HBCU Digest Fall 2013
President Obama and former Executive Director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs John Wilson, now president of Morehouse College (left), did not advocate for HBCUs as leaders hoped they would, leaving some HBCU advocates to contemplate suing the administration to recoup damages.
Initiative on HBCUs. After the departure of controversial executive director John Silvanus Wilson, current Morehouse College president, angst grew among Black college presidents and chancellors for more stable leadership in the primary office of the liaison between President Obama and HBCUs. In the more than 11 months that followed Wilson’s departure, two interim directors were installed to lead the initiative, signaling to HBCU leaders that their interests and needs were of little consequence in the national higher ed agenda. As fall drew near, President Obama proposed sweeping reforms for higher education, calling for financial aid to be tied to metrics of graduation rates, alumni income, student debt, and other factors which fly in the face of the HBCU mission and purpose. For many, it was the beginning of the divorce of many HBCU leaders from the optimism for Black colleges under the nation’s first Black president. With the Congressional Budget Office proposing cuts to the increased funding in President Obama’s Pell Grant revisions, looming higher ed reforms and continuing harm from the PLUS Loan changes, a growing rift between Capitol Hill and HBCUs appears beyond repair. For some HBCU leaders, litigation against the Obama administration may be an option to recoup lost revenues and opportunities for hundreds of students. Officials with Thurgood Marshall College Fund Inc. say that some presidents have begun to assemble details on stunted programmatic development and capacity building due to PLUS changes, but are careful to say that no formal plans for a lawsuit are currently in action. But such a movement would be consistent with comments made by leadership from the advocacy organizations. In March, TMCF President and CEO Johnny Taylor was quoted in clear support of litigation against the Obama administration. “We’re going to continue to pursue the legislative process to find a better solution,” Taylor told The Washington Times. “[But] if at some point we determine that there is no agreement, then we may have to consider going to the courts. Similar sentiments were echoed by Lezli Baskerville, President and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, in a recent interview on HBCU Digest Radio. “We’ll be at the table and note that any proposal that will result in institutions being disadvantaged would be one that we would reject outright and one that we would indicate to Congress as an odious policy.” HBCU presidents and chancellors have waited for more than five years for the power of the executive office to reflect attention and respect for Black colleges. There has been no usage of the bully pulpit to champion HBCUs or the role they play in America’s capacity to outpace other nations in intellectual output. This week, we meet the new permanent executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, and still questions linger on whether he will be empowered by the attentive ear of leadership within the Department of Ed and the White House on HBCU matters. The last five years have revealed that a Black president elected does not equal Black interests championed. This reality has proven particularly stinging for HBCU students, alumni and surrounding communities who are chiefly responsible for propelling Obama to victory in two national elections. Litigation is the last desirable measure for response from the first Black president, but it may be the most responsible measure HBCU leaders can take to ensure adequate, due support from an administration which has struggled to pair words with actions on HBCU support.
By the Numbers
The state of HBCUs during Obama’s presidency
$193 Million
Lost revenue due to Parent PLUS Loan changes. between Oct. 2011-Oct. 2013
$140 Million
Cuts in grants and research appropriations from federal agencies.
28,000
Approximate number of students sent home due to a lack of funding.
$29 Billion
FY14 Budget Request for Pell gr.ants, a $5 Billion decrease from FY13.
71
Percentage of HBCU students nationwide receiving Pell grants.
3
The number of executive directors the White House Initiative on HBCUs has seen since January 2013.
1
The number of HBCUs to close during Obama’s tenure (Staint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va.).
www.hbcudigest.com
27