In all fairness, the saga of Black colleges' continued fight to exist after desegregation, has been an ongoing dilemma long before Barack Obama's historic presidential win. But there does seem to be an intensity to call for such institutions to merge with White schools or at the very least, to increase White student enrollment-post Obama. As a graduate of both a historically Black university and a predominantly White college (Hampton and St. John's universities, respectively), I find this subject a precarious one, to say the least. In my estimation, it is imperative that Black colleges are allowed to thrive as they serve a cultural purpose, just as yeshivas exist for the promulgation of Jewish culture and religion. Here's more on this topic, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia’s three publicly funded historically black colleges are vestiges of a time when state leaders wanted to keep African-American students out of the state’s public colleges and universities. That time has passed, so it’s logical to ask whether the need for those institutions has passed as well.
More specifically, state Sen. Seth Harp, chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, asks whether the time has come to merge the traditionally African-American campus of Albany State University with majority-white Darton College in southwest Georgia, and traditionally black Savannah State University with majority-white Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah.
“The white schools were begun as segregation schools,” Harp said. “It’s time Georgia closed that ugly chapter.”
However, ending a historic anomaly is not in itself reason to close colleges, even in these financially challenging times. Such a step should be taken only if the result is a stronger system of higher education for the people of Georgia.
While Albany State and Savannah State universities continue to attract largely black students, the student bodies of Armstrong and Darton are no longer all white. Today, Darton College has a minority enrollment of 46 percent. More than a third of Armstrong Atlantic students are minorities, according to Board of Regents data.
In educational terms, there may be valid reasons for maintaining all four campuses. As a community college, for example, Darton opens its doors to students who require more academic support than their peers at Albany State, and thus performs a different mission. According to state data, 58.6 percent of Darton freshmen required remedial courses in 2007, compared with only 7.8 percent at Albany State.
And while Savannah State University is a traditional campus with a long history of residential housing, nearby Armstrong Atlantic was designed as a commuter campus. While Armstrong has added student housing, its student body is still slightly older than that of Savannah State, and many of its students hold jobs and take longer to finish their degrees, Regents spokesman John Millsaps said.
That’s why Savannah State has a six-year graduation rate of 40 percent, while Armstrong’s rate is only 25 percent.
Perhaps the quick answer to the aforementioned issue (as it relates to President-elect Obama) is that his success should be viewed as an extension of Black culture and not its demise. If an Obama presidency lessens racial tensions for future generations then that's a "win-win" situation but an alleged end of racism should not equate to cultural removal.....just cultural acceptance.
For the AJC.com article in its entirety, click on the link below:
ISSUE IN-DEPTH: ENDING THE RACE DIVIDE: College mergers worth look
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