Born out of extreme racism and shepherded through the centuries by enduring hope, the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have educated countless African Americans. These institutions, which boast great diversity, are treasures that illuminate the talent and potential of African Americans. This volume provides an overview of the salient issues facing HBCUs as well as the many contributions that these historic institutions make to our country as a whole. Topics include Historic Origins of HBCUs Desegregation Students Presidental Leadership Faculty and Governance Issues Fundraising Federal and State Policy Curriculum Thoughts about the future With suggestions for additional reading, other references and an appendix of historically black colleges and universities by, this is a comprehensive and much-needed addition to the literature in the field on HBCUs. This is the fifth issue the 35th volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

Author Biography

Marybeth Gasman is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a historian of higher education, and her work explores issues pertaining to philanthropy and historically black colleges, black leadership, contemporary fundraising issues at black colleges, and African American giving. She has published many books and peer-reviewed journal articles and in 2007 won the Penn Excellence in Teaching Award. Valerie Lundy-Wagner is an advanced Ph.D. candidate in higher education at the University of Pennsylvannia, received her Bachelor of Science degress from UCLA in civil and environmental engineering and Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University. Her research interests pertain to the role of institutions in promoting success for underrrepresented students and students in the STEM pipeline. Tafaya Ransomis a doctoral student in higher education at the University of Pennsylvania. After earning a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at Hampton University and a master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor, Ransom worked in project management, process engineering, and manufacturing supervision for a global pharmaceutical corportation. She also taught high school chemistry in Detroit and supported the development of a chemical engineering department at Dire Dawa University in Ethiopia. Nelson Bowman III is director of development at Prairie View A&M University. As the chief development officer, he is responsible for managing major gift prospects, donor stewardship initiatives, and the university's school-based fundraising program. Most recently, he oversaw the successful completion of the university's first capital campaign.