Can Black Colleges Solve the Problem of Access for Black Students?

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have for over 125 years provided higher education access for the overwhelming majority of blacks. With the advent of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the Adams desegregation decision, and federal student aid, college enrollment of black students dramatically increased; however, the majority (83 percent) of black students now attend predominantly white institutions. Although most private HBCUs will remain strong, the increasing desegregation of public HBCUs, and the increasing black enrollment in community colleges, places the primary responsibility for black educational access on federal and state governments and on majority institutions. In restructuring their mission to meet new realities, HBCUs will have to increasingly stress early outreach, support programs, and transfer programs.