In the early 1990s, black high school students were drawn to historically black colleges and universities in great numbers. Nine years later, however, many black students are opting to forego that experience. All five of the historically black colleges and universities in the University of North Carolina school system have witnessed declining enrollments and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores in the past few years.
Lagging enrollment is not exclusive to North Carolina HBCUs but reflects a broader pattern, said Gary Barnes, UNC's vice president for program assessment. "I would say we're looking at a national trend," Barnes said.
One reason for the decline may simply be competition. "Minority students have greater choices than they did ten years ago," said Angela Terry, vice chancellor for student affairs at North Carolina Central University. "The markets for black students are broadening."
The belief that the racial homogeneity of HBCUs is poor preparation for life after college may also contribute to declining enrollment, Terry acknowledged. "We are aware of that misperception," Terry said, "and are aggressively working to move away from it."
The shift comes at a time when affirmative action and aggressive recruiting are bringing more minorities to predominantly white campuses. Last year, for example, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University enrolled more black undergraduates than ever before.
"If you're wondering if that has been at the expense of the historically black schools, I just don't know," said Jerome Lucido, director of admissions at UNC-CH.
But some HBCU administrators feel it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete with other institutions for the brightest students. Indeed, for the five historically black NC schools combined, the average SAT score rose to 932 in 1994 but fell to 879 this year-even given the 1996 SAT recalibration.
"To a large extent, I think we are at a disadvantage [in recruiting students] because the resources of NC State and UNC-CH are so much greater," Terry said.
Many school administrators say HBCUs witnessed a revival in after the 1984 publication of Jaqueline Fleming's Blacks in College, which claimed that black students have more fulfilling post secondary experiences at HBCUs. Now, many hope another event will catalyze the revitalization of North Carolina's HBCUs-the expected swell of college-aged students in the coming years. During the "baby boomlet," the UNC system is expected to absorb 48,000 new students by 2008-a 31 percent increase.
Perry Massey, vice chancellor of student affairs at Fayetteville State University, said efforts to expand the school's enrollment by a third should strengthen its programs. "The survival of an institution is based on the student population," he said.
But Eva Klein, a UNC-hired consultant, doubted that ailing institutions would be able to boost their enrollments without improving facilities. "Historically black schools face a catch-22," she said. "Until they get more students, they can't pay for facilities, and until they improve their facilities, they can't attract the students."
Willie Brown, a UNC Board of Governors member, said declining enrollments are a result of institutional inequity.
"If the chasm between [historically black and white schools] continues to widen, it's only natural that students will gravitate to the institutions that can offer the best quality of living-the ones with the best facilities and the most resources."
The discrimination of the past may contribute to present inequities, noted David Hoard, vice chancellor for development at NCCU-whose school's $45 million endowment is far overshadowed by the $850 million endowment of UNC-CH and the $150 million endowment of NC State.
"Up until 1960, if someone died in the state of North Carolina and did not leave a will, a part of their estate went to Chapel Hill and NC State," he said, adding that current UNC school system allocations do not take into account that kind of historical factor.
Looking toward the future, HBCUs are taking measures to expand enrollment.
Massey and Terry agreed that building North Carolina's HBCUs' white student populations-which decreased from 19 percent in 1993 to the current 14 percent-is key to developing their campuses.
Another focus is building new facilities and renovating old ones. NCCU-whose enrollment climbed slightly this year-has instigated a capital campaign that has already raised $25 million. It has also built a new education program and a new biomedical research facility.
Although HBCUs may have experienced a slide in enrollment, Terry insists they remain far from obsolete. "In the past, historically black schools were the primary vehicles available to blacks for education," she said. "That may be changing, but the basic role of black schools-to provide an educated citizenry-remains the same."
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