HBCU
History: Three Acts
(from
collegeview.com)
| Creation
Before the Civil War, higher education for black students was virtually non-existent. The few, such as Fredrick Douglass, who did receive schooling, often studied in informal and sometimes hostile settings, or were forced to teach themselves entirely. Southern whites strongly opposed the education of black students, and formal education for blacks was only slightly more common in the North. Some schools for elementary and secondary training existed, such as the Institute for Colored Youth, a school started in the early 1830s by a group of Philadelphia Quakers. It was renamed Cheyney University many years later after becoming an institution of higher learning. College educations were also available to a limited number of students at schools like Oberlin College in Ohio and Berea College in Kentucky. Only two historically black private colleges, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Wilberforce University in Ohio, existed prior to the Civil War. In the years following the Civil War, with the 13th amendment's abolition of slavery and reconstruction in the South, things were beginning to change. In 1862, senator Justin Morrill spearheaded a movement to improve the state of public higher education throughout the United States, putting an emphasis on the need for institutions to train Americans in the applied sciences, agriculture, and engineering. The Morrill Land-Grant Act gave federal lands to the states for the purpose of opening colleges and universities to educate farmers, scientists, and teachers. Although many such institutions were created, few were open or inviting to blacks, particularly in the South. Only Alcorn State University in Mississippi was created explicitly as a black land-grant college. It would be 28 years before Senator Morrill rectified this problem. The solution came with the second Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1890, which specified that states using federal land-grant funds must either make their schools open to both blacks and whites or allocate money for segregated black colleges to serve as an alternative to white schools. A total of 16 exclusively black institutions received 1890 land-grant funds. Most of these public
schools were founded by state legislatures between 1870 and 1910. Prior
to this, it was the initiative of
|
| Conflict
Two graduates from the first generation of students to attend these new black institutions of higher learning came to the forefront in the early twentieth century, each espousing a different course for the black college to take. Booker T. Washington,
a freed slave from Virginia, attended the Hampton Normal and Agricultural
Institute. There he was
W.E.B. DuBois took a very different view of how blacks ought to function in society. Raised in Massachusetts and first exposed to real segregation during his undergraduate work at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, DuBois believed that it was essential that blacks be allowed training not only in vocational fields, but also in the liberal arts. A fierce advocate for civil rights, DuBois feuded very openly with Washington over the proper strategy for educating black university students. DuBois felt quite strongly that Washington's universal vocational training only perpetuated the servitude of slavery. He believed equality and a sense of purpose would only come if talented blacks were allowed to study the arts and sciences. Then they could become leaders and teachers for the next generation. It is impossible to say which of these views triumphed. Each, in its own way, lives on today in modern HBCUs. Many colleges and universities seem to be embracing both-students receive practical, technical training grounded in the liberal arts. Throughout the period of this debate, attendance at HBCUs increased substantially, as did financial support from the government and individual philanthropists such as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. HBCUs also gained credibility and respect when the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools began formally surveying and accrediting them in 1928. |
| Courts
HBCUs would soon face many new challenges, though. The Great Depression and World War II left many black colleges in a financial crisis. Despite improvements in funding in previous years, most land-grant HBCUs were still dismally under-funded when compared to their white counterparts. Private HBCUs were in an even tougher bind. The depression had wiped out many of their sources of philanthropy. Fundraising was becoming very difficult and distracting administrators from issues of improving education. In 1943, Dr. Fredrick D. Patterson, president of the Tuskegee Institute, published an open letter to the presidents of private HBCUs urging them to band together, pooling their resources and fundraising abilities. The next year, the United Negro College Fund began its activities soliciting donations to private HBCUs, with far greater efficacy than any one of its member colleges alone. Ten years later public HBCUs, and black students across the nation, became the beneficiaries of the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. The court's ruling that "separate but equal" schooling was anything but equal meant that states would be forced to better fund the HBCUs and open their other universities to black students. The case, won by lawyers trained at Howard University, didn't bring immediate relief in many cases, as states protested the ruling. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave the federal government greater power to enforce desegregation. In 1965, the federal government provided for aid to HBCUs through the Higher Education Act. It was followed by another important judicial decision, Adams v. Richardson. This case found ten states in violation of the Civil Rights Act for supporting segregated schools. The states were ordered to work actively to integrate institutions, so long as that integration was not carried out at the expense of HBCUs, which were deemed to play an important and unique role in the education of African Americans. The Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations thought that HBCUs were significant too. President Carter established a program aimed at strengthening and expanding the capacity of HBCUs. Reagan issued an executive order aimed at further reversing the effects of previous discriminatory treatment towards black colleges. Congress supported the Reagan order with increased federal funding to HBCUs. Reagan's successor, George Bush, also issued an executive order, this time building on the Reagan order and establishing a commission in the Department of Education responsible for advising the president on matters regarding historically black colleges and universities. Another pivotal court ruling came in 1992 with the United States Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Fordice. The court's decision required that Mississippi do away with the remnants of a dual, segregated system of education. This was similar to the Adams decision, except that no special circumstances were outlined for the treatment of HBCUs. Supporters of black colleges worried that the decision might hurt African-American students in the long run if the support and attention they received at HBCUs was taken away. Desegregation is important, in their view, but should never be viewed a reason for putting black students in a disadvantageous situation. Black colleges provide a unique education for African Americans. Students who attend HBCUs graduate with greater frequency than African-American students at predominantly white universities and get more involved academic and social support. That is why HBCUs must be protected.
For more information: The Education of Black People: Ten Critiques.
W.E.B.
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Bennett College (N.C.), http://www.bennett.edu Bethune-Cookman College (Fla.), http://www.bethune.cookman.edu Bishop State Community College (Ala.) Bluefield State College (W.Va.), http://www.bluefield.wvnet.edu Bowie State University (Md.), http://www.bowiestate.edu Central State University (Ohio), http://www.centralstate.edu Charles Drew University of Medicine (Calif.), http://www.cdrewu.edu Cheyney University (Pa.), http://www.cheyney.edu Chicago State University (Ill.) Claflin College (S.C.), http://www.claflin.edu Clark Atlanta University (Ga.), http://www.cau.edu Clinton Junior College (S.C.) Coahoma Community College (Miss.) Concordia College (Ala.) Coppin State College (Md.), http://www.coppin.edu Delaware State University (Del.), http://www.dsc.edu Denmark Technical College (S.C.) Dillard University (La.), http://www.dillard.edu Edward Waters College (Fla.), http://www.ewc.edu Elizabeth City State University (N.C.), http://www.ecsu.edu Fayetteville State University (N.C.), http://www.uncfsu.edu Fisk University (Tenn.), http://www.fisk.edu Florida A&M University (Fla.), http://www.famu.edu Florida Memorial College (Fla.), http://www.fmc.edu Fort Valley State University (Ga.), http://www.fvsu.edu Grambling State University (La.), http://www.gram.edu Hampton University (Va.), http://www.hamptonu.edu Harris-Stowe State College (Mo.), http://www.hssc.edu Hinds Community College (Miss.) Howard University (D.C.), http://www.howard.edu Huston-Tillotson College (Tex.), http://www.htc.edu Interdenominational Theological Center (Ga.),http://www.itc.edu J. F. Drake State Technical College (Ala.) Jackson State University (Miss.), http://www.jsums.edu Jarvis Christian College (Tex.), http://www.jarvis.edu Johnson C. Smith University (N.C.), http://www.jcsu.edu Kentucky State University (Ky.), http://www.kysu.edu Knoxville College (Tenn.), http://www.knoxvillecollege.edu Lane College (Tenn.), http://www.lanecollege.edu Langston University (Okla.) http://www.lunet.edu Lawson State Community College (Ala.) LeMoyne-Owen College (Tenn.),http://www.lemoyne-owen.edu Lewis College of Business (Mich.), http://www.lewiscollege.edu Lincoln University (Mo.), http://www.lincolnu.edu Lincoln University (Pa.), http://www.lincoln.edu Livingstone College (N.C.), http://www.livingstone.edu Mary Holmes College (Miss.) Meharry Medical College (Tenn.), http://www.mmc.edu Miles College (Ala.), http://www.miles.edu Mississippi Valley State University (Miss.), http://www.mvsu.edu Morehouse College (Ga.), http://www.morehouse.edu Morehouse School of Medicine (Ga.), http://www.msm.edu Morgan State University (Md.), http://www.morgan.edu Morris Brown College (Ga.), http://www.morrisbrown.edu Morris College (S.C.), http://www.morris.edu Norfolk State University (Va.), http://www.nsu.edu North Carolina A&T State University (N.C.), http://www.ncat.edu North Carolina Central University (N.C.), http://www.nccu.edu Oakwood College (Ala.), http://www.oakwood.edu Paine College (Ga.), http://www.paine.edu Paul Quinn College (Tex.), http://www.pqc.edu Philander Smith College (Ark.), http://www.philander.edu Prairie View A&M University (Tex.), http://www.pvamu.edu Rust College (Miss.), http://www.rustcollege.edu Saint Augustine's College (N.C.), http://www.st-aug.edu Saint Paul's College (Va.), http://www.saintpauls.edu Saint Philip's College (Tex.) Savannah State University (Ga.),http://www.savstate.edu Selma University (Ala.) Shaw University (N.C.), http://www.shawuniversity.edu Shelton State Community College (Ala.) Shorter College (Ark.) South Carolina State University (S.C.), http://www.scsu.edu Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge (La.), http://www.subr.edu Southern University, New Orleans (La.), http://www.suno.edu Southern University, Shreveport (La.), http://www.susla.edu Southwestern Christian College (Tex.), http://www.swcc.edu Spelman College (Ga.), http://www.spelman.edu Stillman College (Ala.), http://www.stillman.edu Talladega College (Ala.), http://www.talladega.edu Tennessee State University (Tenn.), http://www.tnstate.edu Texas College (Tex.), http://www.texascollege.edu Texas Southern University (Tex.), http://www.tsu.edu Tougaloo College (Miss.), http://www.tougaloo.edu Trenholm State Technical College (Ala.) Tuskegee University (Ala.), http://www.tusk.edu University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (Ark.), http://www.uapb.edu University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (Md.), http://www.umes.edu University of the District of Columbia (D.C.), http://www.udc.edu University of the Virgin Islands (V.I.), http://www.uvi.edu Virginia State University (Va.), http://www.vsu.edu Virginia Union University (Va.), http://www.vuu.edu Voorhees College (S.C.), http://www.voorhees.edu West Virginia State College (W.Va.), http://www.wvsc.edu Wilberforce University (Ohio), http://www.wilberforce.edu Wiley College (Tex.), http://www.wileyc.edu Winston-Salem State University (N.C.), http://www.wssu.edu Xavier University of Louisiana (La.), http://www.xula.edu |
Websites
http://www.edonline.com/cq/hbcu/
http://www.soulofamerica.com/colleges/colleges.html
http://www.black-collegian.com/
http://www.blackhighereducation.com/
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex.htm
(includes college/graduate school rankings)
http://content.sciencewise.com/molis/index.htm?id=-1
College Counseling
"Yes, You Can," website:
Bolt: http://www.bolt.com/default.asp?story=/sections/college/college_index.asp
CB Net : http://www.cbnet.com/
Channel 4000: http://www.wcco.com/education/fouryear/
College 411: http://www.college411.org/
College Board: http://www.collegeboard.org/
College Choice: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/mm/cc/home.html
College Coach: http://www.collegecoach.org/
College Comparisons
College Edge: http://collegeedge.com/
College Express: http://www.collegexpress.com/
College Guides: http://www.collegeguides.com/
College Net: http://www.collegenet.com/
College Plan: http://collegeplan.org/
College Rankings and Comparisons
MEMEX: http://www.memex-press.com/cc/slist.html
SEE US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT LINK
College Search
The College Board: http://www.collegeboard.org
College Student: http://www.collegestudent.com/
College View: http://www.collegeview.com/
Cynthia Goode's Home Page: http://www.fallriver.mec.edu/goodhomepg.html
Off-Campus Sites
Dept. of Education Home Page: http://www.easi.ed.gov/index.html
Education Info: http://www.educationinfo.com/
Education Planning: http://www.niep.com/
Hillel: http://www.hillel.org/
NACAC: http://www.nacac.com/
Peterson's: http://www.petersons.com/
Kiplinger Top 100 Pub. College: www.kiplinger.com/magazine/index.html?archives/1998/September/college.htm
Power Students: http://www.powerstudents.com/index.shtml
Princeton Review: http://www.review.com/college/choose
Historically Black Colleges
http://www.smart.net/~pope/hbcu/hbculist.htm
Minority Inst. Info: http://web.fie.com/web/mol/molinfo.htm
International Colleges
United Kingdom College Info: http://www.ednet.co.uk/~mcdonagh/edcas.htm
Mapping your Future http://mapping-your-future.org/
Money: http://www.pathfinder.com/money/colleges98/article/rankindx.html
Postsecondary Info. :http://www3.dist214.k12.il.us/guidance/postsec.htm
U.S. 2-year Colleges
http://www.sp.utoledo.edu/twoyrcol.html
On-Line Applications
Apply!: http://www.weapply.com/
Apllication Zap: http://www.collegeview.com/appzap/
College Link: http://www.collegelink.com/
College Edge: http://apply.collegeedge.com/
College Quest: http://www.collegequest.com/NetDynamics/NetDynamics40/ndNSAPI.nd/CollegeQuest/pgGateway
Common Application: http://www.commonapp.org/
Electronic Applications: http://www.eapp.com/firstfl.htm
Athletics
Athletic Info: http://www3.dist214.k12.il.us/guidance/athleteinfo.htm
College Athletics: http://www.atlantadirectory.com/collegesports/
Scholar Athlete Info: http://www.hevanet.com/imbh/
NAIA: http://www.naia.org/
NCAA: http://www.ncaa.org
Nat'l Recruiting Network: http://www.inc.com/users/gameplan.html
Univ. Sports Programs: http://www.universitysports.com/
Financial Aid
Finaid Info Page: http://www.finaid.org/
Channel 4ooo: http://www.wcco.com/education/fouryear/finaid.html
CSS Profile On-line: http://www.collegeboard.com/finaid/fastud/html/proform.html
Dept. Ed. Finan. Aid: http://207.82.250.251/cgi-bin/linkrd?http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/Student Guide/
Electronic FAFSA: http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/
FAFSA: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html
Fastaid: http://www.fastaid.com/
Fastweb: http://www.fastweb.com/
FA Estimator: http://www.finaid.org/finaid/calculators/estimate.html
Peterson's FA Page: http://www.petersons.com/resources/finance.html
Project EASI: http://easi.ed.gov/studentcenter/studentcenter.html
Sallie Mae FA Info: http://www.salliemae.com/
Student Guide- Dept of Ed.:http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/1998-9/index.html
Kaplan: http://www.kaplan.com:8000/miniapps/tuition/index.html
Scholarships
CollegeExpress: http://www.collegeexpress.com/
CollegeNET : http://www.collegenet.com/
FastWeb: http://www.fastweb.com/
FastAid: http://www.fastaid.com/
Free Search: http://www.freschinfo.com/
Go College: http://www.gocollege.com/
Grants: http://www.pitsco.com/p/grants.html
Minority Info: http://web.fie.com/web/mol/
Minority Scholarships: http://www.fie.com/molis/scholar.htm
Scholarships on the Web: http://gen.com/ani/scholarmks.htm
Loan Information
Amer. Student Asst.: http://www.amsa.com/
eStudent Loan: http://www.estudentloan.com/
KapLoan: http://www1.kaplan.com/view/zine/0,1282,10,00.html
MFEA Loans: http://www.mefa.org/
Nellie Mae: http://www.nelliemae.org/
Sallie Mae: http://www.salliemae.com/
TERI: http://www.teri.org/
Career Choices
http://www.umanitoba.ca/counselling/careers.html
Career Exploration
http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/CareerLibrary/links/careerme.htm
Career Information
About Work: http://www.aboutwork.com/
About Work: http://www.review.com/birkman/
America's Job Bank: http://www.ajb.dni.us/
Assessment Exercises: http://www.esc.state.nc.us:8000/soicc/c1a.htm
Best Jobs USA: http://www.bestjobsusa.com/
Bureau of Labor Statistics : http://stats.bls.gov/
Career Magazine: http://www.careermag.com/
Career Mosaic: http://www.careermosaic.com/
College View: http://www.collegeview.com/careers/
Career Paths On-Line: http://careerpathsonline.com/start.html
Career Pathways: http://www.state.vt.us/educ/stw/cpexp.htm
Career Questionaire: http://www.tms.com.au/questionnaire.html
Career Resource Center: http://www.careermosaic.com/cm/crc/
Career Services Center: http://www.plattsburgh.edu/stuvp/careerservices/students/resume.html
Career Web: http://www.cweb.com/
Careers and Education: http://www.virtualrelocation.com/Career_Education/Career/
Careers in Science: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/careers/contents.html
Find Your Career: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/beyond/bccguide.htm
Future Scan: http://www.futurescan.com/
Kiersey Tempperment Sorter: http://www.keirsey.com/cgi-bin/keirsey/newkts.cgi
Mapping your Future: http://www.mapping-your-future.org/
Mich. Career Info Center: http://mois.org/clusters.html#cluster11
Money"s 50 Hottest Jobs: http://www.pathfinder.com/@@SHLyKwQA6RI5UPnk/money/features/bestjobs_0395/50jobslist.html
Occupational Handbook: http://stats.bls.gov/ocohome.htm
Occupational Information: http://www.umanitoba.ca/counselling/occupations.html
Personality Tests: http://www.2h.com/Tests/personality.phtml
Planning a Career: http://www.adventuresineducation.org/planning/
Self-Assessment Career Survey: http://mois.org/moistest.html
Technology Careers: http://www.ta.doc.gov/go4it/
The Career Interests Game: http://www.missouri.edu/~cppcwww/holland.shtml
What to do With Majors: http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/majors.htm
X-AP Career Page: http://www.xap.com/xapWWW/Cool/careers.html
Study Skills
Homework Helper: http://tristate.pgh.net/~pinch13/
How to be a Student: http://www.elee.calpoly.edu/~jbreiten/htbas.html
Learning Services: http://www.uoguelph.ca/csrc/learning/homepage.html
Research Paper: http://www.researchpaper.com/
Student Learning Center: http://128.32.89.153/CALRenHP.html
Study Skills Self-Help Info: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html
Study Strategies: http://www.d.umn.edu/student/loon/acad/strat/
The Virtual Reference Desk: http://thorplus.lib.purdue.edu/reference/index.html
Writing Research Papers: http://webster.commnet.edu/mla.htm
Other Useful College Links
Campus Newspapers: http://beacon-www.asa.utk.edu/resources/papers.html#others
College Base: http://www.wshs.fcps.k12.va.us/career/college.htm
Top Wired Colleges: http://www3.zdnet.com/yil/content/college/intro.html
US News Coll. + Career: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/home.htm
Virtual Campus Tours: http://www.campustours.com/
Yahoo Education Site: http://www.yahoo.com/Education/
http://www.smart.net/~pope/hbcu/hbculist.htm
fraternities and sororities
http://www.sdbp.com/education-frats.html
1.MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
2.SPELMAN COLLEGE
3.FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
4.HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
5.HOWARD UNIVERSITY
6.XAVIER UNIVERSITY (LA)
7.CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
8.NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY
9.TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
10.FISK UNIVERSITY
11.JOHNSON C SMITH UNIVERSITY
12.MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
13.TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
14.BETHUNE-COOKMAN COLLEGE
15.SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A & M COLLEGE
16.DILLARD UNIVERSITY
17.NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
18.UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE
19.LINCOLN UNIVERSITY (PA)
20.ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
21.NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
22.BENNETT COLLEGE (NC)
23.WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
24.DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
25.TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
In 1997, The Herald-Sun produced an 8-day series focusing on the future of historically black colleges and universities. Other related articles from that newspaper are also listed below. Access to these articlces may require (free) registration on their website.
Fighting to Survive - An eight-day series on America's historically black colleges and universities and the challenges they face. This series, written by reporter Ernie Suggs, ran Feb. 9-16, 1997.
A
clearer future : Black colleges chart course for next centuryFebruary
16, 1997 N.C. Central's future is nowFebruary
16, 1997
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES: New century, new faces
February 16, 1997
Invisible colleges
An old-fashioned education: Tradition, character on the curriculum at single-sex colleges
Series examines issues facing black colleges
Herald-Sun writer takes top honors for HBCU series