I realize I have been missing for some time...I got caught up in life...you know...full-time job, part-time job, and of course Graduate school **Le Sigh** But all that aside, there is an important issue that has been weighing heavily on my mind. Something I'm terribly passionate about and after a conversation I had today with one of my good friends, Kyonna, about the riots in Baltimore, Black Lives Matter, and how we need to come up with some sort of platform to solve these continuously disappointing and horrific events, it ignited my flame all over again.
I'm a proud product of a Historically Black College
and University (HBCU) and earned a quality education from my institution! I'm
researching the importance of HBCUs, why they are still relevant, and how
keeping the doors open helps save black lives. I am alarmed at the # of HBCUs
that are already closed or are on the verge of closing every day. There are 11
HBCUs who have permanently closed their doors since the 1940s and the most
recent is St. Paul’s College that closed just 2 years ago in June of 2013.
I just so happen to work in fundraising at my prestigious
alma mater, North Carolina Central University
and I can't stress how important it is to give back to our black schools. In FY
2013-2014, NCCU raised $5.03 million in gifts, which sounds like a lot, but in
comparison to some of our sister institutions down the road, it’s not. Last
year UNC-Chapell Hill raised $298 million, NC State University raised $117.5
million, and East Carolina University raised $21.8 million. Granted, these
institutions are much larger than NCCU and are in a different population
cluster, but even some of the smaller state institutions faired much better.
UNC-Charlotte made $15.3 million while UNC-Greensboro made $10.7 million. Black
Philanthropy is so critical and important and we have to be reactive and
proactive instead of retroactive…otherwise we aren’t going to have anywhere to
send our children to school. I loved the cultural experience and exposure I had
while at an HBCU. I felt like part of the family instead of just a number with
the individual attention I received in my classes. NCCU stressed and promoted
professional development, scholastic achievement, and community services.
By the time I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a
3.93 GPA and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration with a minor in
Business Administration…I can say I was polished and prepared to tackle the
failing job market, and I did so pretty successfully. Within 5 months of
graduation, I had a decent paying full-time job with benefits, which at the
time was unheard of. I had friends that graduated from PWIs (Predominantly
White Institutions) and 2 years later still couldn’t find jobs. But, I digress.
We all have had poor experiences at our
institutions at some point in time whether it was at the Registrar’s office,
securing housing, or with a bad professor; that’s just life. But, you can’t let
those small issues deter you from doing what’s right. I had just arrived on the
campus of NCCU in 2007-2008 and had taken some summer classes. I was staying on
campus at Eagle Landing, which is a suite style dormitory with your own room
and a full kitchen. I was taking my trash out one afternoon and ran into a
facilities man emptying the shoot. I can’t recall his name, but I’ll never
forget what followed after. He began a conversation with me asking me where I
was from and what I was studying and how I ended up at NCCU. I told him that I
had actually attended North Carolina State University right out of high school
in 2006, but that one of the reasons I left was because of the lack of
scholarship money. I had graduated top of my class and was a minority and still
couldn’t get any money, on top of being from a single parent household. So, I
made the conscious decision to leave and come to a smaller institution down the
road to see if I could do better. After listening to my story, within 20
minutes, the man said to me…”I own a lawn care business on the side and I cut
grass for a man that works in fundraising and advancement.’ He said, “the
office is right across the street in the Hoey Administration Circle….let’s take
a walk.” I didn’t know this man from a can of paint and could’ve very easily
just walked away after saying hello and throwing my trash away, but I didn’t
and I’m so glad. He walked with me to the William Jones Building and I talked
to two people in the Office of Institutional Advancement, filled out some
forms, and by the end of the Summer Session II and leading into the Fall of
2008, I had received $8,150 in scholarship money. That man touched my heart
dearly and I wish I could find him, thank him, and give him a big hug. Then,
when I was offered a job in the Division of Institutional Advancement 4 years
later, it was like my story had come full circle. How could I not give back to
my school?!
My point it, it doesn’t matter the size of the
gift, big or small, but it’s the number times you give consistently. Ask your
schools if they offer automatic bank or credit card draft and just give $5 or
$10/month until you are considered a major donor and can do more. Or, if you’re
like me and work for your school, ask to be placed on payroll deduction, that
way it comes out of your check before you even see it.
Other important issues we must explore are (but aren't limited to):
-
- Lack of funding/supplies/resources for Public and Private HBCUs
- Leadership and Administration
- Cost of going to school/New Federal Educational Loan Regulations blocking parents from getting loans for their children (enrollment woes)
- Are there better HBCUs over others? (Cluster 1 schools-:4,000+, Cluster 2:3,999-1,201, Cluster 3: up to 1,200 and demographics/geographic location)
- Why am I always having to defend my HBCU education to others?
- Graduation rates/retention
- Job cuts, program cuts, furloughs
- Educating tomorrow’s leaders and creating global citizens
- Closing the gender Gap (http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/cmsi/Changing_Face_HBCUs.pdf)
- Lack of funding/supplies/resources for Public and Private HBCUs
- Leadership and Administration
- Cost of going to school/New Federal Educational Loan Regulations blocking parents from getting loans for their children (enrollment woes)
- Are there better HBCUs over others? (Cluster 1 schools-:4,000+, Cluster 2:3,999-1,201, Cluster 3: up to 1,200 and demographics/geographic location)
- Why am I always having to defend my HBCU education to others?
- Graduation rates/retention
- Job cuts, program cuts, furloughs
- Educating tomorrow’s leaders and creating global citizens
- Closing the gender Gap (http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pdf/cmsi/Changing_Face_HBCUs.pdf)
