Historically Black Colleges

Since the establishment of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) after 1865, there has been continual controversy concerning the place and role of these institutions within the larger framework of higher education in the United States . Over the years, changes have occurred in the functions and perceptions of these institutions in the minds of both blacks and whites. Though radical changes have taken place in the curricula, administrative structure, faculty and student composition, enrollment patterns, and race relations of HBCUs, their central goal - the education of black students for service and leadership roles in the black community, as well as for adjustment and success in the wider community-remains intact, despite the vicissitudes of social change, including segregation and the problems related to desegregation.

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are black academic institutions established prior to 1964 whose principal mission was, and still is, the education of black Americans. Each HBCU is legally authorized by the state in which it is located either to be a junior college or to provide an educational program for which a bachelor's degree is conferred. Each must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association (as determined by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education) or be making reasonable progress toward accreditation according to such an agency or association. In sum, (1) an HBCU must be an institution of higher learning established prior to 1964, (2) its principal mission in the past must have been the education of black Americans, (3) its principal mission currently must be the education of black Americans, and (4) it must be accredited or be making reasonable progress toward accreditation by an approved accrediting body ( Myers 1987). For the purposes of this book, we also include certain institutions that were established after 1964, but that were designated as HBCUs by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO).

With the encouragement of Office for Civil Rights within HEW, states adopted several techniques to desegregate schools and to increase the enrollment of black students at white institutions and white students at historically black colleges. The goals in this period were to remove the racially identifiable symbols in order to encourage integration and to stimulate the assimilation of black students into predominately white schools. The fact that the logical end of this policy could be the elimination of black colleges was overlooked by many - though some were concerned about this possibility ( Myers 1987). Furthermore, some educators claim that integration in higher education has been marred by (1) high attrition rates, which make white institutions revolving doors for too many black students; (2) the serious cultural damage that has been done to black students in the name of the best interests of all students; and (3) the increased psychological and physical endangerment to black students ( Smith and Baruch 1981). The so-called goal to enroll many white students in HBCUs has failed for the most part. Though white students are accepted at all black schools, many do not feel welcomed there.

District of Columbia directed the Office for Civil Rights to develop guidelines for states whereby the burden of desegregation would not fall disproportionately on historically black colleges. The historically black colleges were to be preserved and strengthened. The persistent underrepresentation of blacks in most managerial, policy-making, and professional positions (which required a college degree) and the knowledge that HBCUs are (and had been) graduating professionals at a rate all out of proportion to their numbers demonstrated the need for the improvement of all HBCUs.