Lentis/TheHBCURenaissance

History of HBCUs

Early History and the Rise of HBCUs

The first officially recognized HBCU was founded in 1837 as The African Institute, currently known as Cheyney University. More schools were founded after, but these colleges and universities had little public backing. After the civil war, the Morill Act of 1865 provided land grants to states for the formation of new schools and colleges. While this did lead to the formation of some of the first HBCUs in some states, most states, especially southern ones, used these grants to build schools for white students. The second Morill act in 1890 provided additional grants to state specifically for the purpose of founding black colleges. This period during these two acts saw the founding of most HBCUs recognized today between 1965 and 1900. Over 200 HBCU institutions were founded for the education of African Americans. Today 105 are recognized, and while this figure makes up less than 3% of colleges and universities in the United States, 11% of African American students attend HBCUs. HBCUs evolved from giving basic education to African Americans to giving opportunities for students to become engineers, doctors, and lawyers. Institutions like Howard, Morehouse, Spelman, and Tuskegee prepared most of the nations black professionals. Due to segregation HBCUs were the only option African Americans through the beginning of the 20th century.

Prominent Figures

Richard Humphreys

Richard Humphreys (February 13, 1750 – 1832) was a Quaker philanthropist and silversmith who started the first ever HBCU, originally called the Institute for Colored Youth but later renamed to the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He bequeathed around $10,000, which was about one-tenth of his estate, to establish a school for "the descendants of the African race". It stands as the oldest HBCU in the United States of America.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and activist, and one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1954 to 1968. His graduation from Morehouse College in 1948 was quite notable, and made him one of the most recognized alumni from an HBCU. After his graduation, he came back to several HBCUs to give speeches around the civil rights movement and educational opportunities for African-Americans. A significant example of this was on April 15, 1960, where he addressed a crowd of over 200 students on the campus of Shaw University for a conference of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This allowed for students attending these colleges to navigate social and political hurdles, and HBCUs ultimately served as institutions of solidarity and breeding grounds for upcoming Black leadership. These institutions became a central part of the movement, with quads becoming rallying centers and dorm rooms as meeting locations.

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright

Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (April 3, 1872 – December 14, 1906) was a humanitarian and educator, who founded Voorhees College, originally called the Denmark Industrial Institute. She sought assistance from New Jersey philanthropist Ralph Voorhees and his wife, who donated $5,000 to buy the 280 acres of land and start the school. It opened in 1902 and Wright became the first principal. The Episcopal Church agreed to support the school, and the school soon became Voorhees School and Junior College in 1947, and in 1962, it was accredited as four-year Voorhees College.

HBCU Renaissance

Declining Enrollments a Need for Change

HBCUs have seen declining enrollment in recent years, especially compared to predominately white institutions (PWIs). As more PWIs accepted African Americans, a higher portion of HBCUs students were less prepared for higher education, and graduation rates started to drop. This led to lower investments in HBCUs, and many have been forced to shut down. Today just over 100 HBCUs exist and only three HBCUs have over 10,000 students, while most range between 5000-7000. The 2008 financial crisis led to a decrease in enrollment for HBCUs when tighter regulations on student loans affected thousands of students in HBCUs and institutions lost $150 million in tuition. The possibility of high debt turns prospective students away even when they do qualify for loans. HBCUs have also lost students to online and for profit. HBCUs have also seen under funding, with endowments that are an average of 7 times smaller than PWIs and other institutions.

The Renaissance and Public Support

The black lives matter movement and economic decline that occurred in 2020 sparked an influx of investments in HBCUs from the federal government along with companies and other donors. In 2021, President Biden delivered $5.8 Billion towards HBCUs, increased funding in the 2022 budget from $72 million to $807 million. The HBCU Transformation project was launched in march of 2022, which is focused on increasing retention and graduation rate. Politicians and celebrity have endorsed HBCU and made their revival a priority. In 2015 the Bipartisan HBCU caucus was founded by Alma Adams, driving discussion and awareness on a national level. The caucus founded the HBCU Partnership Challenge in order to increase private support of HBCUs and to strengthen career opportunities for students. Congress includes several HBCU alumni, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who graduated from Howard University in 1986 and worked with Biden to launch HBCUs' increased funding. In 2020, former NFL cornerback and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders moved to HBCU Jackson State as their head coach and brought D1 college athletes with him. Several highly recruited athletes have chosen to play for HBCUs instead of higher ranked PWIs along with competitive academic students who cite the sense of community they did not find in Ivie league schools and other PWIs. From 2018-2021, a selection of HBCUs saw an increase in applications of 30%, and enrollment has increased dramatically in some institutions.

Importance of HBCUs in the US

Social Mobility Effects

One of the main appeals of HBCUs and PBIs in the US is to act as a way for students to escape economic struggles. For example, HBCU graduates are 51% more likely to move to a higher income quintile than non-HBCU colleges. This starkly contrasts Ivy League schools, such as Harvard, where approximately 2/3 of their students come from the family's in the top income quintile. Another factor to measure social mobility, average education spending, is also led by HBCUs and PBIs over like colleges. HBCUs have a 27% lower cost of tuition, on average, than PWIs, also contributing to HBCUs being a option with great social mobility for many students.

Personal Connection with Student Body

A factor students in all colleges value is a sense of purpose and value in a career. A study by Gallup found that HBCU graduates were more likely to report a higher purpose, social and community well-being than their non-HBCU peers. This study measured the outcomes of Black students at HBCU colleges and non-HBCU colleges in order to obtain these results and account for any confounding factors. This study also showed that HBCU graduates were more likely to report high physical wellbeing, showing that these effects extend beyond career and into students' personal lives as well. HBCUs offer students opportunities in their community to have an impact, leading to the improved sense of community purpose. 81% of HBCUs are in areas with median income below that of the national median, offering many opportunities for community involvement for students.

Academic Connection with Student Body

One of the common misconceptions with HBCUs is that PWIs are more expensive because they provide a better education, and therefore students may be better off attending a PWI if they have the means. A study by Hardy et. al. showed that, although PWIs outperformed HBCUs when only using raw data, when adjusting for income, test scores, and other confounding factors, HBCUs outperformed PWIs in graduation rate, post-graduation salary, and 1st year retention rate. Furthermore, HBCUs are equipped to supply their student body with an education that will be more relevant. For example, Virginia State University offers courses on the history of HBCUs, and Jackson State University offers a core curriculum that has a more hands-on approach with their student body to assist in discovering a useful career. A deeper analysis into how the curriculum between HBCUs and PWIs differ is beyond the scope of this report.

HBCUs and Economic Equity

Recent political trends have guided towards pushing for economic equity in the US. According to a study by McKinsey, HBCUs and PBIs have assisted in achieving this goal. Black Americans, on average, have incomes 30% lower than that of White Americans. Educational opportunities provided by HBCUs could translate to an increase in $10 billion per year. Also, increased enrollment in HBCUs can create more Black entrepreneurs, who currently only constitute .7% of capital start-up funding in the US. This can also lead to more consumption spending in Black communities, helping to stimulate economic growth in the future. This makes up a small portion of this divide, but the recent investment assists in these political goals.