by Dr. Sarah Ruth Jacobs
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Though Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) constitute “only three percent of the country’s colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of all African American students and produce almost 20% of all African American graduates.” While many people are familiar with the most famous Historically Black Colleges and Universities, such as Howard University and Spelman College, few people realize that included among the nation’s 99 HBCUs are 12 Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs). Additionally, among the 104 Primarily Black Institutions (PBIs) in the U.S., there are 49 Predominantly Black Community Colleges (PBCCs). In the face of alarming and steep declines in Black student enrollment at both four-year and two-year institutions over the last decade, Historically Black and Predominantly Black community colleges have a vital role in supporting underserved students and enabling them to graduate with two-year degrees or to transfer to four-year institutions. This article looks at the historical context of Historically Black and Primarily Black community colleges, as well as what approaches some of these institutions have taken to serve their students.
America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were first designated by Congress in 1965 through Title III of the Higher Education Act. Congress defined HBCUs as accredited institutions founded before 1964 and whose main purpose was to educate African Americans. While there were a few historically black colleges prior to the Civil War, most HBCUs were founded in the postbellum period, with a mission to give educational and career opportunities to African Americans, particularly in the South, where colleges did not admit Black students (the first admission of African Americans to historically white colleges in the northern and southern states varies: Bowdoin admitted John Brown Russworm in 1824, Yale admitted Edward Alexander Bouchet in 1870, and Texas A&M first admitted black students in 1963). Many public HBCUs were founded by Southern states themselves following the Morrill Act of 1890, which provided federal funds for the establishment of African American colleges. As M. Christopher Brown II notes, other HBCU founders included “philanthropic associations, churches, local communities, missionaries, and private donors.”
Additionally, beyond HBCUs, there is another recognized category of minority-serving institutions: in 2007 Congress first identified and defined Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). To be counted as a PBI, 40% of an institution’s full-time students must identify as African American, and at least 50% of full-time students must be from low-income or first-generation families.
The differentiation between Historically Black Colleges and Predominantly Black Institutions is not arbitrary. As described above, Historically Black colleges and community colleges were almost entirely founded in southern states in the three or four decades following the Civil War. Segregation in colleges during this time was an issue in the northern states as well, with only a small number of northern colleges admitting African American students. In contrast, Primarily Black Institutions are located all over the country, and they were founded anytime from the mid-1800s through the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to research by Alexis M. Johnson at Rutgers, “the first Primarily Black Institutions were primarily public community colleges, and…nearly two-thirds of the institutions were located outside of the South.” Johnson identifies “four factors” that contributed to the founding of PBIs: the Great Migration (1910-1970), in which African Americans left the south for cities in the north; the “community college movement” in the 1960s; the fleeing of whites from the inner cities to the suburbs following World War II, known as “white flight;” and increased federal support for higher education.
As Dr. Kayla C. Elliott notes, there is very little “empirical research” on Historically Black and Primarily Black community colleges. Dr. Elliott writes that a 2006 study by Thomas Bailey et al. found that “HBCCs performed approximately 13% higher than all other institutions” when “combining the institutional graduation rate and the rate of students who transferred to other institutions.” Very little is known concerning how well these institutions promote social mobility for their students, compared to other two-year colleges.
The official designations of HBCUs and PBIs by Congress make these institutions eligible for targeted funding under Title III, and other government grants and initiatives, all of which greatly add to their mission of supporting students. These institutions, though, have been challenged by a decrease in public funding; Dr. Elliott notes a 43% reduction in federal funds and a 28% reduction in state funds between 1995 and 2015 (when adjusted for inflation). These shortfalls come amid a severe decline in African American college enrollment at both two-year and four-year institutions. Research by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds that “More than one in three Black community college students are in poverty” and “An alarming 70 percent of Black students experienced food or housing insecurity or homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Historically Black and Predominantly Black community colleges are uniquely positioned to address the enrollment crisis, both because of federal funding initiatives and because of their historic embrace of diversity. The latter aspect is important not to lose sight of, considering a 2023 Gallup-Lumina Foundation “poll found that one in five Black postsecondary students say they ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally’ feel discriminated against at college….Black students were likelier to say they felt disrespected or unsafe in less diverse student populations.”
Institutions like St. Philip’s College, the only institution in the country that is designated as both a Historically Black Community College and a Hispanic Serving Institution, have continually evolved to meet the needs of a diverse body of students. Originally founded in 1898 as a school for the daughters and granddaughters of Emancipated slaves, today St. Philip’s “remains focused on teaching marketable and leadership skills, and giving marginalized individuals the tools they need to achieve economic stability,” according to a spokesperson for the college. To address the particular needs of its students, the college takes a “holistic” approach, “[mitigating] barriers both inside and outside of the classroom by providing wrap-around services. These services include a food pantry, clothes closet, financial literacy courses, career readiness experiential learning, peer mentoring, counseling services, and first-year experience services.”
In addition to the many aforementioned federal initiatives, there are numerous collaborative and individual initiatives on the part of HBCCs and PBCCs to track and improve student attainment. In 2022, the nonprofit Complete College America began the first network of 22 Historically Black and Predominantly Black community colleges, spanning eight states: “Over two years, colleges will assess their current degree programs to identify courses and competencies that lead to credentials of value and are aligned with the needs of employers. They will also work to identify best practices around career and academic advising and wraparound supports to help meet students’ basic needs, such as access to nutrition, housing, and affordable transportation.” The PBCC-HBCC Network’s efforts will serve to provide the kind of empirical research on student outcomes at these institutions that has so far been missing. Initiatives like this are critical for giving Historically Black and Predominantly Black Community Colleges the recognition and public support that they deserve.
As Dr. Elliott explains, “When research, practice, and support are centered on understanding Historically Black Community Colleges as an integral part of their respective communities, we can better understand each institution’s contributions and importance to the local workforce and economy.”
