The Baltimore Sun

troubling article.

Very troubling.

But you gotta five Maryland's HBCUs credit for trying to help their low-income, disavantaged students whose weak academic preparation coming out of high school would probably otherwise shut them out of any opportunity to attend college. with

+ Average SAT score at Maryland's HBCUs: 778

+ "At UMES, where it is not uncommon for two-thirds of freshmen to test at a seventh-grade level in mathematics..."

The primary responsiibility for this rests with these students' parents (it all begins at home/home situations/environment, etc.) and is carried over to the schools these students attend.


Equally troubling is the article's intent on raising the question about the State of Maryland's investment in its HBCUs vs the perceived return on the state's investment (value to investment ratio):

quote:

At a tme when Maryland has been grappling with a $1.7 billion budget deficit, the relatively low graduation rate at the state's black colleges also render them increasingly expensive. If one considers state funding for the schools' operating expenses in terms of degrees conferred, Maryland spends well over $50,000 a year for every bachelor's degree conferred at Coppin State, Morgan State, and UMES-compared with $20,000 per degree at Towson and Salisbury universities.

Can this be true, or is this a fabrication????

What about Bowie State? Is it doing better in this area?

One thing that I would like for us to consider gentlemen,is that many of the students today who show up on the doorsteps of our HBCUs don't show up with a burning desire to succeed in the pits of their stomach.Even when a student comes from a mediocre high school background,that burning desire to succeed has to be there,but many students now don't try to do their best because education isn't as important to them as it should be.
Many students now show up at various colleges because they have friends who are going or they have nothing else planned for their lives at that time.We've even had students to show up at FVSU with no paperwork submitted but expecting to get in school.If they don't know any better than that then that's a student who doesn't deserve to get in.

Shot Caller,

Sadly, what you said is true, apparently. I believe that "mediocre high school background" plays an important part in this, but lack of a "burning desire to succeed" and a low value placed on education usually take hold long before a student reaches high school , due to other factors mentioned in my initial post. That said, some students who have a burning desire and the ability to succeed do go on to excel in college despite having come from a mediocre high school background. When "burning desire" is present, it can trump previous obstacles if, indeed, burning desire is there.


Focusing exclusively on the four Maryland HBCUs that are the focus of the above article, I gotta believe that they are doing their best to serve the academic needs of their respective student populations, regardless of how ill-prepared the students may be upon their arrival. Remediation is a good thing if/when it helps students succeed in doing college-level work and graduate with a degree and sufficient knowledge in hand.

These schools make no pretensions about the student population they serve (according to US News' Best Colleges & Universities-2008 information and rankings):

Coppin State: Less Selective (fourth tier)
Morgan State: Less Selective (fourth tier)
Bowie State: Less Seective (fourth tier)
UMES: Least Selective (fourth tier)

The reward in this to produce productive graduates, the reward that all colleges and universities strive for.

quote:

Originally posted by mobray:
Shot Caller,

Sadly, what you said is true, apparently. I believe that "mediocre high school background" plays an important part in this, but lack of a "burning desire to succeed" and a low value placed on education usually take hold long before a student reaches high school , due to other factors mentioned in my initial post. That said, some students who have a burning desire and the ability to succeed do go on to excel in college despite having come from a mediocre high school background. When "burning desire" is present, it can trump previous obstacles if, indeed, burning desire is there.


Focusing exclusively on the four Maryland HBCUs that are the focus of the above article, I gotta believe that they are doing their best to serve the academic needs of their respective student populations, regardless of how ill-prepared the students may be upon their arrival. Remediation is a good thing if/when it helps students succeed in doing college-level work and graduate with a degree and sufficient knowledge in hand.

These schools make no pretensions about the student population they serve (according to US News' Best Colleges & Universities-2008 information and rankings):

Coppin State: Less Selective (fourth tier)
Morgan State: Less Selective (fourth tier)
Bowie State: Less Seective (fourth tier)
UMES: Least Selective (fourth tier)

The reward in this to produce productive graduates, the reward that all colleges and universities strive for.

mobray,

One thing that I'm concerned about here in Georgia is that many of the students who earn the HOPE Scholarship get to college and still don't do well enough to maintain it all four years of school.This leads me to believe that this happens because the students aren't motivated to succeed in college or they don't have the self discipline to govern their time or perhaps there may have been some grades inflation in high school.
Not only do we have to be concerned with the marginal student now but we also must be concerned with some of the cream of the crop.That's what I despair over.......academic apathy permeating the masses.

^^^^ No argument from me on that! What I dispair over the most w/respect to a huge segment of our youths is their poor grasp of the building blocks required for academic success: strong language/communication skills (reading, writing, etc.) and strong at level math skills. The saddest part is many of these students "don't know, and don't know that they don't know. Many adults, too!

quote:

Originally posted by mobray:
^^^^ No argument from me on that! What I dispair over the most w/respect to a huge segment of our youths is their poor grasp of the building blocks required for academic success: strong language/communication skills (reading, writing, etc.) and strong at level math skills. The saddest part is many of these students "don't know, and don't know that they don't know. Many adults, too!

AMEN BROTHER AMEN!!

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.hb...an21,0,6871144.story


Why we still need black colleges
By Joe Pettit
January 21, 2008

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate today, moved a nation to confront the legacy of slavery, the consequences of legalized segregation and the devastation of racial inequality - including educational inequality. His abiding legacy provides a challenging context for the recent debate over the proper role of historically black colleges and universities in American higher education.

Some argue that historically black colleges and universities are unnecessary and ineffective. After all, in the decades since Dr. King's assassination, black Americans have gained greater access to colleges and universities. Moreover, black students at majority-white institutions appear to have better graduation rates than at some historically black colleges, and many people, including some black students, believe that historically black colleges are not academically rigorous.

Almost 40 years after Dr. King's death, and with the serious challenges facing historically black colleges and universities today, some citizens and legislators may conclude that significant investment in supporting and improving historically black universities in Maryland and elsewhere is no longer appropriate.

Such a conclusion, however, would be mistaken. The value and mission of historically black colleges and universities should not be judged from the conditions that produced them, but rather from the crucial role they still play in reducing racial inequality and in meeting educational, business and leadership needs within and beyond Maryland.

Historically black colleges and universities provide opportunity for those who have been underserved by public education systems and by their communities, and a community where one can learn about and with those who exemplify the highest ideals of education. They perform this dual mission in a way that is simply not possible by relying on a combination of community colleges and traditional, majority-white institutions.

This mission is necessary because far too many predominantly black communities remain isolated from opportunity as a result of poverty - and poverty affects blacks and whites differently. According to the Russell Sage Foundation, fewer than 1 percent of white children are poor for 10 years or more, but 29 percent of black children experience such long-term poverty. One in three poor black children is still poor at ages 25 to 27, but the rate is one in 14 for poor white children.

Often, great black minds go unnourished and undeveloped within the schools found in these communities. And there are still powerful public forces, most notably within the criminal punishment system and the housing market, that isolate many black families and exacerbate racial inequality.

While our nation has done much to reject the legacy of slavery, segregation and racism, stigma remains a powerful force restricting opportunity in ways that potentially affect all black people.

Despite achievements by blacks in all fields, the violence, crime and unemployment that occur in some predominantly black neighborhoods continue to color the perception of all blacks by many others.

Given these realities, historically black colleges and universities are vital public institutions for creating counter-forces of opportunity and for challenging stigmatization with examples of student and faculty achievement.

Advancing both of these objectives is no easy task. Often, the students from underserved communities most capable of taking advantage of what historically black colleges and universities have to offer simply cannot afford to attend them without significant financial aid. Recruiting and retaining the faculty who can best achieve excellence in education and scholarship are difficult when these faculty members have greater teaching loads and fewer resources than their counterparts at majority-white institutions.

Because of the shortcomings of the public education many black students receive, it is not possible to know which students will thrive at historically black colleges and universities. But a commitment to access for the underserved requires a willingness to take risks that are not taken at less-open institutions.

Given this context, graduation rates do not provide meaningful comparisons. Selectivity also fails to correlate to academic rigor.

Now is the time to rally to the cause of historically black colleges and universities - not to question their necessity. Now is the time to respond to the unique challenges facing historically black colleges and universities, not to exacerbate their difficulties by reducing or withholding support.

Joe Pettit is an assistant professor in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Morgan State University. His e-mail is morganprof@yahoo.com.

Frist I think the Baltimore Sun hates Morgan State.
There are thousands of students doing the right thing at Morgan but that is not news to them. They only like negative stories. They have it in their mind that is what people want to read about.

They do a very good job of telling of the lower graduation rate but they do not go into detail as to the why?

* Did the person not graduate because of financial reasons? If so the person has a good change of going back to college after their financial situation changes. Maybe the kid was an out-of-state student where tuition is high even for a middle class black family. They could have transferred back to a school closer to home and a lot cheaper.

* Did the person not graduate for other reasons? Girls get pregnant. Always have and always will. A lot of girls and guys stop going to take care of their families but again once the situation improves they return to college. Sometimes many years later.

* Did the person not graduate for educational reasons? If the kid was a weak student and got to school and just wanted to party then that is their fault. Morgan and other schools have tutors, academic advisors, and summer school that allows as student to stay on track. Some kids are not meant for college based on their 12 years of prior education. Whenever you take a chance on a weak kid there is always a risk.

A lot of Coppin students come from Baltimore City were the education and financial situation is not the best. But Coppin has given thousands of kids a good start.

A lot of Morgan students come from Baltimore and PG County were again the kid may have financial and/or education special needs. But Morgan does a better then average job of working with the kid in both areas to help the kid succeed.

quote:

Originally posted by mobray:
Very troubling.

But you gotta five Maryland's HBCUs credit for trying to help their low-income, disavantaged students whose weak academic preparation coming out of high school would probably otherwise shut them out of any opportunity to attend college. with

+ Average SAT score at Maryland's HBCUs: 778

+ "At UMES, where it is not uncommon for two-thirds of freshmen to test at a seventh-grade level in mathematics..."

The primary responsiibility for this rests with these students' parents (it all begins at home/home situations/environment, etc.) and is carried over to the schools these students attend.


Equally troubling is the article's intent on raising the question about the State of Maryland's investment in its HBCUs vs the perceived return on the state's investment (value to investment ratio):

quote:

At a tme when Maryland has been grappling with a $1.7 billion budget deficit, the relatively low graduation rate at the state's black colleges also render them increasingly expensive. If one considers state funding for the schools' operating expenses in terms of degrees conferred, Maryland spends well over $50,000 a year for every bachelor's degree conferred at Coppin State, Morgan State, and UMES-compared with $20,000 per degree at Towson and Salisbury universities.

Can this be true, or is this a fabrication????

What about Bowie State? Is it doing better in this area?

It’s a half truth.

The state just recently started putting money into Coppin, UMES, and Bowie.
Coppin really got the short end of the stick. For almost 20 years the school was basically ignored.

The school was only frozen in time. They have not had a new classroom building built in 20 years. Someone done a study and pointed out all of the facility problems. Now Coppin is getting a 350 million dollar facelift.

UMES and Bowie received a few new buildings within the last 7 years.

I also find it hard to believe that at UMES that two-third of the freshman test at a 7th grader in math. If that was true their SAT scored would be below 700 and it would be a serious problem with the high school educational system in that county.

quote:

Natalie Norton sits alone in a Towson University student cafeteria. The pre-med freshman from Silver Spring hasn't made any close friends yet, and many of her high school buddies now attend nearby Morgan State University, a historically black college.

"I would have preferred to go to Morgan," says Norton, who is African-American. "But I didn't even apply because my grades were really good." Attending a mostly black school would have been "more fun," she adds with a wistful smile. "But academics-wise, they're not as strict. It looks a lot better if you graduate from a majority-white school."