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The 105 Institutions of Higher Learning




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Many of these schools are known as fine intitutions of higher learning. Click on each to learn more.
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Howard University

Founded 1867

Founded as "Howard Normal and Theological School for the Education of Teachers and Preachers"

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Prairie View A&M Univerity

Founded 1876

Founded as "Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College for Colored Youth"

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Savannah State University

Founded 1890

Founded as "Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth"

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Morgan State University

Founded 1867

Founded as "Centenary Biblical Institute"

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community.[1]

There are 106 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States, including public and private, two-year and four-year institutions, medical schools and community colleges.[2][3] Most are located in the former slave states of the Confederacy. Notable exceptions include Central State University (Ohio), Wilberforce University (Ohio), Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Lewis College of Business (Detroit, Michigan), Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), and the former Western University (Kansas).

History

Most HBCUs were established after the American Civil War, often with the assistance of northern religious missionary organizations. However, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (1837), Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) (1854), and Wilberforce University (1856), were established for blacks prior to the American Civil War. Established in 1865, Shaw University was the first HBCU in the South to be established after the American Civil War.

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines a "part B institution" as: "...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation."[4][5] Part B of the 1965 Act provides for direct federal aid to Part B institutions.

In 1862, the Morrill Act provided for land grant colleges in each state. Some educational institutions in the North or West were open to blacks since before the Civil War. But 17 states, mostly in the South, had segregated systems and generally excluded black students from their land grant colleges. In response, Congress passed the second Morrill Act of 1890, requiring states to establish a separate land grant college for blacks if blacks were being excluded from the existing land grant college. Many of the HBCUs were founded by states to satisfy the Second Morrill Act. These land grant schools continue to receive annual federal funding for their research, extension and outreach activities. The Higher Education Act of 1965 established a program for direct federal grants to HBCUs, including federal matching of private endowment contributions.[6]

Other educational institutions may have large numbers of blacks in their student body but, as they were founded (or opened their doors to African Americans) after the implementation of the Sweatt v. Painter and Brown v. Board of Education (1954) rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court (the court decisions which outlawed racial segregation of public education facilities) and the Higher Education Act of 1965, they are not classified as historically black colleges, but have been termed "predominantly black."

Starting in 2001, directors of libraries of several HBCUs began discussions about ways to pool their resources and work collaboratively. In 2003, this partnership was formalized as the HBCU Library Alliance, "a consortium that supports the collaboration of information professionals dedicated to providing an array of resources designed to strengthen historically black colleges and Universities and their constituents."[7]

Current status

In 2004, the US Department of Education published a study of HBCUs that found that, as of 2001, HBCUs accounted for 13% of black higher education enrollment.[8]

In 2007, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund published a study of minority recruiting practices by Fortune 400 companies and by government agencies that found that 13% of the college graduates were recruited from HBCUs and 87% were recruited from non-HBCU schools.[9]

The 2009 Stimulus Bill included more than $1.3 billion of additional federal support for HBCU campuses.[10]

Of the 104 HBCU institutions in America today, 27 offer doctoral programs and 52 provide graduate degree programs at the Master's level. At the undergraduate level, 83 of the HBCUs offer a Bachelor's degree program and 38 of these schools offer associate degrees.[11] Roughly 10% of the HBCUs offered online degrees in 2013.

The portion of Bachelor degrees awarded to black students by HBCUs has steadily dropped from 35% in 1976 to 21.5% in 2001.[12] From 1976 to 2001, total HBCU enrollment grew from 180,059 to 222,453, with most of this increase being attributable to the growth of female black enrollment from 88,379 to 117,766.[13]

Following the enactment of Civil Rights laws in the 1960s, all educational institutions that receive federal funding have undertaken affirmative action to increase their racial diversity. Some historically black colleges now have non-black majorities, notably West Virginia State University and Bluefield State College whose student body has been over 80% white since the mid-1960s. Many non-state-supported HBCUs are struggling financially, due to the increased cost of delivering private education to students and declining financial aid for students.[14]

Racial diversity at HBCUs

As colleges work harder to maintain enrollment levels and because of increased racial harmony and the low cost of tuition, the percentage of non-African American enrollment has tended to climb.[15][16] The following table highlights HBCUs with high non-African American enrollments:

Racial Diversity at HBCUs[17]
College name Percent African American Percent Other
Bluefield State College 13% for 2009–10 school year[18] 75% for 2010–11 school year
West Virginia State University 17% for 2010-2011[19] 72% for 2010–11 school year
Kentucky State University 64% for 2010–11 school year 34% for 2010–11 school year
Delaware State University 70% for 2010–11 school year 25% for 2010–11 school year
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) 79% for 2010–11 school year 18% for 2010–11 school year [20]
University of the District of Columbia 74% for 2010–11 school year 17% for 2010–11 school year [21]
Elizabeth City State University 81% for 2010–11 school year 17% for 2010–11 school year
Fayetteville State University 78% for 2010-11 school year 16% for 2010–11 school year
Winston Salem State University 81% for 2010–11 school year 16% for 2010–11 school year [22]
Xavier University of Louisiana 74% for 2010–11 school year 13% for 2010–11 school year [23]

Other HBCUs with relatively high non-African American student populations

The following list illustrates the percentage of white student populations currently attending historically black colleges and universities according to statistical profiles compiled by the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2011 edition: Langston University 12%; Shaw University 12%; Tennessee State University 12%; University of Maryland Eastern Shore 12%; North Carolina Central University 10%. The U.S. News and World Report's statistical profiles indicate that several other HBCUs have relatively significant percentages of non-African American student populations consisting of Asian, Hispanic, International and white American students.[24]

Special academic programs

HBCU libraries have formed the HBCU Library Alliance. That alliance together with Cornell University have a joint program to promote the digitalization of HBCU collections. The project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.[25]

Additionally, an increasing number of historically black colleges and universities are offering online education programs. As of November 23, 2010, 19 historically black colleges and universities offer online degree programs.[26] Much of the growth in these programs is driven by partnerships with online educational entrepreneurs like Ezell Brown.

See also

References

  1. Jump up ^ "White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities". 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  2. Jump up ^ "List of HBCUs". White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. United States Department of Education. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  3. Jump up ^ Roach, Ronald. "American Baptist College Designated as a Historically Black Institution". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. Cox, Matthews, and Associates, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2013. 
  4. Jump up ^ U.S Department of Education (2008-01-15). "HBCUs: A National Resource". White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Retrieved 2008-02-08. 
  5. Jump up ^ 20 U.S.C. § 1061.
  6. Jump up ^ 20 U.S.C. § 1062.
  7. Jump up ^ "HBCU Library Alliance". 2010-04-23. Retrieved 2010-05-15. 
  8. Jump up ^ "Historically Black Colleges and Universities,1976 to 2001". Dept. of Education. September 2004. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-01-19. 
  9. Jump up ^ "How Corporations and Government Recruit Talent From Historically Black Colleges and Universities". Thurgood Marshall College Fund. 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  10. Jump up ^ "Recession hits black colleges hard". Reuters. 2009-01-15. 
  11. Jump up ^ Historically Black Colleges and Universities | American School Search
  12. Jump up ^ "Historically Black Colleges and Universities,1976 to 2001". Dept. of Education. September 2004. p. 4. Retrieved 2010-01-19. 
  13. Jump up ^ "Historically Black Colleges and Universities,1976 to 2001". Dept. of Education. September 2004. p. 31. Retrieved 2010-01-19. 
  14. Jump up ^ Endo, Sandra (August 12, 2009). "Black colleges struggling". CNN. Retrieved August 13, 2009. 
  15. Jump up ^ Black Colleges: More Whites, Latino’s Attending HBCU’s | Breaking News for Black America. Newsone.com (2010-10-07). Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  16. Jump up ^ Why Black Colleges Might Be the Best Bargains
  17. Jump up ^ Apart No More? HBCUs Heading Into an Era of Change - HBCUConnect.com
  18. Jump up ^ Pastel, Ralph (October 15, 2009). "STUDENT PROFILE ANALYSIS FALL 2009 CENSUS". BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
  19. Jump up ^ "West Virginia State University". Retrieved 2010-12-01. 
  20. Jump up ^ US News & World Reports Best Colleges, 2011 ed.Directory p252
  21. Jump up ^ US News & World Reports Best Colleges, 2011 ed.Directory p151
  22. Jump up ^ US News & World Reports Best Colleges, 2011 ed.Directory p234
  23. Jump up ^ US News & World Reports Best Colleges, 2011 ed.Directory p182
  24. Jump up ^ US News & World Report Best Colleges, 2011 ed. Directory p. 129
  25. Jump up ^ "HBCU Library Alliance—Cornell University Library Digitization Initiative Update". 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-01. 
  26. Jump up ^ "Modest Gains for Black Colleges Online". 2010. Retrieved 2012-01-04. 

 

School City State Founded Type Religious Affiliation Comment
Alabama A&M University Huntsville Alabama 1875 Public Founded as “Colored Normal School at Huntsville”
Alabama State University Montgomery Alabama 1867 Public Founded as “Lincoln Normal School of Marion”
Bishop State Community College Mobile Alabama 1927 Public Originally a branch of Alabama State College
Concordia College, Selma Selma Alabama 1922 Private Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Known as “Alabama Lutheran Academy and Junior College” until 1981
Gadsden State Community College Gadsden Alabama 1925 Public Founded as “Alabama School of Trades”
J. F. Drake State Technical College Huntsville Alabama 1961 Public Founded as “Huntsville State Vocational Technical School”
Lawson State Community College Bessemer Alabama 1949 Public
Miles College Fairfield Alabama 1905 Private CME Church Known until 1941 as “Miles Memorial College”; named after Bishop William H. Miles
Oakwood University Huntsville Alabama 1896 Private Seventh-day Adventist Founded as “Oakwood Industrial School”
Selma University Selma Alabama 1878 Private Alabama State Missionary Baptist Convention Founded as “Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School”
Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa Alabama 1952 Public Founded as “J.P. Shelton Trade School”
Stillman College Tuscaloosa Alabama 1876 Private Presbyterian Founded as Tuscaloosa Institute, the College was a concept of Reverend Dr. Charles Allen Stillman, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa[18]
Talladega College Talladega County Alabama 1867 Private United Church of Christ Known as “Swayne School” until 1869
Trenholm State Technical College Montgomery Alabama 1947 Public Founded as “John M. Patterson Technical School”[19]
Tuskegee University Tuskegee Alabama 1881 Private Founded as Tuskegee Institute, now a National Historic Site
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff Arkansas 1873 Public Founded as “Branch Normal College”
Arkansas Baptist College Little Rock Arkansas 1884 Private Baptist Founded as “Minister’s Institute”[4]
Philander Smith College Little Rock Arkansas 1877 Private United Methodist Church Founded as “Walden Seminary”
Shorter College Little Rock Arkansas 1886 Private African Methodist Episcopal Unaccredited two-year college; founded as “Bethel University”
Delaware State University Dover Delaware 1891 Public Founded as “The State College for Colored Students”
University of the District of Columbia Washington District of Columbia 1851 Public Founded as “Miner Normal School”
Howard University Washington District of Columbia 1867 Private Founded as “Howard Normal and Theological School for the Education of Teachers and Preachers”
Bethune-Cookman University Daytona Beach Florida 1904 Private United Methodist Church Founded as “Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls”
Edward Waters College Jacksonville Florida 1866 Private AME Church Founded as “Brown Theological Institute”
Florida A&M University Tallahassee Florida 1887 Public Founded as “State Normal College for Colored Students”
Florida Memorial University Miami Gardens Florida 1879 Private American Baptist Churches USA Founded as “Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak”
Albany State University Albany Georgia 1903 Public Founded as “Albany Bible and Manual Training Institute”
Clark Atlanta University Atlanta Georgia 1865 Private United Methodist Church Originally two institutions, Clark College and Atlanta University
Fort Valley State University Fort Valley Georgia 1895 Public Founded as “Fort Valley High and Industrial School”
Interdenominational Theological Center Atlanta Georgia 1958 Private Interdenominational
Morehouse College Atlanta Georgia 1867 Private Originally,American Baptist Home Mission Society Founded as “Augusta Institute”
Morehouse School of Medicine Atlanta Georgia 1975 Private Founded originally as a part of Morehouse College
Morris Brown College Atlanta Georgia 1881 Private African Methodist Episcopal
Paine College Augusta Georgia 1882 Private United Methodist Church and Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Founded as “Paine Institute”
Savannah State University Savannah Georgia 1890 Public Founded as “Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth”
Spelman College Atlanta Georgia 1881 Private Originally,American Baptist Home Mission Society Founded as “Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary”
Kentucky State University Frankfort Kentucky 1886 Public Founded as “State Normal School for Colored Persons”
Dillard University New Orleans Louisiana 1869 Private United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church Founding predecessor institutions: “Straight University” and “Union Normal School”
Grambling State University Grambling Louisiana 1901 Public Founded as “Colored Industrial and Agricultural School”
Southern University at New Orleans New Orleans Louisiana 1959 Public Founded as a branch unit of Southern University in Baton Rouge
Southern University at Shreveport Shreveport Louisiana 1967 Public Part of the Southern University System
Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge Louisiana 1881 Public Conceptualized by P. B. S. Pinchback, T. T. Allain, and Henry Demas
Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans Louisiana 1915 Private Roman Catholic Founding predecessor institutions: “St. Katharine Drexel” and the “Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament”
Bowie State University Bowie Maryland 1865 Public Founded as “Baltimore Normal School”
Coppin State University Baltimore Maryland 1900 Public Founded as “Colored High School”
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Princess Anne Maryland 1886 Public Originally: Methodist Episcopal Founded as “Delaware Conference Academy”
Morgan State University Baltimore Maryland 1867 Public Originally: Methodist Episcopal Founded as “Centenary Biblical Institute”
Lewis College of Business Detroit Michigan 1928 Private Founded as “Lewis Business College”[12]
Alcorn State University Lorman Mississippi 1871 Public Founded as “Alcorn University” in honor ofJames L. Alcorn
Coahoma Community College Coahoma County Mississippi 1924 Public Founded as “Coahoma County Agricultural High School”
Hinds Community College at Utica Utica Mississippi 1903 Public Founded as “Utica Junior College”
Jackson State University Jackson Mississippi 1877 Public Founded as “Natchez Seminary” by theAmerican Baptist Home Mission Society, became public in 1942
Mississippi Valley State University Itta Bena Mississippi 1950 Public Founded as “Mississippi Vocational College”
Rust College Holly Springs Mississippi 1866 Private United Methodist Church Known as “Shaw University” until 1882
Tougaloo College Hinds County Mississippi 1869 Private American Missionary Association Founded as “Tougaloo University”
Harris-Stowe State University St. Louis Missouri 1857 Public Founded as “St. Louis Normal School” for whites in 1857, with Stowe Teachers College begun in 1890 for blacks; merged in 1954 [9]
Lincoln University of Missouri Jefferson City Missouri 1866 Public Founded as “Lincoln Institute”[13]
Barber-Scotia College Concord North Carolina 1867 Private Presbyterian Founded as two institutions, Scotia Seminary and Barber Memorial College
Bennett College Greensboro North Carolina 1873 Private United Methodist Church Founded as “Bennett Seminary”
Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City North Carolina 1891 Public
Fayetteville State University Fayetteville North Carolina 1867 Public Founded as “Howard School”
Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte North Carolina 1867 Private Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Founded as “Biddle Memorial Institute”
Livingstone College Salisbury North Carolina 1879 Private AME Zion Founded as “Zion Wesley Institute”
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro North Carolina 1891 Public
North Carolina Central University Durham North Carolina 1910 Public Founded as “National Religious Training School and Chautauqua“
Shaw University Raleigh North Carolina 1865 Private National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
St. Augustine’s University Raleigh North Carolina 1867 Private Episcopal Church (United States)
Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem North Carolina 1892 Public Founded as “Slater Industrial and State Normal School”
Central State University Wilberforce Ohio 1887 Public AME Church Originally a department at Wilberforce University[5]
Wilberforce University Wilberforce Ohio 1856 Private AME Church Named for William Wilberforce
Langston University Langston Oklahoma 1897 Public Founded as “Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University”
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney Pennsylvania 1837 Public The oldest HBCU. Founded by Quakerphilanthropist Richard Humphreys as “Institute for Colored Youth”
Lincoln University Chester County Pennsylvania 1854 Public Founded as “Ashmun Institute”
Allen University Columbia South Carolina 1870 Private African Methodist Episcopal Founded as “Payne Institute”
Benedict College Columbia South Carolina 1870 Private American Baptist Churches USA Founded as “Benedict Institute”
Claflin University Orangeburg South Carolina 1869 Private United Methodist Church
Clinton Junior College Rock Hill South Carolina 1894 Private AME Zion Founded as “Clinton Institute”[6]
Denmark Technical College Denmark South Carolina 1947 Public Founded as “Denmark Area Trade School”[7]
Morris College Sumter South Carolina 1908 Private Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention
South Carolina State University Orangeburg South Carolina 1896 Public Founded as “Colored, Normal, Industrial, Agricultural, and Mechanical College of South Carolina”
Voorhees College Denmark South Carolina 1897 Private Episcopal Church Founded as “Denmark Industrial School”
American Baptist College Nashville Tennessee 1924 Private Baptist Federal designation as a historically Black college or university was awarded on March 20, 2013 by the U.S. Education Department. [3]
Fisk University Nashville Tennessee 1866 Private United Church of Christ[8] Named for Clinton Bowen Fisk
Knoxville College Knoxville (Mechanicsville) Tennessee 1875 Private United Presbyterian Church of North America
Lane College Jackson Tennessee 1882 Private Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Founded as “Colored Methodist Episcopal High School”[10]
LeMoyne-Owen College Memphis Tennessee 1862 Private United Church of Christ Founded as “LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School”[11] (elementary school until 1870)
Meharry Medical College Nashville Tennessee 1876 Private United Methodist Church Founded as the Medical Department ofCentral Tennessee College
Tennessee State University Nashville Tennessee 1912 Public Founded as “Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School”
Huston-Tillotson University Austin Texas 1881 Private United Methodist Church /United Church of Christ Founded as “Tillotson Collegiate and Normal Institute”
Jarvis Christian College Hawkins Texas 1912 Private The Disciples
Paul Quinn College Dallas Texas 1872 Private AME Church Named for William Paul Quinn
Prairie View A&M University Prairie View Texas 1876 Public Founded as “Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College for Colored Youth”[15]
Southwestern Christian College Terrell Texas 1948 Private Church of Christ Founded as “Southern Bible Institute”[16]
St. Philip’s College San Antonio Texas 1898 Public Episcopal Church Founded as “St. Philip’s Sewing Class for Girls”[17]
Texas College Tyler Texas 1894 Private Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Texas Southern University Houston Texas 1927 Public Founded as “Texas State University for Negroes”
Wiley College Marshall Texas 1873 Private United Methodist Church Named for Isaac William Wiley
University of the Virgin Islands St. Croix & St. Thomas United States Virgin Islands 1962 Public Founded as “College of the Virgin Islands”
Hampton University Hampton Virginia 1868 Private Founded as “Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute”
Norfolk State University Norfolk Virginia 1935 Public Founded as “Norfolk Unit of Virginia State University”[14]
Virginia State University Petersburg Virginia 1882 Public Founded as “Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute at Petersburg”
Virginia Union University Richmond Virginia 1864 Private American Baptist Churches USA Founded as “Wayland Seminary,” and merged with Richmond Institute (1865) in 1889[20]
Virginia University of Lynchburg Lynchburg Virginia 1886 Private Baptist Founded as “Lynchburg Baptist Seminary”
Bluefield State College Bluefield West Virginia 1895 Public Founded as “Bluefield Colored Institute”
West Virginia State University Kanawha County West Virginia 1891 Public Founded as “West Virginia Colored Institute”
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Bennet College

Founded 1873

Founded as "Bennett Seminary"

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Barber-Scotia College

Founded 1867

Founded as two institutions, Scotia Seminary and Barber Memorial College

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Fisk University

Founded 1866

Named for Clinton Bowen Fisk

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Hampton University

Founded 1868

Founded as "Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute"

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