It’s hard to say exactly when the public’s renewed attention for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) began. But there is little doubt that the economic and social unrest experienced in the last few years have played a key role, and philanthropists have taken notice.
Lezli Baskerville, President and CEO of NAFEO
“Black Lives Matter, in no small measure, created the atmosphere that moved stories about the centrality of HBCUs to American progress to the front page,” said Lezli Baskerville, president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in higher education (NAFEO). “[Scott’s] gifts are reflective of a growing national understanding of the central role HBCUs play and must continue to play.”
There are 104 HBCUs in the U.S. Over the last two years, Mackenzie Scott gave $560 million to 23. Across the country, these donations brought about feelings of “exhilaration” and “new hope,” said Baskerville.
As donations to HBCUs are increasing in number, keeping an institution, especially a lesser-known institution, at the top of people’s minds often takes a level of means that some HBCUs simply do not have, said Dr. Terrell L. Strayhorn, the provost at Virginia Union University (VUU) and director of the Center for the Study of HBCUs.
“I think we’re witnessing the ushering into this age of philanthropy. So, the question is, how do we continue it and sustain it?” asked Strayhorn.
Institutions who are able to hire tech-savvy staff with an understanding of Search Engine Optimized (SEO) words are more likely to stand out, said Strayhorn. The right SEO can bring a college right to the top of a search engine’s results page.
