North Carolina Central University

September 23 , 2005
by Tom O'Keefe

Do Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have a role to play in contemporary American society? A perusal of student testimonials regarding why they chose to attend HBCUs suggests that, for many African American students, the answer to this question is a resounding, “Of course!” These and more formal accounts of HBCUs echo themes about the history of these institutions, the sense of family, brotherhood, and sisterhood, and the experience of being immersed in “black culture” in the form of sporting events, step shows, and black fraternity and sorority life. These accounts emphasize the power of not being in the minority and of feeling a shared sense of cultural identity and history with fellow students. Additionally, most HBCUs offer affordable tuition in a time of skyrocketing college costs, which makes the quality educations provided at HBCUs accessible to a broader population. Regardless of the affordability and educational quality, few students who are not African American choose to attend HBCUs. Some would argue that the existence of HBCUs perpetuates segregation and racial division.

Still, no one questions the roles of Notre Dame (a historically Catholic institution), Harvard (a historically Protestant institution), or most major American colleges and universities (historically white institutions). These institutions are now open to all comers if you have the academic credentials (and the money). HBCUs are likewise free of discrimination in their admissions policies, and remain largely segregated based upon choices: choices by black students to attend, and choices by white students to look elsewhere. Some HBCUs, for example West Virginia State University, have student body demographics that have shifted to reflect the demographics of the communities and states within which they are located.

Regardless of the debate about their role, at present many HBCUs are thriving. They are centers of academic excellence and cultural vibrance; and, as long as affordable tuition and racial solidarity remain strong attractions to potential students, these HBCUs will continue to flourish.

Our class traveled to Durham to visit North Carolina Central University (NCCU), an HBCU which was founded in 1910 as the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua by Dr. James E. Shepard. By all accounts, the vast majority of NCCU students have some African American ancestry, and most NCCU students are from places within 50 miles of the campus. The class made the 20 minute trip on 15-501 from Chapel Hill to Durham on Eagle One, one of two NCCU buses reserved for use by student groups. The changes in zoning and affluence are notable passing from Orange County into Durham County.

Our first stop was Eagle Landing, NCCU’s privatized apartment style housing facility that is reserved primarily for Honors students and Teaching Fellows. Eagle Landing opened in the fall of 2004. Though it was not paid for with bond money, Eagle Landing can be viewed as complementary to the NCCU Project, a large program of construction and refurbishing that is underway around the campus and is funded by money from the 2000 bond referendum. The $3.1 billion referendum was the largest public bond measure in the history of the country, and $121.2 million of that money was allotted to NCCU. The $36 million Science Complex, completed in early 2005, is the crown jewel of the NCCU project; construction of a new residence hall and graduate housing, and renovations of a number of dormitory, academic, and administrative buildings are also being funded in large part by bond money. A complete update on NCCU’s recent growth is available here.

Mrs. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, a Carolina alumna and current Executive Assistant to NCCU Chancellor James Ammons, served as our guide, and she emphasized repeatedly the importance of the bond money to their campus. She reminded us that, of the 16 campuses that have comprised the Consolidated UNC System since its creation in 1972, very few of them have the resources or alumni bases on par with UNC Chapel Hill and NC State. This fact makes the bond money invaluable to schools such as NCCU.

After having lunch at Pearson Cafeteria and enjoying brief visits from Student Body and Senior Class officers, the class re-boarded Eagle One for a windshield tour of some of the campus. The trip took us past O’Kelly Riddick Stadium, the recently renovated Public Safety Building, and the Catholic Church on the margin of campus, the land under which the university is currently trying to acquire. The bus tour ended at another recently renovated structure, the Albert Turner Law Building. The Law School opened in 1940. It is home to the only evening law program in the state of North Carolina. Perhaps the most distinguished alumnus of the night school program is Governor Mike Easley.

For those who question whether a school like NCCU has a role to play today, consider that estimated NCCU Law School tuition and fees for 2005-2006 is $4,445 for in-state students and $16,305 for out-of-state students. The comparable numbers for UNC Law are $11,947 and $24,165. It is a matter of access and affordability, and after the renovation the NCCU Law School facilities are second to none.

Called the BBRI for short, this Research Institute is named for UNC Law graduate, former Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and former NCCU Chancellor Julius Chambers. Then-Chancellor Chambers spearheaded the effort to raise funds for the construction of the BBRI, collaborating with companies in Research Triangle Park and successfully eliciting $12.2 million in support from the North Carolina State Legislature. The BBRI was dedicated in 1999.

The researchers who addressed the class at the BBRI emphasized the importance of fostering collaborative research efforts. The fiber optic cables of the North Carolina Research and Education Network connect every campus in the UNC system as well as Duke and Wake Forest Universities. BBRI faculty and researchers are able to work with researchers across the state in pursuing their research agendas.

All of this information considered together might then encourage a reformulation of the question with which we introduced this section. The question is not if HBCUs have a role to play in contemporary American society. Rather, in recognizing the role HBCUs like NCCU already playing in American society we must consider how those roles will change and develop to adapt to new demands and rapidly shifting social, technological, and business climates.