Maryland’s four historically black colleges are suffering from decades of inadequate state support and lag far behind the state’s other public institutions in serving students, according to a report released on Monday to the state’s General Assembly.
“Substantial additional resources must be invested in [historically black institutions] to overcome the competitive disadvantages caused by prior discriminatory treatment,” concludes the report, The Sun, a Baltimore newspaper, reported today.
Facilities, especially science and technology labs, are in poor shape on the four campuses — Bowie State, Coppin State, and Morgan State Universities, and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. And graduation and retention rates are 20 to 30 points lower on those campuses than at places like Towson University and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
The report also acknowledges that students at the historically black institutions are less prepared for college and are more likely to come from low-income families needing greater financial assistance for college. The average SAT score for a freshman at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore was 814 in 2006, compared with a score of 1190 for a freshman at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, according to the report.
In addition to more state money for the colleges and student aid, the report recommends shifting existing resources to increase academic advising and remedial tutoring and course work.
The report was compiled by a seven-member panel of national higher-education experts: Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education; William B. DeLauder, president emeritus of Delaware State University; Franklyn G. Jenifer, president emeritus of the University of Texas at Dallas; Dennis P. Jones, president of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems; James M. Rosser, president of California State University; David S. Spence, president of the Southern Regional Education Board; and Judith A Winston, former general counsel and undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education. —Eric Kelderman
