While graduation rates have long withstood criticism for being considered a prime indicator of institutional success in higher education, a group of predominantly Black colleges and universities are now calling for a new index that will factor in the unique barriers their students overcome to graduate.
Representing the public historically Black colleges and university (HBCU) sector, the New York-based Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Monday released Making the Grade: Improving Degree Attainment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a white paper arguing for a new index that places emphasis on factors such as students’ socioeconomic status and academic preparedness. Public HBCUs, in particular, are facing renewed concern about their relevance as policymakers and the public have increased scrutiny of public college outcomes.
The degree completion rate for full-time freshmen over a six-year period is one of the most widely used measures of institutional performance. Serving students who are disproportionately poorer and more likely to be first-generation college-going, public HBCUs typically have low completion rates in comparison with predominantly White, public flagship universities.
TMCF President Dwayne Ashley said TMCF and its member institutions are urging national and state data collection agencies such as the National Center for Education Statistics to incorporate a methodology that demonstrates how schools, as stated in the report, “raise their students from a position of academic weakness to strength.”
“We are using this as a call to action for policymakers who will be shaping these decisions to look at the role HBCUs are playing,” in serving vast numbers of students of color, he said.
Two HBCU presidents joined Ashley during a media conference call Monday to announce the white paper’s release: Dr. George Wright, Prairie View A&M University, and Dr. Mary Sias, Kentucky State University. The presidents spoke about how Black colleges have made themselves accessible to students from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Let me say that at Prairie View A&M University we understand the need to be held accountable for the resources we receive in the sense that our students make progress and are graduating,” said Wright. “But, Prairie View’s mission was changed in such a way that we are also required to serve the underserved in both urban and rural Texas. There are many students who for their own reasons did not do as well they should have in high school and have potential.”
