louisiana in particular state lawmakers are discussing dissolving Southern University’s higher education board and merging it with predominately white institutions (PWIs) educational boards. Yet another attempt to try to dismantle the funding and governing powers of another HBCU. However towards the end of the 2009 and the decade, in the state of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour made announcement that shocked not only the residents of Mississippi but it sent shockwaves throughout the HBCU communities. Governor Barbour announced that the state of Mississippi should consider merging colleges and universities and one proposal was for Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State to merge with Jackson State. The campuses will remain open but under the umbrella of Jackson State University. Still Barbour is only proposing this but if the lawmakers of Mississippi agree with Barbour’s budget plans in 2010 or the coming years than the state will only have one HBCU in existence along with 4 other colleges and universities.

Thus the new decade has arrived and the fact is that perhaps after all these years and surviving decades of progress, it seems that if HBCUs are going to survive past this decade than they need to do more than just march and protest unfair treatment and funding practices by state governments. If the previous decade was a warning sign to the future of HBCUs than the future looks pretty dim. Especially when you look at the fact the state of Mississippi even after losing a federal lawsuit in the early 1990s about the funding of HBCUs compared to PWIs, still have not lived up to the funding obligations as decreed in the lawsuit settlement. So HBCUs have to look to improve not only its financial capitol in the new decade but its political capitol because it is clear that HBCUs need all the financial help and political allies it can muster if they are going to prosper into the next decade.

If the last decade taught America anything and if states learned anything from the previous decade that is that states must change if they are to balance future state budgets while still supporting its citizenry the way it has in previous years as well as decades. This is way some states especially those with HBCUs are considering ways to merge some of its higher education institutions or at least hold them more accountable in terms of the education they are delivering to students especially since states are giving thousands of millions of dollars to higher education each year. Some people will say that for years people have tried to get rid of HBCUs and that states like Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi probably have found the final key pieces to do away with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Elder historians and HBCU lovers will say that for years as well as decades, HBCUs have been underfunded by state governments or state lawmakers have tried to force HBCUs to increase their minority student population (i.e. non-black students) or risk funding being cut due to not following such stipulations. Now it seems as if state governments and lawmakers see yet another opportunity to close HBCUs and many people see this is perhaps the final nail in the coffin of many HBCUs if such plans are made. In the wake of states trying to fix their budget woes from not just 2009 but looking to make sure state budgets are solvent in 2010 and future years to come, states are looking at perhaps saving money by either getting rid of many of the colleges and universities higher educational boards and putting them all under one big higher education board. Also states are looking at merging some colleges and universities in order to avoid raising tuition (20-30%) as high as the state of California did for all of its colleges and universities in order to fix its state budget woes. So some states are using reasons such as low enrollment, low graduation rates, or financial instability at some of its colleges and universities as reasons for such merger talks but it seems at every state that is talking about merge involves the merging of at least one or more HBCUs.

The New Year as well as a new decade has arrived but this decade will tell a lot about the future of HBCUs as much of the talk that began at the end of the decade continues to loom into this decade especially with the state of Texas looking at perhaps taking over Texas Southern University, another HBCU due to financial problems they are having. So HBCUs have to do a better job this decade than it did in the previous decade or for the first time in a long time, many public HBCUs will slowly but surely become non-existent which is something no HBCU lover wants to see. Not only do alumni need to invest financially in HBCUs but HBCU employees need to invest political capitol in building relationships beyond the HBCU. In fact HBCUs need to show now more than ever why their academic programs are just as good or greater than PWIs because this decade will tell a lot about HBCUs academically, culturally, economically, financially, geographically and politically.

HBCUs this decade must be innovative and they must think globally if they are to survive into the next decade because like what happened to Morris Brown at the beginning of the last decade, it can happen to other HBCUs at the beginning of this decade. While Morris Brown is slowly but surely trying to come back, it still has not rebounded as fast as some people would think it should. Thus HBCUs need to think more outside the box of simply building new buildings, creating new schools or colleges on campus but they need to think more globally in terms of creating schools in other nations as well as building partnerships governments of other countries as well with colleges and universities that go beyond student exchange programs.

HBCUs need to not look any further than the beginning of the movie School Daze to understand that if they don’t think globally than they will continue to behind the Harvard’s, Princeton’s, and Brigham Young’s of the world. No longer can HBCU’s think domestically and expect to survive but most importantly no longer can HBCUs be stagnant on prior accomplishments but they need to always be looking to expand their accomplishments in not just research academic fields but in all academic fields. HBCUs are not just competing against each other but they are competing against the nearly 400 plus colleges and universities and counting. This is why HBCUs must stick together in this decade because there is strength in numbers and right now that is all HBCUs have to stand on but numbers alone won’t prevent many of them from becoming non-existent but it is the actions they make this decade as a whole that might pave the way for all of them seeing the next decade ahead.

Hopefully HBCUs change for the better this decade because if they don’t many of them if not all of them will learn what many financial companies and the auto industry learned at the end of the previous decade. That fate is not something that is good because even as we enter this decade, the fate of the auto industry is still murky and the financial industry looks to be recovering but still some smaller bank doors that were open to began last year, aren’t open this year. This is why HBCUs need to think innovation and globally this decade but do so with a stable financial footing, stronger academic standards and higher graduation rates. These things will stave off any talk of mergers or takeovers which will loom for at least the first couple of years of this decade but let’s hope not for the rest of the decade because HBCUs should be stronger than ever midway through the decade.


References:
Barbour budget has education mergers
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2009/nov/16/barbour-budget-has-education-mergers/

Barbour: Mississippi Should Merge Universities
http://www.wapt.com/money/21630793/detail.html

HBCU's Economic Struggle Prompts Calls for Merging
http://www.insightintodiversity.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137%3Ajeana-graham&catid=51%3Abreaking-news&Itemid=159

HBCUs Drawing Scrutiny
http://www.insidehighered.com/layout/set/dialog/news/2009/01/30/hbcu

Idea to Merge HBCUs in Georgia Facing Resistance
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=print/news/the_black_diaspora_news/4513

Is it the end of an era for black universities?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/05/18/what.matters.black.universities/index.html

Threat to Black Colleges
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/11/17/hbcu

President Obama: Help Me Help Our HBCUs--By Tom Joyner

Mr. President, I have been a major supporter of yours from the start because I believed you were the best person for the job because I never dreamed in my lifetime that this would happen. You've been doing an amazing job considering that you took over the country at a time when so much is happening. But I do have a concern about one of your recent decisions. I'm calling on you to listen to the tens of thousands of alumni, faculty, administration and students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who want you to seriously reconsider your changes to the 2010 federal budget. We want you to extend the $85 million that was included in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 and is slated to expire in 2009.

I realize you're dealing with a budget that's in the trillions of dollars, but let me tell you, as a long time supporter and cheerleader for black colleges, literally every single dollar helps to keep their doors open at these institutions. This $85 million is absolutely crucial for many of the colleges to make sure every student attending these schools have the best infrastructure possible. That means these schools need the direct funds that the federal government has allocated since 2007 to help provide comfortable dormitories, fully furnished classrooms, research labs, libraries and so many things that contribute to these students getting a quality education. The fact is the funding for many HBCUs eligible to receive federal funds has not kept pace with the increasing needs for the institutions.

I've been reading about how you and Secretary [Arne] Duncan are increasing the amount of money for PELL Grants, which means more students may be able to get sorely needed dollars to attend college. That's what my Foundation has been doing for the past 11 years, and the more help these students get to stay in school the better. Don't hesitate one minute in providing those funds, but, Mr. President, you can't have it both ways. If you cut funding that directly affects the operations of these HBCUs, then some of these schools may not be around to educate the students receiving those PELL grants.

Let me try to break it down even further. There are more than 200,000 students who are benefiting from getting an education at an HBCU. It's safe to say that many of these students may be a first generation college student who may have never have had a chance to even get a college degree if it weren't for an HBCU. Let's be honest. Not every one can go -- or get accepted -- to Harvard, Yale, Princeton or some of the major colleges around the country. What I know from my own personal experience - and from talking to and getting hugs from the thousands of students, their Moms, Dads, PawPaws and MoMos over the years -- is that many of these students are grateful to have had the opportunity to go to college. Period. What black colleges have given them is love, nurturing and confidence to take on the world. Just listen to what Dr. Billy Hawkins, president of Talladega (AL) College said during a panel discussion among black college presidents on my annual Tom Joyner Foundation fundraiser, the Fantastic Voyage(TM): "I worked 20 years at white institutions, but students don't get the nurturing they get at a black college."

But more than the touchy-feely stuff, black colleges are producing huge results. For example, here are some very impressive statistics from the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, better known as NAFEO: Twenty-four percent (24%) of all PhDs earned each year by African Americans are conferred by twenty four (24) HBCUs; Eighteen (18) of the top twenty-three (23) producers of African Americans who go on to receive science related PhDs are HBCUs; Four (4) of the top ten (10) producers of successful African American medical school applicants are HBCUs. These HBCUs produce twenty percent (20%) more African American applicants than the other six (6) institutions combined; Eight (8) of the top ten (10) producers of African American engineers are HBCUs.

Whenever I'm reminded of these statistics, I can't help but smile. I spend a lot of my time sharing this information with the world because most of the time you hear only about how bad black colleges are doing. Grant it, I'll be the first to tell you some of our black colleges are teetering on the brink of survival, but there are still many black colleges that are serving a critical role in producing future doctors, lawyers, teachers, athletes and engineers. Dr. Diane Suber, president of Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, NC, said she and her administration have to make tough choices all the time, and most importantly they realize they can not be all things to all people. "It's challenging for us to remain competitive and remain true to our mission," Suber said. "Our quality of education is not substandard. Yes, it could be better if we had more money, but we provide outstanding educational opportunities."

So, I ask you, Mr. President, restore that $85 million today! This small amount is the kind of investment that will truly impact the lives of thousands of black men and women who will end up helping you bring about the change you talked about during your campaign.

Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated radio show that reaches more than eight million listeners every week, is the founder and chairman of the 11-year-old Tom Joyner Foundation.

CONTACT:
Neil Foote
Tom Joyner Foundation
214-448-3765
neil@neilfoote.com

Black colleges will fight cut to federal program--By JUSTIN POPE

Leaders of historically black colleges say they'll fight a reduction in a federal program they call a financial lifeline at a time of economic distress for the schools and their students.

President Barack Obama's education budget, unveiled Thursday, included major spending increases in many areas — but didn't include an extra $85 million that black institutions have received annually for the past two years thanks to a 2007 change to the student loan laws.

That two-year-old program provided direct funds to federally recognized HBCUs — historically black colleges and universities.

Other direct federal support to the schools would increase from $238 million to $250 million, but with the expiration of the HBCU fund the schools effectively would see a $73 million cut.

A program supporting Native American tribal colleges would also see decreased funding, while one for institutions serving large numbers of Hispanic students would see an increase from $93 million to $98 million.

Education Department officials emphasized that all such institutions stand to gain from other parts of the budget, notably the proposed increase in the maximum Pell Grant for low-income students by $200 — to $5,550.

Still, the move could suggest that even as the administration pushes big education spending increases focused on low-income and minority students, direct support for institutions isn't the most favored method. The HBCU program is unusual; most federal help for higher education goes to students, and thus only indirectly to schools.

"The administration is definitely committed to strengthening HBCUs and other colleges and universities that serve minority populations," said Carmel Martin, assistant secretary of education, on a press conference call Thursday. "And one of the best ways we can do that is by supporting our students."

The historically black colleges and universities have been hit particularly hard by the recession, and HBCU leaders said this is no time to cut back on programs offering direct support to institutions that play an outsized role educating the neediest students.

The 105 federally recognized HBCUs make up just 3 percent of U.S. colleges but account for nearly 20 percent of undergraduate degrees awarded to blacks, according to UNCF, the United Negro College Fund. However, some have struggled with low graduation rates. An AP analysis earlier this year found that, overall, black students at four-year HBCUs have lower graduation rates than black students at other schools.

HBCUs have about 132,000 students receiving Pell grants, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal figures collected by the nonprofit group The Education Trust. Even if all got the maximum $200 Pell Grant increase, that would provide HBCUs new revenue totaling only about one-third of the funding cut outlined in the budget.

"We believe it is in the best interest of our country to ensure that (HBCUs) are strong," said John Donohue, UNCF's executive vice president for development.

Donohue said the federal program was responsible for important college readiness efforts at Dillard University in New Orleans, where he previously worked.

Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina — home to 11 HBCUs — questioned the administration's priorities, considering its decision to spare $9 million in funding for whaling history museums.

Education Department officials said the additional $85 million the HBCU program enjoyed the last two years was temporary and that HBCUs shouldn't have counted on it continuing.

Lezli Baskerville, president and CEO the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, a group representing predominantly black colleges, said giving money directly to the colleges is justified considering "the nation's sorry history of support for HBCUs." She noted government provided more support favoring other kinds of institutions, like research universities.

Ultimately, higher education officials believe Congress won't let the funding decline. Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education, said HBCUs have strong support in both parties and both houses of Congress.

"To see the federal support decline significantly would have a real, substantial impact on the institutions right away," Hartle said. "A lot of the philanthropic support is not as available as it was two years ago. They can't raise tuition."

Even the administration sounded like it expected Congress to step in.

"I think (HBCUs) understandably will try to encourage Congress to continue it anyway, and I understand that strategically for them," said deputy undersecretary of education Robert Shireman.

On the Net:
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-index.html

Are HBCUs Still Relevant?--By Daryl C. Hannah

February 05, 2009

More than six years ago, I had a tough decision to make: where to go to college. Despite my grades, I didn't have many choices. I could either attend the University of South Carolina (USC) and become another nameless face identified by the last four digits of my Social Security number, or I could attend Morehouse College, a historically Black all-men's college in Atlanta, and join their legacy of global leaders and thinkers. Needless to say, I chose Morehouse.

Today, I'm a 23-year-old journalist working for a national magazine, writing lead stories on crumbling financial institutions and discriminatory practices in the sporting world, with access to global thinkers from around the world.

But I must admit, I've always wondered how my life would be different had I attended USC.

Would I have the same confidence in my abilities working in corporate America, which is overwhelmingly run by white men, had I not attended a school that demanded I view myself as equal? Would I feel the same level of comfort discussing economic policy with the partner and cofounder of my company had I not attended a school that forced me to think globally and understand the global economy?

Honestly, probably not.

For more than 170 years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have opened educational doors closed by majority universities. They have filled the void created by racism and bigotry--albeit with the financial assistance of white philanthropists--to foster an air of expectancy from their students that challenges and equips them to become proponents of change. And while they are not without flaws and they vary tremendously, their good far outweighs the bad.

You see, before Morehouse, I grew accustomed to being the lone Black person in most of my classes (including the teachers), which caused me to seclude myself from classroom discussions or volunteering for special projects. I expected my teachers to notice my work and magically select me for special projects.

That never happened.

Attending Morehouse challenged me to view myself not solely as a Black man but as a leader. There was something magical about walking the halls that great leaders such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Howard Thurman and David Satcher walked. There's no doubt that alumni from other HBCUs feel a similar sense of pride about their schools and, more importantly, about themselves and their abilities.

While not all students faced with choosing a college will be able to attend Morehouse, or any of the HBCUs, all will undoubtedly have to come to a conclusion about their future. I'm still in my first "real" job, but attending an HBCU was the best decision I could have made to set my career on the right path.

Change has come to America and HBCU’s might be next

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been in existence since 1837. However HBCUs have undergone many transformations since their existence and have faced many difficult challenges such as mergers with pre-dominantly white institutions (PWIs), enrollment decline, and state financial cutbacks. Despite it all, HBCUs like Tennessee State University (TSU) have survived each obstacle set before it. Now as TSU attempts to celebrate its 100th year history in 2012, it is apparent that as the times have changed in America, it appears times might be changing at HBCUs like TSU.

Tennessee State University can just look one state over at proposed legislation in Georgia where two HBCUs might be merged with PWIs. However one of the HBCUs which is a four year university, name might be changed to the name of one of the PWIs that is a two-year community college. Since when do two year colleges dictate become the main college in mergers with four year institutions? Nonetheless this is the legislation that is being considered in Georgia’s State Legislature. While it is only discussions right now, opposition is already building to oppose any merger where the HBCUs name truly becomes extinct like many other HBCUs.

Therefore any such legislation passes in Georgia’s legislator because the state is trying to find ways to cut its state budgets. Then with all the rumors swirling around in regards to Tennessee State University perhaps being merged with Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) or better yet MTSU just simply taking over TSU, thus placing TSU into the history books like many other HBCUs. So in a time when America has elected its first African American President and with affirmative action being under attack constantly, it is clear that change in America has not only come but it is expected. Thus it is no wonder why now more than ever, the significance of HBCUs is slowly but surely becoming null and void.

When states all across America trying to figure out ways to save its states money, it is clear that many will look at education as a cost saving measure because they have been cutting from everywhere else for years while sparing education to a degree. Now education is no longer safe so the proposed legislation being considered in Georgia might set a new precedent in how many states with HBCUs deal with funding and merging of HBCUs. For many years and decades, states with HBCUs have tried to close the doors of our fine institutions.

But now the chicken might have come up to roost as many HBCUs are finding it difficult to get not only the proper support from state governments but from its own alumni. That’s why as America is slowly changing and the fight for affirmative action in regards to education has only been about minorities getting into PWIs. It is clear that HBCUs in the eyes of many people particularly African Americans as well as some alumni of HBCUs have outweighed its welcome when many HBCUs are not seeing the alumni give back both financially and in time besides during Homecomings.

Think about it people, when the state of Michigan passed legislation banning affirmative action statewide in the wake of the University of Michigan admissions practicing. The argument that was presented was that this would hinder many minorities particularly African Americans from obtaining a quality education at a prestigious 4 year university or college. Not once did any groups or people say that this might be an opportunity for many African Americans to reconnect to their educational roots. An opportunity for many minorities in the state of Michigan to look toward attending out of state colleges like HBCUs who are prestigious 4-year universities and colleges that have produced the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Harold Ford Sr., Jesse Jackson, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In a time when America is changing, it is clear that the state of affairs for HBCUs like TSU is in jeopardy. With enrollment being down, financial support being low, and alumni being little to non-existent, it is clear that HBCUs have to look to each other in order to survive. That’s why the change that HBCUs like TSU needs can only come from alumni, students, parents, faculty and administration. We are the ones who have to stand up and find ways to increase our enrollment, give financial support and most of all make our alumni associations stronger and more relevant by joining a chapter near you as well as devoting more time to our HBCUs than just around Homecoming.

Change has come to America but that doesn’t mean that HBCUs are not important any more. In fact HBCUs are just as important as they were when the first one opened up its doors in 1837. HBCUs do need to change but not the change that results in many of them being extinct. Instead the change that HBCUs need is in its recruitment policies because HBCUs needs its current student body and its alumni to be spokespersons for our believed institutions if we are going to get our enrollment up. The change that HBCUs need is in its fundraising policies because HBCUs needs its alumni, students, faculty, staff and administration to be fundraising agents for it. The change that HBCUs need is in how its alumni interact with the university. HBCUs need for its alumni associations to be stronger, more efficient, and more productive.

Times are changing and HBCUs must adjust with the times but that doesn’t mean that HBCUs should dissolve into PWIs. In fact as the times change, HBCUs should adapt and become stronger in how it does business. As America changes, HBCUs should look to help in the change that America wants and needs. That’s why the alumni of HBCUs like TSU must be stronger than it has ever been. The alumni of HBCUs must be strong in numbers and in finances so that we can combat any challenges that may come to the doorsteps of our beloved institutions.

So while change has come to America, we must be willing and able to make sure that the right change comes to HBCUs that will allow our beloved institutions to grow so that its history lasts forever. This is the change that HBCUs need and this is the message that we need to send to state legislations like Georgia’s who are attempting to undermine many HBCUs existence in its own states. As America changes, HBCUs need to change for the better as we stick together to make sure that the last 100 and so HBCUs that still exist remain in existence. This is the opportunity that has been placed at our doors and this is the mantra that we will live by.

Together, HBCUs can live on forever as long as we the alumni, students, faculty, staff, and administration make sure everyone else in the world understands the importance and relevancy of HBCUs in not only today’s America but in the world.

Georgia HBCU Proposal—From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, December 01, 2008

The chairman of the state Senate Higher Education Committee told University System leaders they should consider merging two of the state’s three historical black colleges with nearby white-majority schools to save money.

With the state looking to cut spending up to 10 percent this year because of the economic slowdown, Senate Higher Education Chairman Seth Harp (R-Midland) suggested historically black college Savannah State University be merged with Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah, and black college Albany State be merged with Darton College in Albany.

Higher education
Harp said the separate schools were set up during a time when whites didn’t want to go to school with blacks and education was segregated in Georgia.

“The white schools were begun as segregation schools. It’s time Georgia closed that ugly chapter,” Harp said during a budget hearing on the University System’s budget Monday.

Any decision to merge the schools would have to be made by the University System’s Board of Regents. The system receives about $2.3 billion in annual state funding, but the governing body makes decisions about the system’s 35 schools.

System Chancellor Erroll Davis said merging historically black colleges is more than an economic issue because the schools have a long history of providing education to African-Americans in Georgia. The idea would probably face strong opposition from supporters of historically black colleges nationally.

“I would need some political sense (from lawmakers) that there is support for that,” Davis said.

Harp responded, “A 10 percent cut may be an incentive to do that.”

The third historically black college in the state, Fort Valley State, is probably located too far from any other University System school to be a candidate for merger

HBCU’s—A History of Pride. A Future of Promise.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities, better known as HBCU’s are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. HBCU’s have existed since 1837 and prior to the erection of Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, the oldest of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Black Americans were denied the legal right to an education at almost every level in the first 350 years of American history. However Religious philanthropy played a role in the founding of institutes for the higher education of Blacks before the end of the Civil War.

Most HBCU's developed out of the Normal Schools. Hampton College began as the Hampton Normal and Agricultural School, a co-educational institution whose mission was to educate "select" African and Native Americans with the hopes that they would in turn train others. Black Americans were denied the legal right to an education at almost every level in the first 350 years of American history. Religious philanthropy played a role in the founding of institutes for the higher education of Blacks before the end of the Civil War. Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, the oldest of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's), was founded in 1837 by a Quaker philanthropist. Since many states had laws on the books preventing the education of Blacks, primary and secondary schools were in short supply before the Emancipation Proclamation, let alone colleges. Some educational institutions, like the Penn Normal School, were established during the war in coastal areas of the South that came under the control of the Union army.

However, most of the HBCU's were founded in the period immediately after the end of the Civil War up until the institutions of the Jim Crow laws in the 1890's. Some of the colleges were founded as religious institutions and seminaries. Others were founded as Normal Schools designed to produce teachers for the newly founded primary and secondary schools in the South. Some of the HBCU's were originally poly technical colleges and followed a technical and agricultural curriculum in an effort to "teach the students a trade". In the Twentieth century, many of these A & T colleges preserved elements of their traditional curriculum and produced leading scientists, engineers, and scholars.

There are at least 110 historically black colleges in the United States today, including public and private, two-year and four-year institutions, medical schools and community colleges. HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation and the world. HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors. Over the years, HBCUs enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education, although they constitute only three percent of America's 4,084 institutions of higher education. In 1999, these institutions matriculated 24 percent of all African American students enrolled in four-year colleges, awarded master’s degrees and first-professional degrees to about one in six African American men and women, and awarded 24 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide.

HBCUs have a long history of serving African American communities long before many colleges and universities would admit black students. Even though today's African American students can attend college anywhere their grades and talents can take them, many still turn to HBCUs for their education. Many may ask why but the HBCUs offer for some students the chance to study with mentors who are of the same culture and who are successful in their fields. Others may have family ties to an HBCU that go back generations. Still others attend an HBCU to get a college experience with an African American flavor. In addition to rigorous academics, HBCUs have storied legacies that are intertwined with the history of civil rights in the United States, giving their students, regardless of race or background, a distinctive perspective on the African American experience. And the appeal of HBCUs goes beyond African American communities. Though the student bodies at most of these schools are predominantly black, HBCUs encourage students from different backgrounds and culture to join their academic communities.

With notable HBCU alumni like Oprah Winfrey, Jesse Jackson, Ed Bradley, , Toni Braxton, Bill Cosby, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Thurgood Marshall, Jessye Norman, Phylicia Rashard, Dr. Levi Watkins, Ruben Studdard, Wilma Rudolph, and Andrew Young Jr. just to name a few. Therefore it is no question why more whites are enrolling at HBCUs and the attack on the status quo of HBCUs being predominately African American has come into question. A recent article I read entitled “Demographic at HBCUs Changing, More White Enrolling” spoke to how in 25 years, the enrollment of white students at HBCUs has increased from 21,000 to 35,000 in America. However the article also revealed that 13 HBCUs are at least 20 percent white and five HBCUs in North Carolina are being pressured to increase their white enrollment (currently 6.5 percent).

The article goes on to talk about how today, students have decided to attend HBCUs because of their reputations and promises to prepare students for success upon graduation. According to hbcunetwork.com, "approximately 45 percent of HBCU graduates hold corporate positions of vice president or higher. Fourteen percent of all black pharmacists are graduates of HBCUs and 43 percent of all blacks who go on to earn doctorate’s degrees graduated from an HBCU.” It is no wonder why white students want to be exposed to the same type of atmosphere and why some African American students currently attending HBCUs and some that are thinking about attending HBCUs fear that the raising white population of students will pose a threat to the unique heritage and mission of HBCUs, I think not. Once an HBCU, forever an HBCU that’s my motto and the motto of many HBCUs for it graduates. I personally graduated from Tennessee State University and one of the first t-shirts I bought in our schools bookstore was “Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger!” I loved the slogan so much that I used it on my first set of business cards.

Thus as an alumni of Tennessee State University, I am telling you that my blood always runs blue and that I am always a Tiger and TSU will always be an HBCU no matter its demographics, people can’t change history. We just seen history in the making last night with the acceptance speech of Barack Obama, who became the first African American Presidential candidate of a major party in the United States of America. It is no one who can proclaim that like just no one can take away the fact that Frederick Douglas was the first African American to obtain a major party vote as Presidential nominee when he received it as Republican Presidential nominee. HBCUs will forever be Historically Black Colleges and Universities because those are the institutions that paved the way for African American to attend school when many Pre-Dominantly White Schools (PWSs) did not accept African Americans. The heritage of HBCU’s will never change no matter how the demographics of HBCUs change.

However a mandate on the number of white students HBCUs have to increase to is unfair and unlawful in so many ways. There are no mandates on the PWSs telling them they have to increase their enrollment of African Americans and Hispanics as well as other ethnicities by a certain year or date. If it is than that is unlawful and not right as well. HBCUs have and will forever be leading the way in helping to shape America and the world. Just ask the President of Untied States of America brother, Jeb Bush who told a crowd that anyone who thinks that HBCUs are not needed, need to go ask the students of Florida A&M University and the progress those students are making to make the state of Florida, America and the world better again. Jeb Bush went on to say that FAMU pushes the envelope and dares to change its vision for continued progress as he spoke at a commemoration breakfast celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All of this was published in FAMU’s student newspaper in an article entitled “Bush brother speaks out…Governor says HBCUs ‘shaped the country”.

Thus it is this type of rhetoric that needs to be heard throughout America when we talk about affirmative action being banned or stripped away in most states but mandates being placed on HBCUs to accept more white students. This is not the American dream will pressure is being placed on HBCUs in order for their continued federal funding but most importantly their state funding to continue at the rate it is growing. While more and more states want to keep their own in state, it is no wonder why out-of-state tuition prices are raising through the roof at HBCUs and PWSs but the reality is that a mandate by any state on HBCUs to increase their white student enrollment should be unconstitutional and discriminatory if the same mandate is not being placed on their counterparts PWSs. HBCUs have done so much for American history and World history in terms of pioneering feats and endeavors only thought of and dreamed of as well as spoken about but HBCU alumni made them a reality, made them the fulfillment of a dream come to true or dreams come true.

The legacy of HBCUs is something that only most PWFs can only wish to have. The movements that have started on the campuses on HBCUs, the educational endeavors, the next generation of African American leaders and pioneers in politics, science, medicine, business and education have all come from HBCUs. The lineage of notable HBCU graduates is long and wide. HBCUs embody a history of pride and a future of promise that can only happen with the dawning of a new day. HBCUs must grow in student enrollment and if that means the demographics change than let it happen as we make sure HBCUs continue to survive. However, the growth of the HBCU population has to happen naturally and not by any mandate by any state or federal government.

HBCUs have a right to prosper without the pressure of state and federal governments. If the same pressure or barriers or guidelines aren’t being placed on PWSs than it is not right and that is something that any alumni of an HBCU should not stand for and should not tolerate by any means. HBCUs have survived well over a hundred years and we will last another hundred years and another hundred years after that as long as we do not allow states to place unconstitutional and unlawful mandates on us that infringe on our civil liberties as Americans. HBCUs have a long history of placing their students at the forefront of corporate America and at the forefront of fulfilling America’s promise to a higher education and the fulfillment of service to the nation. HBCUs are the reasons why many civil rights initiatives got passed during the Civil Rights students because it was the students from HBCUs who marched and got beaten by knight sticks and had dogs set out on them. It was HBCU student athletes who paved the way for African American athletes to be recognized in the time of fashion they are being recognized today. It is an HBCU—Tennessee State University—that has more Olympic medalist in track and field than any other school in the United States America. HBCUs have been the trendsetters, the pioneers, the innovators and the leaders of so many fantastic feats, technological advancements and every day things that we as people have enjoyed throughout our life like the life cell phone in which the chip for the cell phone was created by another Tennessee State University graduate and HBCU alum Jesse Russell.

HBCUs will continue to make fellow PWSs thankful, America proud and the world cheer. HBCUs will forever be a part of American history and world history no matter if our demographics change or not. HBCUs have a history of pride, a record of excellence and a future of promise like no other in America.

HBCUs—A HISTORY OF PRIDE. A FUTURE OF PROMISE.