In the presumably post-racial age, are historically Black colleges and universities necessary? A new study from the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, attempts to answer this question. The study, “Students Speak! Understanding the Value of HBCUs from Student Perspectives,” uses first-person interviews from UNCF member institutions to uncover the reasons why many students choose to attend HBCUs.
The report was co-authored by Dr. Tammy L. Mann, executive director of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute; and Janet T. Awokoya, a senior research associate at the Institute.
Thirteen of the students participated in a focus group while 10 students had one-on-one interviews. Each student offered candid assessments of their secondary education, highlighting the pivotal role that individual experiences played in shaping their decisions to attend HBCUs.
“The reality is that everyday experiences of individuals continue to drive how they perceive and act on those perceptions when it comes to making major life decisions, including where they will seek a college education,” the authors write.
Among the study’s findings: students prize small student-to-faculty ratios. The typical UNCF institution enrolls an average of 1,379 undergraduates, compared with 1,908 for other four-year, private institutions. Mann and Awokoya observed that, for many of these students, smaller classrooms facilitate learning and provide a more active support system.
“Many of the comments shared by the students focuses on the need to feel connected — a sense of belonging — as an important driver influencing the decision to attend their institution of choice,” they write.
Other students chose to attend HBCUs after graduating from predominately White high schools, which, they believed, left them without a strong sense of their racial or cultural identities.
