Black alumni of historically black colleges and universities are more likely to thrive in their lives after graduation than black graduates of predominantly white institutions, according to a Gallup study released last month.
The study highlights all that’s right with HBCUs: the unique experiences and traditions, supportive atmosphere and family-like environments.
But problems, including declining enrollments, leadership controversies and budget cuts, have left many HBCUs struggling to survive. Georgetown University professor Richard America estimates that at least half of the 107 federally recognized historically black colleges and universities in the country are in trouble.
Those struggles extend to Georgia, where 10 HBCUs exist. Albany State University, one of Georgia’s three public HBCUs, has seen its enrollment decline 25 percent over the past five years. The drop has led state officials to recommend merging the school with another state college, and school officials to announce plans to deactivate 10 academic programs. Budget deficits left Paine College, a private HBCU in Augusta, unable to pay its employees last week. Even stalwart Morehouse College in Atlanta has seen its enrollment and financial footing drop over the past decade.
To succeed — as well as compete with other institutions aggressively recruiting black students that now have unlimited college opportunities — the troubled HBCUs are having to make changes.
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