Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Part C: Draft Analysis of Institutional Type

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Jose Sotelo, MyTe’Anna Wynn Johnson & Melissa Villa

California State University, Fresno

Heal 220 Intro to Higher Education

Dr. Pryor

December,8, 2022
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Part C: Draft Analysis of Institutional Type: Historically Black Colleges and Universities

The purpose of the Black college or university is to serve the underserved Black

population. It’s no surprise that the student profile at HBCUs has drastically changed over the

years. Institutions that were originally meant to educate African Americans have seen their

student population transform along with the political climate of the country. A New York Times

article recently highlighted this shift exploring the population of students in HBCUs as it directly

affects the number of educated Black Americans in the United States. (Green, 2022). The student

demographics at HBCUs has weathered the decline of black student enrollment over the last few

years, but there is a new generation, a new push of black students who are choosing HBCUs over

other prospects. Trends in the popularity of HBCUs and the availability to attend predominantly

white institutions has caused a change in student demographics at HBCUs, percentages at

HBCUs fell from 18 percent in 1976 to percent in 2014 then a fluctuating increase of 9 percent in

2020. (Miranda, 2022). Along with the shift in students’ racial demographics in attendance, the

type of student pursuing an education at HBCUs has evolved as well.

The New Student Profile

HBCU Student Profile

Historically Black Colleges have come a long, long way from its humble beginnings of

only offering industrial and agricultural education. Since HBCUs were originally the only way

for Black Americans to attend a primary and/or post-secondary school, the student type changed

along with the curriculum. HBCUs previously had “an overwhelming number of middle-class

students, highly prepared students, and then their makeup changed. Now you have a big mix.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

You have affluent students, mid-range preparation and you have low income, and you have very

little preparation,” (Freemark, 2020). As diversity continues to grow at Predominately White

Institutions (PWIs), the shift in the type of student attending a HBCU has changed from middle

class to low-income, first-generation college students. A little over 50 percent of HBCU students

are first-generation students. Because students at HBCUs come are typically first-generation and

come from working class, they rely on federal and state aid more heavily than those with more

educationally or financially affluent backgrounds, over 75% of students at HBCUs rely on Pell

Grants, 13% rely on PLUS loans to meet their college expenses and approximately 94% of full-

time undergraduates have been awarded some type of financial aid" (About HBCUs, 2021).

Income level and the range of preparedness of HBCU students are not the only changes taking

place across campuses. Changes to the type of access to education and student identities have

evolved as well.

Modality of Learning

Online learning is by no means an unfamiliar term, especially since the experience of

navigating education through the COVID-19 era. However, online learning and/or distance

learning students is a fairly new concept to HBCUs. Most distance learning students at HBCUs

are considered non-traditional student types since there are very few online degree programs at

HBCUs. Currently only about one-third of HBCUs offer an online degree program (Online

Programming at HBCUs, 2022). This type of educational access at Historically Black Colleges

is still a commendable stride as this option keeps up its legacy of producing STEM (Science,

Technology, Engineering and Math) graduates. Though HBCUs represent about 3 percent of

American colleges, “they produce 24 percent of black STEM graduates and confer almost 5
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

percent of all bachelor’s degrees earned by black graduates in astronomy, biology, chemistry,

math and physics,” (Freemark, 2020).

Engaging Differences

Another major transformation of the student type at HBCUs is the acknowledgment of

the LGTBQ+ student population on campus. This acknowledgment is extremely new and was

not always the case at Historically Black Colleges. This is not surprising as most HBCUs were

founded and/or funded by black churches in the South and were commonly quite conservative,

HBCUs uphold the traditional values of their founding mothers and fathers. The landscape of

acceptance for LGBTQ+ students and curriculum has integrated more quickly at PWIs than at

HBCUs. In contrast, historically Black schools typically did not have classes on LGBTQ culture.

Progress at Morehouse is evident as they have offered their first LGBT course in 2013,

Morehouse is also an HBCU who received more financial support on the behalf of the alumni

community and endowments. (Davis et al., 2019). Similarly room for improvement at PWIs with

the much-needed space for LGBTQ+ students, Historically Black Colleges are slowly

recognizing this marginalized identity of students, of the 102 existing HBCUs, only 21 have

LGBT student organizations (Davis et al., 2019) this may directly impact the way LGBT

students feel on these campuses or if they choose to attend the institution type when choosing an

institution of study.

Student Profile of HBCU Moving Forward.

For as much discussion there is on the lack of funding that historically Black

schools acquire, there hasn’t been much of a spotlight on the fact that one can obtain an

affordable education at HBCUs, especially public ones. Since most of the student population at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

HBCUs receive financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education, the amount of debt HBCU

graduates have is significantly less than their counterparts at PWIs. “The opinion of attending an

HBCUs provides the educational option for student to graduate their social class and eliminate or

reduce debt for themselves and families, in return this dramatically narrows the racial wealth gap

between black and white households. (Lomax, 2020). Now that U.S. President Biden and Vice

President Harris have pledged billions of additional funding for historically Black colleges, they

now have the means to redefine their campus climate by expanding their curriculum to include

more courses (or degree programs) on marginalized identities.

The generation of students that developed during the Obama presidency and the Black

Lives Matter (BLM) movement that are currently changing the way they want to be educated.

This generation of students has the potential and now the funding (as pledged by the Biden

administration) to change the way historically Black colleges operate. As the curriculum

continues to evolve to support the ever-changing student population, it’s vital that HBCUs

continue to work on closing the generational wealth gap for its graduates. For HBCUs to

continue to make progress in investing in its students will only be beneficial in the long run when

the alumni classes are able to give back. In the past, alumni were unable to adequately support

HBCUs after they graduated, which created a crack in the schools’ funding foundation. As

diversity continues to build within HBCUs, the opportunity to strengthen these historical schools

is the strongest it has ever been, even from its inception. This is the true unrealized possibility of

HBCUs.

Curriculum

The History of the curriculum at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is a

complex topic, intertwined with the history of financial issues and meager beginnings for the
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

institution type, the evolving needs of the student body have evolved immensely over a century.

The heavy influence of Northern white institutions created a standard for HBCUs that quickly

changed to meet the needs of freedmen. Stand and Prosper: Private Colleges and Their Students

Curriculum Chapter 3 explains the connection between white educators and Black freedmen

elaborating by comparing the missionary motives to spread religion through education. Students

under the evangelical purist taught the skill of teaching to help spread education and the word of

God, they believed this would share the morals of the faith and would be an appropriate

introduction into the dominant culture for freedmen. ( Drewry, Doermann, Anderson, 2001)

Newly freed enslaved people, freedmen with little to no literacy needed a school that would cater

to their need to learn how to read and write so they could integrate into white spaces without the

barrier of illiteracy. The ability to read, write, and speak, created opportunities for them to learn

trades and other professional work.

With the varying views on what curriculum should be present in the classrooms in the

1920s, Booker T Washington pushed for a curriculum focused on industrial training while

W.E.B Du Bois felt a liberal education would benefit the student body of Black Colleges and

Universities as they would be the educated population who would support the Black community.

The varying views of the two men caused social conflict and political strain in the community;

while Du Bois felt the “talented tenth” should reap the benefits of post-secondary education and

use said knowledge to leverage opportunities for people in the community who did not attend or

could not attend college. Washington felt segregated but equal and education within trades,

agricultural, and industry would be beneficial to all people within the Black community. Covered

in Henry N. Drewry, and Humphrey Doermann’s “Stand and Prosper: Private Colleges and Their
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Students, HBCUs began exploring Black Studies in the early 1900’s multiple Black colleges

discovered the need to teach the sociology of Black people,

HBCUs worked to transform their curriculum and take steps to include Black histories

and social issues in their curriculum. Due to the need to provide an education that works in the

best interest of the students professional success, many institutions are focused on providing

professional skills. Race Problems, a sociology course open to underclassmen, that dealt with

“Growth, distribution, and tendency of the Negro population. Segregation, occupation, crime,

vital statistics, marriage, divorce…[and] the progress of the Negro in home ownership,

education, religion, and business was offered at Howard University. A second course The Negro

in American History, an elective for seniors and graduate students dealt with slavery, the Civil

War, Reconstruction, and “efforts at racial adjustment and the struggle of the Negro for social

justice.'' These courses are impactful for the outlook of students' perspective ofBlack culture as

black students and to further hone the understanding of the needs for HBCUs in the United

States. (Hilton, 2019)

The importance of Black Studies at that time like at any time in history is the

development of esteem of Black people in the United States as well as the histories of Black

people across the world outside of the perspective of whiteness.

Most HBCUs have a liberal curriculum and some professional studies. HBCUs currently

produce 23% of the nation’s Black graduates. (Dingle, 2013). Diversifying the educational

experiences and professional opportunities of this demographic of students will enlighten the

outcomes for many students in attendance at these colleges and universities. In an interview with

Education Secretary Arne Duncan Jim Shelton, and Joel Harrell by Derek Dingle, an overview of
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

the ways curriculum at HBCUs can be advanced to support the student bodies. Business

internships and STEM curriculum was discussed as they are the two areas that see promise and

growth professionally for graduates. Dingle proposed the question of innovation “What should

HBCUs do to become more innovative in their preparation for the 21st-century workforce?

Duncan: We think the STEM fields are so important. For me, building cultures not just around

access but around completion is really big. I see tremendous innovation at many, many HBCUs.

The question is how do we scale those best practices?” When engaging in a discussion about

opportunities within the HBCU community Harrell responded with, “Harrell: We're trying to

find ways to partner with that community in terms of creating new opportunities for economic

growth and development. For example, one of the sessions at the HBCU annual conference

focuses on helping HBCUs, through the business school and STFM community, come up with

models to get into the arena of patent development.” (Dingle, 2013).

Student Demographics and Curriculum. 2010 data states HBCUs graduate 1.5% of Black

students with associates, 16.9% with bachelors, 7.6% with master’s degrees, 8.14% with doctoral

degrees, and 17.21% with professional degrees (Duncan, 2013). To support the demographic of

these students, leadership has made courses easily accessible on a semester basis by teaming up

with other colleges and universities. This is not a new concept as students at Spelman and

Morehouse have had a long history of coordinating to support student needs, academically and

otherwise. Affordability and accessibility were the motives behind the expansion of these

collaborative efforts to support the students,

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Due to the interconnected mission and goals of many HBCUs, collaborations naturally

work with other schools to create opportunities for their similar and often identical student

populations. Offering courses online that would qualify at many institutions will assist in the

completion and annulment for many who attend the institution type.Leadership became hyper

aware of the need during the earlier years of the COVID-19 pandemic and adjustments are

seemingly on the way to address the need for flexibility. (Green, 2021)

There is a direct correlation between student needs and the curriculum. The student

population that attends HBCUs is to be involved in the culture on campus and enrich the

curriculum supported by staff and faculty who support the student demographics. HBCUs

support students who graduate with 40% of the nation’s Black science graduates, and 50% of the

Black teachers and professionals (Dingle, 2013)

External Forces and Evolution

HBCUs were established to provide access to blacks that were not allowed access to

other higher education institutions (Allen & Jewell, 2002). The rise of HBCUs was due to the

Morrill Acts of 1890 which provided colleges the land and opportunity to start their institutions

(Brown & Davis, 2001). There was a boom in the number of HBCUs in the late 19th century, but

by the 1960s HBCUs went from 130 to 103.

The reason why there was a decrease in the amount of HBCUs is because the schools did

not have the endowment such as other land grant PWI. Once it became accessible for blacks to

attend other colleges with desegregation the number of HBCUs started to decrease because

enrollment and funding from state and federal started to come down. Many HBCUs have been at

risk of being closed down due to finances or have to merge with other HBCUs in their state.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

10

With the lack of funding it compromises how they can continue to recruit and compete

with land grant PWI. HBCUs are still an asset as they graduate more african americans than any

other institution type but they only account for 3 percent of total undergraduates. To be able to

keep their campuses open HBCUs will have to strategize how they will rely less on state and

federal funding and tuition, but instead be able to market themselves to their alumni and create

partnerships.

Most educational institutions have undergone changes that catapult a new direction for

the institution. HBCUs are not different in these changes, changes made on each campus reflect

the institution’s attempt to remain available for their student demographics and sustain their

underlying mission to serve Black students and other marginalized student populations. In the

case of St Philips College in San Antonio Texas, the school has moved from a Historically Black

College to a federally recognized HBCU and Hispanic Serving Institution. With the change in

student demographics as a direct reflection of the transformation of the community demographic,

the curriculum at St Philip's College has had to evolve to maintain relevance with current trends

in education. The College moved away from its roots as a sewing school for Black girls to a

comprehensive community college to serve one population, but the many in the Alamo

Community Colleges District, this evolution also took the college from private to public in 1920.

(Pluviose, 2007) The changes St Philip's College has undergone are not unique to their

institution, many schools must evolve to maintain their relevancy and execute their school

missions to serve Black students in preparation for leadership and community service. The

curriculum at most HBCUs has evolved with the demands of the workforce. The Morrill Land

Grant required the institutions using the land provided to operate to teach students agricultural

and mechanical technology and skills, through the changes in the United States’ demand for
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

11

agricultural sciences, the need for experts in the area has also declined which has alerted a need

for more liberal, professional and most recently STEM pathways across many HBCUs. The

evolution of curriculum must sustain the student base and maintain competitiveness with other

college and university types serving students in the area.

Leadership

This instability of finances then prompts some of the current leadership issues facing

HBCUs. There are 18 HBCUs which are also land grant institutions and in comparison to other

land grant institutions in their states they are not as well funded. HBCU presidents share this

concern because they are committed not only to serving the mission of an HBCU but of a land

grant institution first and foremost. There is a shared sentiment that being a land grant institution

means to open their doors to the most neediest students and to service the community through

various outreach.

While the leadership of HBCUs seek to accomplish this mission they continue to face

diminishing funding from the state and they do not have as strong of a financial backing from

alumni, which is not the case for land grant PWI. HBCUs are in desperate need to renovate their

facilities and to be able to put additional money into student support services. The market of

higher education is constantly changing and it seems that HBCUs have to take the approach of

marketing themselves as a business and somehow still be able to honor their mission (Andrews,

Powell, Yigletu, 2016).

How they can market themselves is by reassessing what is the best platform of learning

for their students. It is possible they may be able to enroll students with dependents, working full

time, returning to college after a gap, or other non traditional backgrounds. HBCUs have it in
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

12

their mission statement to be able to provide education for those denied by other schools,

however they may be putting a limit on themselves by not being able to tailor their programs to

this student population. Another suggestion for their leadership would be to be able to foster a

community of fundraising within their colleges. If HBCU leadership would be able to involve all

campus stakeholders in fundraising for the development of their campus they might be able to

build a path of being less dependent on having to face the declining state and federal budget they

are allotted.

Implementation of an institution’s goals begins with leadership. In an article by Hargrove

titled "Emerging Paradigms for HBCU Leadership: Reflections of a New Provost” in the

Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, the author states the responsibility for the future of

the systems is within the hands of those in leadership. Harlow proclaims, “The next

generation of higher education leaders must be prepared to address the enrollment, cost,

degree completion, and operational challenges for universities. Managing tomorrow’s

university will require a transformation of the traditional mandate of the purpose of colleges

and universities.” (Hargrove, 2022). The institution must have a leader who is focused on the

progress of the institution and campus community to maintain the mission and goals of the

institution. Hargrove feels HBCUs must undergo the transformation from teaching, research,

and service to learning, innovation, and engagement. The adjustment in the word choice can

engulf more of the needs of the institutional needs and move away from the limits “research”

may place on the college or university’s goals. Hargrove proclaims two leadership styles

should be practiced on campuses to work towards success, transactional and

transformational; “Transformational leadership is led by a vision and inspires others to

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

13

pursue this utopian goal with passion and resilience. Transactional leadership is focused on

performance and a reward-based structure to motivate for the completion of tasks. Effective

leaders used both, and often at the same time.” (Hargrove, 2022). Stagnancy in leadership

will prevent the institutional type from progressing forward and competing with PWIs in the

areas.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

14

References

About HBCUs. Thurgood Marshall College Fund. (2021, April 16).

https://ww.tmcf.org/about-us/member-schools/about-hbcus/

Davis, C.H., Hilton, A. A., & Outten, D. L. (2019). In Underserved Populations at Historically

Black Colleges and Universities: The Pathway to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

(pp. 137-144). Essay, Emerald Publishing.

Dingle, D. Y. (2013, September). A new curriculum for HBCUs: in our exclusive

interview, Education Secretary Arne Duncan shares how innovation at HBCUs will

bolster our 21st-century workforce. Black Enterprise, 44(2),

54+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A351081078/AONE?u=csufresno&sid=bookmark-

AONE&xid=7b55ef79

Drewry, Doermann, H., & Anderson, S. H. (2001). Stand and prosper private Black

colleges and their students (Core Textbook). Princeton University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400843176

Freemark, S. (2020, August 27). The History of HBCUs in America. APM Reports.

https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2015/08/20/the-history-of-hbcus-in-america

Green, E. L. (2022, June 11). Why Students are Choosing H.B.C.U.S: ‘4 Years Being Seen as

Family’. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/11/us/hbcu-

enrollment-black-students.html

Johnson, J. M., & Winfield, J. D. (2022). Institutionalizing success: Practices and policies

at HBCUs that promote student development and degree attainment. The Journal of

Higher Education, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2022.2082759

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

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Lomax, Michael L. (2020, April 21). Six Reasons HBCUs Are More Important Than Ever.

UNCF. https://uncf.org/the-latest/6-reasons-hbcus-are-more-important-than-ever

Miranda, S. (2022, August 15). After the Rise of BLM, Black Students and Their Families Are

Heading Back to HBCUs. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/15/1117437412/hbcu-

black-students-applications-enrollments-increase

Online Programming at HBCUs. Seven. (n.d). http://www.thehundred-seven.org/

Onlinehbcu.html

Pluviose. (2007). The Evolution of a Texas HBCU. Diverse Issues in Higher Education,

24(13), 24–25.

Rose, D. (2022). Race, Post-Reconstruction Politics, and the Birth of Federal Support for Black