Report Finds That Several Southern States Continue to Pursue Policies and Funding Allocations Detrimental to Their Public Black Universities

Armed with a grant from the Lumina Foundation, James T. Minor, an assistant professor of higher education at Michigan State University, has founded the HBCU Project. Dr. Minor plans to study the role of state-operated historically black colleges and universities in today’s higher education system.

Professor Minor recently released the HBCU Project’s first report. His research examined enrollment trends, financing, and degree program allocations at public universities in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina. He concluded that states continue to fund higher education and support degree programs in ways that put their black universities at a disadvantage. Of the states examined, Minor says that North Carolina is making the most concerted effort to enhance the academic quality of its black universities.

The report, Contemporary HBCUs: Considering Institutional Capacity and State Priorities, can be downloaded by clicking here.

Dr. Minor is a graduate of Jackson State University. He holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin.