Dive Summary:
- Enrollment at historically black colleges and universities has plunged as many talented students enroll at majority-white institutions concerned about diversity.
- Historically black colleges now graduate 24% of African Americans; at the peak of the civil rights movement, that figure was more than 90%.
- Even so, historically black institutions turn out about 25% of African Americans who earn doctorates.
From the article:
... HBCU advocates say the schools remain as vital as when segregation was legal. Their missions have shifted to a focus on educating first-generation college students and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. That's a population not always welcome at mainstream universities, said Marybeth Gasman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who studies black colleges. ...
