For over 100 years, black colleges and universities have be gaining momentum in society. Questions have risen whether this rise is helping or hindering the educational growth of the students in the 21st century. Since their institution in the early nineteenth century, the goal of HBCU’S has been, “dedicated to the enrichment and advancement “of the African American populace (Holfester). Dating back to the Jim Crow Era, HBCU’s have been the minorities way of gain post-secondary education. And, just as they are acclaimed for their achievements in educating the minority nation, they are criticized for ever changing ways. Black colleges find they constantly must prove their relevance in the educational system unlike their predominantly white counter …show more content…
The purpose behind HBCU’s is the success of a minority class. For the past one hundred years, they have been meeting this purpose. There are an estimated three hundred thousand students that attend historically black colleges each year. Eighty percent of these students are African American (Lomax). HBCU’S produce a disproportionate amount of African American scholars with college degrees. They majority of this minority class who have found success in society, can be tied to HBCU’s. Statistical data taken form the National Center for Education Statistics reports that HBCU’s produce, “one-third of all African American baccalaureate degrees in mathematics… two-fifths of African American degrees in the natural science, …. 50 percent of all African American public educators, 70 percent of the nation's African American dentists, and nearly 50 percent of all African Americans who pursue graduate or professional education” (Brown, 11). The numbers are rather staggering and prove the misconceptions about the lack of professional success false. The problem is, this advantage is one that can only be claimed by a minority group. It is easy to overlook the numbers of success from these schools because they do not serve a dominant group. Inferring from the data, one could …show more content…
They theorize that HBCU’s have more disadvantages to them then predominantly white institutions, and their relevance is rapidly declining. The arguments proposed find HBCU’s to have poor management, high debts, “poor quality of faculty, inadequate degree programs, campus infrastructure, and declining student enrollment” (Holfester). These are major disadvantages that opposers find with HBCU’s. Because of low funding and federal and state support, HBCU’s are often overlooked by high quality professionals. This has also led to faulty equipment and facilities and an inability for these schools to budget accordingly. Most HBCU’s are also located in the south, and racial discrimination during the time of development has place most of these institutions in harsh neighborhoods. Many of the disadvantages that people find with HBCU’s are of no fault on the institutions part. These institutions are given very little help, and are struggling because of what they were created to do. That is to serve the minority class. If these schools were treated like other schools, they could perform better and gain access to better facilities. If HBCU’s were not constantly trying to defend their reason for being, these schools would not have as many problems as they do
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Show MoreWhen a person presently looks at university school systems, one never imagines the struggle to obtain such diverse campuses. With Caucasians, Asians, Latinos, and African Americans all willing and able to attend any institution, it is difficult now to envision a world where, because of one’s skin color, a person is denied university acceptance. In actuality, this world existed only fifty years ago. In a time of extreme racial discrimination, African Americans fought and struggled toward one of many goals: to integrate schools. As a pioneer in the South, a man named James Meredith took a courageous step by applying to the University of Mississippi, an all white university. After overcoming many legal and social obstacles, the University of Mississippi’s integration sent positive effects rippling among universities across the nation.
Sims, Serbrenia J. Diversifying Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A New Higher Education Paradigm. Westport: Greenwood P, 1994.
“Nationally, more than one-quarter of the students in the 1930s were black. Yet they received only about one-tenth of the total education revenues. Many Americans believed that African Americans were simply not capable of excelling in school” (“The 1930’s education…”). For colored women, it was more difficult to prove their abilities than any other race. For example, Asian women were not affected as much simply because their skin color was closer to that of a white’s than a black person. As black women were treated unequally in the education department, white women have also struggled in getting a higher education. “They gave young women a chance to gain the same kinds of education as their brothers without having to spend much of their time and energy fighting the prejudice they would have faced at male-dominated institutions. At the same time, they provided a proving-ground in which college administrators, professors, and students could demonstrate that women could flourish intellectually while remaining healthy and ladylike.” (“The Value
HBCU’s have a line of history behind them. Each Institution provides examples of dedication and determination and they offer an education for “African-American” students and students of different backgrounds. HBCU’s prepare students for leadership and successful futures. Institutions today are facing major issues that could cause them to be non-existence but they work hard and push until they get what they need. This is a source of motivation to alumni’s and prospective students. The Colleges provide history, motivation, provision, and most importantly knowledge to every student that attends.
Over the years there has been a significant decrease in the percentage of African American male success in higher education. Not only does this effect society as a whole, but more importantly this effects the African- American community as well. The high percentage of uneducated African- American males will result in increased crime rate, shortened life span and overall hard life. However this epidemic can be stopped by looking at the contributing factors of why there is a decrease in African-American male success in higher education and how to change it. Throughout the paper I will be addressing the issues as to why there are not more black men in higher education, by looking at the contributing factors such as environmental stressors, student’s perceptions, racial identity issues, academic and social integration, family upbringing and the media. The attrition rate of African- American male students could be changed and decreased drastically. Increasing our understanding of these differences would enable us to better meet the needs of young black men.
This paper examines the struggle African American students are more likely to face at a predominantly white institution (PWIs) than at a historically black college or university (HBCUs). Each author has his or her own take on this hypothesis; most of the author’s studies suggest that African American students have a hard time adjusting to an environment at a PWI (Littleton 2003). However, African American students at HBCUs tend to be at ease with their learning environment. Though many of the author’s agree with one another there are other authors whose studies come to the conclusion that race is not a factor in college education anymore. That being the case on average African American population is approximately four percent at PWIs (Littleton 2003).
Many literacy experts point out the fact that at the college level, black students who attend all-black schools tend to be more successful than those attending predominantly white schools. Even though these schools often lack resources and financial stability, they nonetheless produce more high achieving black students than predominantly white schools. For instance, according to Fleming, black students attending Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HBUC) have higher graduation rates than those attending predominately white institutions. Also, students who graduate from a HBUC and go on to attend predominantly white graduate schools do just as well as students who have graduated from predominantly white colleges (Fleming 1). What is it that black schools and black teachers have that produces academically successful black students? What approaches to learning can white teachers adopt from black teachers in order to maximize the learning of these students?
Clearly, HBCUs provide several benefits to African-American students. Not only have they helped to combat the cycle of discrimination that minority students experienced before the civil rights initiatives of the 1960s, but they strive to provide a warm, supportive and inclusive academic environment that addresses African-American college students as a whole person. Additionally, HBCUs are increasing their efforts to ensure that higher education is accessible, affordable and achievable for individuals with unique socioeconomic challenges. Despite obstacles, historically Black institutions will continue to play a vital and significant role in the fabric of higher education.
In this brief report, I will be examining common practices, policies and resources that support Black women attending Princeton University. Included is a brief review of national averages in regards to higher education attainment and a rationale for continued rhetoric on this topic. My interest in this topic stem from my experience at State University’s Women Studies Program. While the conversation around gender is necessary and crucial, little attention was given to discussions of how race and gender affect an individual’s lived experience. I was constantly aware of my lack of representation among students who were in those classes and the faculty who taught.
...cannot be broken, knowledge that cannot be taken away, and opportunities that students never knew were available. It is an honor to receive top notch education and even more of an honor to receive it from an HBCU. Legacies are made at HBCUs and parents are made proud when their child becomes alumni of the same college that they once attended. Parents want to know that their child is receiving the one on one attention from the professors and they want their child to feel the same love away from home that they feel at home. A loving and caring support system is what one will find at an HBCU and parents can feel secure in knowing their child is getting exactly what they paid for. Attending an HBCU is an experience like no other and an experience that every African American should have the opportunity to experience. If given the opportunity, why not attend an HBCU?
Samuels, Albert L., Black Colleges and the Challenge to Desegregation. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2004.
For centuries African Americans have fought for equal rights, one of them being an opportunity for the chance to get an equal education. Many people believe that African Americans have an equal or better chance at getting an education than other students. This is not the case when in fact, it is actually harder for these three reasons: African American students tend to come from harsh, poverty stricken atmospheres. Shattered family lifestyles that make it difficult to pursue a higher education because they have not received the proper information. Secondly, just because African Americans are minorities does not mean that they receive a vast amount of government assistance or financial aid to pursue a higher education. Lastly, African American students do not receive the same treatment as other students when they attend predominantly white colleges and universities.
In 2006, an article was published by three doctoral students, (Tricia Seifert, Jerri Drummond, and Ernest Pascarella) at the University of Iowa, highlighting a research study undergone by the three concerning the role of institutional types, with emphasis on historically black colleges (HBC’s) in African-American students’ experiences. The findings, as published in the Journal of College Student Development showed that students who attend HBC’s report greater levels of good practices than their peers at other institutions of higher education. These findings suggested a greater emphasis on the teaching of students, as defined by the mission statements of these particular institutions.
It is that time of the year, high school seniors graduate with hunger in their eyes looking forward to the ‘real world’. Waiting to hear their names be called and ready to start a new chapter, college. College, a place where scholars are made and one is exposed to widening their knowledge. A place known to be the best four years of your life, to find your circle of true friendships. However, there is one concept that is not mentioned during the tour or pamphlets, it is also a place where there is institutional racism. According to mic.com in 2013 Georgetown University’s center on Education and the Workforce, “white students are still overrepresented in the nation’s 468 elite institutions. Even though many white and minority students are unprepared
Before 1965, higher education institutions were mostly populated by white males from upper and middle families. Blacks and other minorities were prohibited from attending colleges due to the prevailing discrimination attitude. Women, unfortunately, also had limited access to higher education because of their lower social statu...