by George M. Johnson
A recent interview with Howard University President Wayne Frederick sparked conversation around alumni giving at HBCU’s and more importantly, the lack thereof.
Historically black colleges and universities have been a staple of leadership for black education since the 1800’s and continue to produce around 20 percent of all undergraduate degrees acquired by African Americans.
In a country built on the labor of Black people, HBCU’s provided an environment for black students to receive degrees when predominantly white institutions were either unwilling to accept us — or did so at a substantially lower rate than our white counterparts.
In 2013 St. Paul’s College closed it’s doors, one of at least 11 HBCUs to do so since their inception. Others like Wilberforce, South Carolina State University, and Cheyney are also on the brink of closure if financial support does not increase. Knowing this, why are alumni of HBCU’s so unwilling to give back to their alma maters?
According to US News & World Report, of the 46 HBCU’s that submitted data, only six schools—(Claflin University, 48.9 percent; Bennett College, 38.2 percent; Spelman College, 37.4 percent; Tuskegee University, 25.1 percent; Fisk University, 23.9 percent; and Livingstone College, 23.8 percent)—have annual giving coming in above 20 percent.
This statistic directly correlates with HBCU’s having smaller endowments—less to go towards infrastructure and expansion, and fewer funds to offer new students, thus putting the burden of financing on the parents. A majority of HBCU’s fall in the single digits—some as low as two percent in annual giving, in the case of Texas Southern University.
President Frederick brought up many of these concerns recently when discussing the state of HBCU’s financial stability. In his tenure, he has seen alumni giving rise from 4.5 percent to just over 10.5 percent, however he admits that it is not enough to keep buildings up to date, many of which haven’t seen renovations in over 50 years.
As an HBCU graduate twice over, and former Director of Student Accounts at Virginia Union University, I have been on both sides of this equation which allowed me to gain an understanding of the transition from a student to an alumnus, who is then asked to give back.
As a student, I faced the same struggle that many currently claim as the reason they don’t give back to the university: problems when dealing with faculty and staff, inadequate dormitories, lack of new buildings and equipment, and lastly, bad experiences with the financial offices.
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