Published: April 12, 2009 06:34 am      

Part I: The changing face of historically black universities

In the past, information about historically black colleges and universities has reflected the negative rather than the positive. Scholars and politicians alike have attempted to define the role of these institutions within the framework of a “specially-defined category.”

Few have emphasized the positive contributions they have made to education, to the economy and racial diversity. Although there is the tendency to discuss these institutions as a category based on their historical racial make-up, they are in fact different from one another. According to the government’s definition, HBCUs are bound together by the fact that they were established prior to the 1964 Civil Rights Act with the expressed purpose of educating African Americans despite the unanimous decision in Brown vs. Board of Education (1954).

Currently, black colleges and universities comprise 3 percent of all institutions of higher education in the United States. Yet, they enroll 14 percent of African-American undergraduate students and 28 percent of African-American undergraduate students who earn a degree.

The most important function they perform is “placing African- Americans in graduate and professional schools.

According to a special report prepared for the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), “of the top 10 colleges that graduate African-Americans who go on to earn PhDs or MDs, nine are historically black, as are eight out of 10 top producers of African- American graduates in mathematics and statistics. And the 12 top producers of African- American graduates in the physical sciences are black institutions, including Xavier University of Louisiana who is ranked first. Xavier is also responsible for placing more black students in medical school than any other institution in America. And, even more important, 92 percent of these students complete medical school and pass board examinations.”

In the aftermath of the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, there is some question whether Xavier will be able to continue to serve the public by turning out top black MD candidates as its has in the past.

Private historically black institutions have always been opened to all racial and ethnic groups. As early as the 1920s, Fisk University had a substantial number of white faculty members.

Mary Allen College in Crockett had a white administration with a few black teachers as early as 1885-86 that extended through the 1930s. As I indicated in my article last week, Dr. John Hope Franklin, a famous graduate of Fisk, had a white professor as his mentor. Although these institutions have focused mainly on the education and uplift of African-Americans, white students have always attended these institutions. Public institutions like Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University were forbidden by law to admit white students.

It has been reported that “although some black institutions have always accepted students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, their institutional missions have focused on the educational uplift of African- Americans. This was necessary because few, if any, institutions in the South would serve African-American students. In recent years, there is evidence that this notion has changed.

In years past, white students have attended black colleges/universities in small numbers. Recently black colleges have seen increased numbers of white students enrolling on their campuses. Before my retirement, it was not unusual for me to teach classes predominated by white and other ethnic groups.

In some of the graduate classes in transportation planning and management at Texas Southern University (TSU), black students were in the minority. Research indicates that where quality instruction and educational opportunities are emphasized, non-white students will enroll. Our program in Transportation Planning and Management focused on the effectiveness of teaching and the quality of students rather than the demographic/racial make-up of our classes. To this end, we were able to attract students from a variety of racial and ethnic groups to our programs. Another advantage was the linkages we developed with the Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University System and the University of Texas at Austin that began under my tenure.

I am proud that I passed the torch to a new generation of transportation professionals. Graduates of the program are serving the airspace and ground transport systems and ports of the nation and the world.

During the 25th anniversary celebration on April 6, 2009, President John Rudley announced that a “maritime” emphasis will be added to the degree programs in transportation. These programs have increased diversity at TSU.

It should be pointed out that some administrators at black colleges/universities consider increased white enrollment a testament to the fact that their institutions have transcended race and are now suitable for any students regardless of color, others worry that this influx of white students could lead to a shift in the overall mission and culture of black colleges/universities similar to what occurred at West Virginia.

That institution went from predominately African-American to a white majority. Still, others believe that it will lead to a shift in the overall mission and culture of black colleges. I disagree.

I believe that the richness of the socio- cultural and educational experiences provided by these institutions will outweigh tendencies to shift missions that are, in many ways, replicas of historically white institutions. There is strong evidence that HBCUs have achieved goals of diversifying curricula offerings as well as their student clientele. Examples abound, in 2003 Alcorn State University, Mississippi reported a significant number of white students, including Russians.

Next week, I will examine innovative programs offered by historically black colleges and universities and the whole question posed in a report by Kim Clark in U. S. News and World Report (2009) on “Why Black Colleges Might be the Best Bargains” – in Part II of this series.



Naomi W. Ledé is a retired Senior Research Scientist, Distinguished Professor and University Administrator. She serves as Chair of the Board of the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center in Huntsville.