HBCU experience enriching

By Jamila T. Williams
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

Black women are continuing to make strides in education. According to the Department of Education, 67 percent of degrees earned amongst African Americans during the 2002-2003 school year, went to black women. Though the numbers of black males on college campuses are declining, the overall number of African Americans obtaining a post-secondary education is increasing. With more and more blacks attending college, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) now have to compete with more mainstream schools. Created solely for the purpose of serving the black community’s education needs, HBCUs in the past have granted blacks the majority of their degrees. Today, these schools have to deal with some of the brightest African-American students choosing alternatives to black colleges. In 2001, only 13 percent of all African-American college students attended HBCUs with a little more than one-fifth of bachelor degrees awarded to blacks coming from those schools. Of the 817 black high school 2006 National Achievement Scholarship winners, 83 percent enrolled at Harvard. A recent study published by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education suggests that cultural diversity is becoming a deciding factor when African-American students choose where to enroll for college. Based on this study, more than two-thirds of the students surveyed said that diversity was important in deciding on what university to attend while 12 percent deemed it the most significant factor. Diversity played a role in Stanford University sophomore, Kelvin Spencer’s decision-making process. “Yes, diversity definitely was a factor. It gives you a richer college experience. Here, people are from all over the world. I wanted to expand my horizons and experience new cultures,” said Spencer.
There is also a growing perception that HBCUs don’t perform as well as other schools. U.S. News and World Report recently released its listing of “America’s Best Colleges 2008.” Of the top 100, Howard University (#96) is the only black college to make the list. However, the newsmagazine bestowed black schools with a separate list, “America’s Best Black Colleges.” Howard moved up a whopping 94 spots, falling short to Spelman College for the number one spot. For that very reason, Ohio State University student, Dominic Saintfort decided against applying to any black colleges. “They just weren’t academically strong enough to meet the standards or criteria of my selection process,” said the second year student. “Culturally HBCUs are attractive but when it comes to academics they’re not.”
Columbus Alternative High School 2006 graduate, Seth Seward, is quite glad he made Miami University, a public university, his home away from home. Despite what some may argue, there are some advantages for African-Americans that go to mainstream universities. “The sense of community {among students}is stronger. There is a strong black bond, everybody knows everybody,” said Seward.
The size of some historically black colleges and universities are getting smaller. But there are other HBCUs that are growing in size. The 2007 fiscal year Program Performance Report of historically black colleges and universities showed an increase of attendance by 1,585 with a total of 223,227 students present in 2006. The 2009 goal is a 100-percent boost of 231, 443.
President/CEO and creator of the black networking website, HBCU Connect, William Moss III, generated the webpage to be a continuous voice of current and former HBCU students. The Columbus, Ohio native and graduate of Hampton University stresses that the experience of attending a black college is like nothing else. “The experience even becomes inspirational seeing people that look like you, trying to get ahead...It can be fun but at the same time challenging,” said Moss. In his opinion, HBCUs are beneficial to African-American students as sure avenues for success. “There can’t be any excuse for failure. Everyone’s in the same boat and you’re in an environment that you know will produce African-American graduates,” explained Moss. “The needs of black students will be addressed.”
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) continues its efforts to seal the education gap between white and African-American students. Since 1944, UNCF has been providing black students with both financial and moral support. The organization is the host of multiple scholarship and internship programs as well as televised fundraisers that aid in their endeavors. This year marks the 29th anniversary of UNCF’s An Evening of Stars that showcases the achievement of historically black colleges and universities with the help of some of Hollywood’s finest stars. This year’s program will pay tribute to Motown legend Smokey Robinson not only for his successful music career, but also for his longtime support of UNCF and its mission.

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