STATE OF EMERGENCY: Governance, Management, and Accreditation at HBCUs

STATE OF

EMERGENCY

:

Governance, Management, and

Accreditation at HBCUs

AERA Annual Meeting in New York City, 2008

Presentation by

John Michael Lee, Jr., Doctoral Candidate New York University & The College Board

Agenda

1. Welcome & Introduction of Panelist 2. Overview of Accreditation & HBCUs 3. Panelist Discussions

4. Audience Participation 5. Closing Remarks

Purpose

• The Purpose of this symposium is to

address those issues that have led to a

state of emergency at our nation’s

Historically Black Colleges and

Universities.

Goals of the Symposium

1) To illuminate the governance,

management, and accreditation issues at

HBCUs

2) To bring together a mixture of scholars

and practitioners to present perspectives

concerning these issues

3) To develop solutions to the problems at

HBCUs through collaborative

Panelist:

Marybeth Gasman, Ph.D.

• Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania • Dr. Marybeth Gasman is a historian of higher

education. As such, she is a leading researcher in the study of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and her work explores issues

pertaining to philanthropy and historically black colleges, black leadership, contemporary

fundraising issues at black colleges, and African-American giving.

• Dr. Gasman will speak to the financial viability of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Panelist:

M. Christopher Brown, Ph.D.

• Dean, University of Nevada-Las Vegas

• Dr. Brown has earned a national reputation for his research and scholarly writing on higher education policy and administration. His

research addresses issues of higher education leadership and governance, postsecondary

statutory and legal concerns, institutional

history, and collegiate diversity. He is especially well known for his studies of historically black colleges, educational equity, and institutional culture.

• Dr. Brown will speak to institutional challenges that HBCUs face in trying to overcome issues of management and accreditation.

Panelist:

Richard C. Richardson, Ph.D.

• Professor, New York University; Former

President, Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

• Dr. Richard C. Richardson Jr. is professor of

higher education at NYU and professor emeritus of educational leadership and policy studies at Arizona State University. His recent studies have examined policy and higher education

performance, structural designs, and systemic change for state higher education systems. He is also a leading scholar in the field of higher education governance.

• Dr. Richardson will speak to the governance issues that HBCUs are faced with including the role of the governing boards.

Panelist:

Alvin Schexnider, Ph.D.

President, Winston Salem State University; Former Interim President, Norfolk State University

• Alvin J. Schexnider, Ph.D. possesses more than thirty years of experience as a faculty member and senior

executive in public, private, majority and historically Black institutions. From 1996 to 2000 he served as Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University where his

transformational leadership laid the groundwork for repositioning that institution and rendering it more

competitive. He later served as Executive Vice President, Acting President, and Interim President of Norfolk State University.

• Dr. Schexnider will speak to the challenges for HBCU

presidents as they try to fix the governance, accreditation, and management issues for these institutions.

Panelist:

Frederick S. Humphries, Ph.D.

• Regents Professor, Florida A&M University; Visiting Scholar, Vanderbilt University; Former President, Florida A&M

University; Former President, Tennessee State University • Dr. Frederick S. Humphries had a distinguished, 30 year,

career as president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity (NAFEO), Florida A&M University and

Tennessee State University. During his nearly 17 year tenure at FAMU, he more than doubled enrollment while

simultaneously raising academic standards. He increased the number of National Achievement Scholars at the school ranking first in the nation three times, out recruiting Harvard and Stanford, and made Florida A&M the nation’s number one producer of African-Americans with baccalaureate degrees and third in the nation as the baccalaureate institution of origin for African-American doctoral degree recipients.

• Dr. Humphries will speak to the challenges for HBCU

presidents as they try to fix the governance, accreditation, and management issues for these institutions.

Current State of HBCUs

• Currently 101 Institutions (51 Public, 50 Private)

• Comprise only 3 percent of the nation’s two and

four-year institutions

• Produce 28% of all bachelor’s degrees, 15% of all

master’s degrees and 17% of all first professional degrees earned by African Americans (Schnittger, 2001, 1).

• Graduate approximately 52% of African Americans

receiving pharmacy degrees, 30 % of those receiving dentistry degrees, and 27% with degrees in theology (Gasman et al, 2006).

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation

•

Accreditation is a difficult process for

HBCUs.

•

Accreditation is tied to federal and state

financial aid.

•

The Southern Association of Colleges

and Schools (SACS) accredits most

HBCUs.

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation

•

HBCUs make up 13% of SACS of

membership.

•

25% of SACS sanctions pertain to

HBCUs (1996-2005).

•

Since 1989, 50% of the institutions to

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation

Table 1: Accreditation Decisions of HBCUs by SACS (1998-2001)

Year Placed on Warning/ Denied Approvals Placed on Probation Loss of Accreditation 1998 Savannah State University, GA

St. Paul’s College, VA

Hinds Community College, MS

1999 Morris Brown College, GA Southwestern Christian College, Tx

Tougaloo College, MS LeMoyne-Owens College, TN Stillman College, AL 2000 Huston-Tillotson College, TX Voorhees College, SC LeMoyne-Owens College, TN Alabama State University, AL Southwestern Christian College, Tx

Tougaloo College, MS Bennett College, NC Talladega College, AL

2001 Grambling State University, LA Alabama State University, AL Southwestern Christian College, Tx

Bennett College, NC St. Augustine”s College, NC

Barber-Scotia College, NC

Huston-Tillotson College, TX Voorhees College, SC Grambling State University, LA

Bennett College, NC Morris Brown College, GA

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation

Table 2: Accreditation Decisions of HBCUs by SACS (2002-2007)

Year Placed on Warning/ Denied Approvals Placed on Probation Loss of Accreditation 2002 Alabama State University, AL

Interdenominational Theological Center, GA

Huston-Tillotson College, TX Grambling State University, LA

Bennett College, NC Talladega College, AL

Morris Brown College, GA

2003 Barber-Scotia College, NC LeMoyne-Owens College, TN Interdenominational Theological Center, GA St. Augustine”s College, NC Texas College, TX 2004 LeMoyne-Owens College, TN Talladega College, AL

Texas College, TX

Barber-Scotia College, NC Edward Waters College, FL

2005 Virginia Union University, VA Talladega College, AL LeMoyne-Owens College, TN 2006 LeMoyne-Owens College, TN 2007 Coahoma Community College, MS

Dillard University, LA

Paul Quinn College, TX Florida A&M University, FL Texas Southern University, TX

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation

•

HBCUs make up 13% of SACS of

membership.

•

25% of SACS sanctions pertain to

HBCUs (1996-2005).

•

50% of the institutions to lose

Most Cited Principles of Accreditation by HBCUs

•Financial Stability

Governance TEXT Management

•Financial Resources •Financial Stability •Submission of Financial

Statements

•Financial Aid Audits •Student Financial Aid

•Faculty

•Educational Programs

Guiding Questions

State of

Emergency

: Accreditation