minority education. Per John Silvanus Wil- son, Jr., America’s Historically Black Col- leges and Universities and the Third Trans- formation (The Presidency. The American Council of Education. Winter 2010) gen- erational academic achievement among all races barely improved with 35.5% of all individuals 25-29 gaining a college degree vs. 34.9% of all persons 30 and older (pro- pelled much in part to Asians - 66.3% of 25-29 year-olds vs. 54.5% of 30+ year-olds and Whites - 41.8% of 25-29 year-olds vs. 38.0% of 30+ year-olds). The numbers ranged from disappointing to dismal when it came to Blacks, Hispanics, and Ameri- can Indians. Blacks suffered the least ero- sion with 24.3% of 25-29 year-olds earn- ing a college degree vs. 24.6% of the 30+ age group. 16.8% of Hispanics 25-29 years-old earned a college degree vs. 18.1% of those 30+ and only 16.3% of American Indians (a target group educated by HBCUs led by Hampton University’s establishment of a formal educational pro- gram geared towards their needs in 1878) in the 25-29 age bracket earned a college degree vs. the 21.7% figure for those 30 and older. Second, according to the U.S. Depart-
ment of Education Office for Civil Rights, more than 80% of Blacks who earned de- grees in dentistry and medicine attended two HBCUs (Howard University, Washing- ton, D.C. and Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN) specializing in these fields. Presently both schools account for 19.7% of all medical and dentistry degrees award- ed to Black students. In addition, HBCUs have accounted for training of 75% of Black officers in the U.S. Armed Forces, 75% of Blacks with PhDs, 80% of Blacks holding federal judgeship positions, and 50% of Black faculty members teaching at traditionally White institutions. Third, HBCUs continue to be at the
forefront of Black students earning de- grees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which is espe- cially critical since degrees in STEM fields (which are essential if the United States is to remain competitive in a global, technology-driven economy), have de- clined significantly over the last 10 years (by as much as 22%-26% for students re- ceiving bachelor degrees in computer sci- ence and math) with 70% of growth of 18-24 year-olds pursuing these fields comprised of minority students (including
The Black E.O.E. Journal
www.blackeoejournal.com 51
a 19% increase attributed to Black Ameri- cans of that age group) as stated in Fuel- ing Education Reform: Historically Black Colleges Are Meeting a National Science Imperative by Steve Suitts (Southern Edu- cation Foundation, Atlanta, GA, July 3, 2003), and rank high with regard to stu- dents who pursue graduate and post-doc- toral training. With this in mind, an era of revival for HBCUs is likely contingent upon their emphasis on STEM subjects. Additional advantages offered are
smaller class size than available at tradi- tional universities (providing a more per- sonalized experience), community service opportunities (e.g. mentoring elementary, middle school, and high school students and assisting charitable organizations) that enrich both students and community members, and opportunities for graduate school and human resources recruiters searching for, in the words of Jeff McGuire, The Historical Black College & University: Choosing the right historic black college for you (College View, 18 December 2009), “diversity and talent they are unable to find elsewhere.” A final important reason that HBCUs
retain their critical roles is their positive atmosphere and deeper focus on African- American and minority cultural and his- torical contributions and the fact that they provide minorities (many of whom expe- rienced discrimination or inequality dur- ing some part of their lives, including those born in the post Civil Rights era in- cluding the 1980s and 1990s) with greater
self-esteem because of the wide-range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds they come from and through the availabil- ity of support and remediation/retention networks when they experience academic challenges. In the words of Cedar Law- rence, a recruiter at Fort Valley State Uni- versity (Fort Valley, GA) HBCUs provide an atmosphere where they can be “very open to discussing the issues facing peo- ple of color... solutions to make things better” in a family atmosphere without worrying about “what people think of race” and/or other stereotypes. In conclusion, HBCUs are relevant and
necessary in 21st Century America. With their course offerings in the STEM fields, smaller class size, remedial/retention/sup- port networks, diversity and openness, HBCUs are critical not only for urban America but every community of today’s and tomorrow’s knowledge-based techno- logical society. HBCUs are essential to ensure equal opportunity and a bright fu- ture for students of all races especially since their continued efforts and contribu- tions proactively address socioeconomic obstacles that could discourage and intel- lectually and ultimately psychologically and economically set back entire races. The rich, past history of HBCUs clearly demonstrates that they remain a potent equalizer to ensure each dream, regardless of economic class and race, have at a min- imum, a realistic possibility of being achieved.
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