Life
More non-black students attending historically black colleges
Elizabeth Hallaren, a 20-year-old white woman, says she is beginning to understand what it’s like to be a minority.
As a fourth-year nursing student at Hampton University (HU), she is part of an increasing number of non-black students attending historically black colleges and universities such as HU. Enrollment trends have diversified greatly over the last two decades at traditionally black colleges, experts say.
In what has become a mutually beneficial relationship for schools and students, many of the nation’s 105 historically black colleges are increasingly wooing non-black students. The goals: to boost lagging enrollment and offset funding shortfalls.
Some black colleges are stepping up recruiting at mostly white or Hispanic high schools and community colleges. Delaware State University is bringing 100 Chinese students to its Dover campus this fall for cultural and language training. Other colleges are showcasing unique programs. Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens promotes its chorale, which backed Queen Latifah in the 2010 Super Bowl, for example.
Even top-ranked black schools such as Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Spelman College in Atlanta, are recruiting more aggressively in the face of intensifying competition for top African-American students.
