From Dr. Kimbrough...
A follow-up article related to our discussions on
recruitment of students.
The mid-1990s ushered in a cultural renaissance for historically
black colleges and universities. “A Different World,” the sitcom spinoff of the
wildly popular “Cosby Show,” was a sign of a second golden age for HBCUs, a
period of increased attendance, broad cultural recognition, competitive
athletics and community buy-in beyond the gates of the black ivory tower.
Dr. Jerainne Johnson-Heywood and Dr. Scherise
Mitchell-Jordan came to Morgan State University as freshmen in the ‘90s, and
following stellar undergraduate careers, went on to earn doctorates from the
University of Southern California and the University of Maryland – College
Park, respectively.
Both were recruited from their native Jamaica to join other
high-achieving students in what is now known as Morgan’s School of Computer,
Mathematical and Natural Sciences, and talk fondly of their college
experiences, expressing appreciation for the training they received at their
HBCU.
But with those positive reflections come strong reservations
about their children following in their footsteps and attending a black
college.
“People at Morgan were very interested and very helpful in
moving me towards what I wanted to do,” says Johnson-Heywood, a
Materials-Chemical engineer in Erie, PA. “But one of the things I didn’t
necessarily like, and I’ve found this to be true at other HBCUs, is that there
are certain freedoms that aren’t given at HBCUs that are afforded at
predominately white institutions. It seems that administrations at many HBCUs
has a mindset that was developed eons ago, and is not applicable to today’s
culture.”
Among those freedoms: Alcohol and visitation leniency, with
many HBCUs employing campus restrictions on visitation and alcohol consumption,
even for residential students over the age of 21. While designed to encourage
moral behavior among students, it is among the hot topics of high school
seniors and freshmen in home-for-the-holidays talk on the positives and
negatives of the HBCU experience. When compared to co-ed living facilities and
visitation policies at larger, predominantly white institutions (PWI), it is
almost always a negative point of emphasis among reasons to avoid attending an
HBCU.
“The policies are draconian in nature and insult the
intelligence of the students,” says Morgan senior Robert Chittams. “HBCUs must
make policies comparable to those at a PWI if they truly want to compete.”
Johnson-Heywood specifically cites a lack of study abroad
opportunities at HBCUs as a major deterrent to attracting today’s students and
instilling confidence in parents of high achievers.
Morgan State, a national leader among HBCUs in the
production of Fulbright Scholars, is one of a handful of the nation’s 105 HBCUs
encouraging international learning experiences for undergraduates, and
potential careers in the Foreign Service. But many HBCUs do not actively field
or promote study abroad programs for students, and in a shrinking global
marketplace, Johnson-Heywood believes that a lack of international
opportunities deprives black students of the invaluable experience necessary to
be competitive with Ivy League and internationally-trained counterparts.
For Mitchell-Jordan, now a scientist at a California PWI, a
lack of direction into graduate education and professional development has her
worried about the future direction of HBCUs.
“When I started Morgan State, my goal was to attend medical
school. Based on the experience of my peers who went to other universities, I
don’t think that I was advised enough on the opportunities that were available
to me,” she says. “Basic information about graduate school was available, but
information about recruitment to graduate schools, I don’t think that
information was present there.”
To counter the perspective, many HBCUs have ramped up
efforts to improve career advisement and customer service, two historic trouble
spots at black colleges nationwide. North Carolina Central University, for
example, has received national recognition for its Quality Service Initiative,
a metric designed to ensure the best experience possible for students, whom
will eventually become tomorrow’s donors.
With alumni giving at HBCUs nationally hovering below 10
percent, and growing questions about the financial future at prestigious
historically black institutions like Fisk University and Morehouse College, the
need to define black college value is more pressing today than it has ever been
in the 150-plus year history of HBCUs. Former NCCU Chancellor Charlie Nelms
recently suggested that diversity is a key element to the sustainability of
HBCUs, a sentiment shared by Mitchell-Jordan.
The HBCU environment, she says, may be counterproductive to
long-term professional goals of HBCU graduates.
“I’m a big proponent of diversity, so I don’t think that
HBCUs are necessary in today’s world,” Mitchell-Jordan said. “We live in a very
diverse society, so I don’t think there should be a university for minorities.
Personally, after we leave college, there may be some reservation against
graduates who attended minority institutions. I think it’s a barrier against
us.”
Johnson-Heywood offers a different perspective.
“It is a good environment where professors look like you and
share your experience. They have advanced degrees, and you get to see that
accomplished black people aren’t just athletes or celebrities. However, there
is a stigma of HBCUs that seems to hold graduates back more than it seems to
push them forward. It seems that employers, peers in the workplace look down
upon you because of your background at an HBCU.”
While both share deep reservations on sending their children
or advising others to attend HBCUs, neither says they are absolutely against
HBCUs that show marked improvement in academic and professional development
areas.
“If I were to see that a minority institution could provide
the opportunities that would prepare my daughter for a solid future, I would
not hesitate to send her to a minority institution,” says Mitchell-Jordan.
“It’s just that after moving on from Morgan, I saw that all of the information
I needed -- career counseling, internships, etc. -- I did not receive.”
“HBCUs have made a lot of positive improvements since I
graduated,” says Johnson-Heywood, who has a nine-month old daughter. “Many of
the things that were not available or made available to me as a student are now
in place for today’s students to benefit from. But, when you look at the top
100, 150 institutions in the United States, you don’t see HBCUs on that list.
And there’s no reason for that. There’s no excuse for why our institutions
cannot provide the education and the opportunities that make them competitive
with the best in the country and in the world.”
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