HU President Dr. William R. Harvey Responds to WSJ Article Criticizing HBCUs
TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
BY
WILLIAM R. HARVEY
PRESIDENT OF HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY BOARD ON
HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HBCUs)
A recent Wall Street Journal article by Jason Riley questioned the relevance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in today's society. He complained about President Obama's conventional approach to HBCUs and opined that "instead of more subsidies and toothless warnings to shape up", the President and federal government ought to "…remake these schools to meet today's challenges."
I cannot speak for the President, but I have spoken to him about HBCUs. An ardent supporter of historically black colleges and universities, President Obama understands and appreciates their value to the nation and the world. The facts justify his support, i.e., representing 4% of all American colleges and universities, HBCUs conferred over 22% of all degrees awarded to African Americans. With only 13% of African Americans in higher education, these colleges awarded nearly 30% of all undergraduate degrees earned by African American students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines; 50% of all bachelor's degrees in teacher education received by African American students; and 85% of Doctor of Medicine degrees acquired by African Americans according to statistics compiled by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.
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