Chapter 14: On A Wing And A Prayer

Between 2005 and 2009, four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—Howard University, Morgan State University, Jackson State University, and Clark Atlanta University—placed first, fourth, sixth, and eighth, respectively among the top ten universities awarding doctorate degree to Blacks. Doctoral degree production among Blacks at these HBCUs exceeded doctoral degree production among Blacks at institutions with much longer histories of graduate education and considerably better publicly funded research profiles including such notables as Harvard University, Temple University, Georgia State University, and Columbia University.

Notwithstanding the success of Howard, Morgan, Jackson State, and Clark Atlanta, graduate programs at HBCUs are typically underfunded with regards to assistantships for graduate students, program development funds, and research support for graduate faculty. Graduate education at HBCUs is frequently viewed as auxiliary to the primary mission of educating the institutions’ undergraduate students. With few exceptions, HBCUs have not developed comprehensive graduate instructional platforms; in particular, few HBCUs have developed significant doctoral level research programs. Although the reasons for the lack of well-developed graduate research programs at HBCUs are numerous and complex, the consequence is that Blacks, as well as all other students, have had little choice but to pursue doctoral education at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). The limited graduate research platform serves as a constraint on HBCUs’ capacity to expand their missions and curricula, grow and diversify their student bodies, recruit experienced faculty, secure government grants and contracts, attract foundation and private financial support, and award degrees in disciplines where alumni are highly paid.