Congress and the White House, long considered reliable supporters and advocates, showed more signs of hostility and estrangement when it came to funding and policy. The federal courts issued decrees that ranged from neutral to positive on issues regarding equity and opportunity for minorities in higher education.
On the ground, more than a handful of institutions, particularly HBCUs, engaged in another head-spinning year of leadership changes, further weakening their abilities to carry out their missions.
At the same time, many institutions, especially those historically dependent upon state taxpayer support, saw more and more state legislatures slashing their funding of higher education, making it tougher and tougher for racial minorities and low-income students to pursue higher education.
“It’s been bob-and-weave constantly,” says Lezli Baskerville, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), in assessing 2013. NAFEO is the principal advocacy association of presidents of HBCUs. “We found ourselves under attack from expected friends, but we also found some alliances” from unexpected corners, says Baskerville, echoing the sentiments of others.
A bumpy road
In interviews with higher education leaders and advocates across the country, the steady retreat of the federal government in its financial support of higher education for the masses was cited over and over again as having escalated to new heights in 2013 and was one of the greatest developments of the year.
