Black Colleges Need a New Mission

[captaggie]

From the Wall Street Journal:

Black Colleges Need a New Mission
Once an essential response to racism, they are now academically inferior.

By JASON L. RILEY

President Obama has shown a commendable willingness to shake up the status quo in K-12 education by advocating reforms, such as charter schools, that have left his teachers union base none-too-pleased. So it's unfortunate that he has such a conventional approach to higher education, and to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in particular.

Earlier this month, Mr. Obama hosted a White House reception to celebrate the contributions of the nation's 105 black colleges and to reiterate his pledge to invest another $850 million in these institutions over the next decade.

Recalling the circumstances under which many of these schools were created after the Civil War, the president noted that "at a critical time in our nation's history, HBCUs waged war against illiteracy and ignorance and won." He added: "You have made it possible for millions of people to achieve their dreams and gave so many young people a chance they never thought they'd have, a chance that nobody else would give them."

The reality today, however, is that there's no shortage of traditional colleges willing to give black students a chance. When segregation was legal, black colleges were responsible for almost all black collegians. Today, nearly 90% of black students spurn such schools, and the available evidence shows that, in the main, these students are better off exercising their non-HBCU options....


online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704654004575517822124077834.html

[captaggie]

BOT - Provides perspective on the SUNO / UNO merger issue.

[Aggie One]

Given their long and storied track record of disparagement of blacks by that newspaper, I would not even give you bad bean fart for anything written in the Wall Street Journal about any minorities or our state of affairs in American society and culture.

[captaggie]

I agree A1. The reason I brought it back up is that this editorial (and others with a similar position) is now being executed in LA. Many southern legislatures are watching how this issue unfolds. Therefore, keep this issue on your radar screen.

[SixtiesAggie]

Harvey, of Hampton, wrote a strong public rebuttal to that article, right after it was published in the ws journal. This conversation by white legislators continues in states like Miss. and GA., as well as others.

[aggiejazz]

I go to college campuses recruiting and corporations like going to HBCUs because their recruiters know there will be folks other than whites in significant numbers to recruit.

On the eye level, there seems to be more blacks from HBCUs working in government and corporations than from other schools in the nation combined.

I will say that Blacks going to non-HBCUs do get the opportunities to work in Silicon Valley companies and other companies of the likes that hire from specific colleges other than HBCUs.

[Aggie One]

I can tell you for a fact that as far as the State of North Carolina government is concerned, the vast majority of blacks in middle and upper management, division and department heads are undergrad products of HBCUs.