A federal court ruling that concluded the state of Maryland has not done enough to help its Historically Black Institutions (HBIs) has put the presidents of these state-supported institutions in an awkward position.
The state was found by Judge Catharine Blake to not have done enough to alleviate the segregationist programs of the Jim Crow era by allowing for the duplication of specialized new programs at White institutions that have long existed at Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore—Black colleges that are part of the 11-member University of Maryland System of public schools.
In her 60-page ruling, Blake chastised the state and said that it “offered no evidence that it has made a serious effort to address continuing historic duplication” and pointed out that Maryland’s Black colleges have only 11 unique high-demand programs in contrast to the 122 at traditionally White institutions. The establishment of competing programs, according to Blake, has caused the program enrollment at HBIs to plummet.
The ruling was seen as a major blow to Governor Martin O’Malley, who is seen as a possible Democratic contender for the White House in 2016. William E. Kirwan, the chancellor of the University System of Maryland, tried to move beyond the ruling but said that the state had always operated in good faith.
“In my own opinion, I think the system has been very supportive of creating unique programs at the HBCUs [Historically Black Colleges and Universities] whenever possible and has been very careful to avoid program duplication,” said Kirwan. “There are obviously some programs that are in high demand in the economy. In such instances there is some duplication, but that is in the best interest of the state’s economy.”
While several HBI presidents have privately expressed support for the litigation filed by a group of concerned students and alumni in 2006, they have been careful in their public comments, unwilling to weigh in on the specifics of the lawsuit since their financially-strapped institutions are largely dependent on funding from the state and report directly to the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
