Washington, D.C.
With historically Black colleges and universities graduating a significant percentage of Black students who pursue doctoral degrees in medicine, mathematics, science and engineering, we must continue to invest resources into these institutions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
“When we think about our historically Black colleges and universities, we think about our heritage … our past,” said Rice, noting that both her parents are HBCU alumni. “But I want to [focus] on the future of historically Black colleges. HBCUs are preparing a new generation of Americans to succeed in the 21st century,” she said, calling for continued investment of resources in these institutions.
Rice’s comments came during a keynote address to HBCU presidents, faculty, alumni and administrators during the 2008 National HBCU Week Conference, sponsored by the White House Initiative on HBCUs. The White House initiative exists to strengthen the capacity of these institutions to provide excellence in education.
“America’s historically Black colleges have never been stronger, they have never been better and their future has never looked brighter,” Rice said. “Admission is up. Enrollment is up, and the longstanding commitment to academic excellence remains the same.”
While not all 105 HBCUs can boast higher enrollment or admissions, some institutions like Florida A&M University and Spelman College have experienced a substantial influx in the numbers of students applying to their institutions. Though some historically Black institutions are thriving, raising more than $250 million towards their endowment, others are fighting to keep the doors of their institutions open.
HBCUs have come under siege recently. Even after a century of educating generations of Black families, pundits still question the relevance of institutions, many of which struggle to maintain infrastructure, lag behind in providing state-of-the-art technology and grapple with accreditation scares. Collectively, they graduate roughly 60 percent of their students.
