MICHAEL LOMAX

by Michael Lomax

(CNN)—More than 35,000 students will graduate from college this year because of something that happened 159 years ago.

On April 29, 1854 that Ashmun Institute, the first college established solely for African-American students, was officially chartered.

Twelve years later, Ashmun was renamed as Pennsylvania's Lincoln University and became the nation's first degree-granting institution for African-Americans, or what we now know as a historically Black college and university.

Where Lincoln led, others followed, and there are now 105 historically Black colleges and universities, enrolling more than 370,000 students and awarding 20 percent of all undergraduate degrees earned by African-Americans.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste," the almost universally recognized motto of UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, has come to represent the aspirations of all historically Black colleges and universities to ensure that all Americans can earn the college degrees they need and the 21st century economy demands.

UNCF makes those aspirations real for nearly 60,000 students each year by providing financial support for 38 private historically Black colleges and universities and awarding 13,000 scholarships to students at 900 colleges and universities.

Like Lincoln University, these historically Black colleges and universities began when African-Americans had few other higher education options. Much has changed since then. Today, a college education is not a "good-to-have" but a "must-have," the basic requirement for almost every fast-growing and good-paying job and career path.

Today, African-Americans can attend almost all colleges and universities, but more than four times as many students choose historically Black colleges and universities than 40 years ago.

What's the secret of their enduring success?

Historically Black colleges and universities have endured and thrived because, just as in their early years, they are giving students the education they need and that we, as a community and as a nation, need them to have.

In fact, research by UNCF's Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute shows that historically Black colleges and universities excel at graduating students the economy needs most: students from low-income families.

"We know that students who enroll at HBCUs tend to have fewer financial resources and less rigorous academic preparation than students who enroll at non-HBCUs," reported a study, "Understanding HBCU Retention and Completion."

But "(w)hen these student characteristics were controlled for, HBCUs' retention rates were actually superior to those of non-HBCUs. HBCUs also outperformed non-HBCUs in graduating their students when these student characteristics were controlled for, and this superior performance persisted even when we narrowed the analyses to focus specifically on Black students, Black males and Black females."

These are impressive findings. But they tell only part of the story. Another study by UNCF's Patterson Research Institute, "Students Speak!: Understanding the Value of HBCUs from Student Perspectives," highlighted the human element in understanding why, with so many higher education choices, so many students still choose historically Black colleges and universities. Many students, it said:

Focused on the need to feel connected—-a sense of belonging—as an important driver influencing the decision to attend their institution of choice. Students spoke of their need to feel welcomed at their institutions and identified institutional characteristics that facilitated their abilities to adapt.…The students (also) described how meaningful relationships with faculty and the ethnic and academic diversity on their campuses enhanced their academic engagement and sense of self.

One student cited his desire to "embrace my own history, heritage and everything that has gone into making us who we are."

"I liked the involvement that the students had," said another student. "It was personal, it was easy to have access to your teachers, it was a lot of one-on-one care, and I liked that."
A third student valued the structure that many historically Black colleges and universities provide: "The professors take the time out to hold their students accountable to another level," he told researchers. "(I)f a student comes in five minutes late, the teacher will address the student, hold the student accountable, and then move forward with class ... and it really helps us in the end because it teaches us responsibility with time management and other principles that are really going to be effective for the workforce."

When Lincoln University opened its doors, few other colleges would admit Black students. Lincoln and all the historically Black colleges and universities that followed changed that.
Today, African-Americans with college degrees are our nation's teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, corporate executives, mayors, governors and members of Congress.

In years to come, they will continue in these roles and also assume vital science, technology, engineering and math jobs to move our nation forward.

For 159 years, historically Black colleges and universities have shaped our history. Today, they are shaping our future.

(Editor's note: Michael Lomax, PhD, is president and CEO of UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, the largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to minority and low-income students. Previously, Lomax was president of Dillard University in New Orleans and a literature professor at Morehouse and Spelman colleges.)

SENIORS—Senior members of AACAS, standing in back are: from left; Veronica Glaze and Sadik Roberts. Sitting in front, from left; Dani Huggins, Latia Tucker and Laura Brown. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

The Pittsburgh Public School District recently expanded its Centers for Advanced Studies program to provide more African-American students with an opportunity to take advantage of high level courses. For the first time ever, through the Talent Development Initiative, which was implemented district-wide for the 2012-2013 school year, the CAS program now includes non-gifted students who have been identified as talented.

The district’s CAS courses are high-level, accelerated courses that have an additional .5 weight to account for the increased difficulty of the curriculum. In order to participate, students must demonstrate high achievement, meet specific course requirements and demonstrate that they can do the work and are motivated to meet the challenge of CAS courses.

 “It’s increased the number of African-American students in these classes,” said Wayne Walters, principal of Obama Academy. “They are standing on the shoulders of others and the hope is that others will stand on their shoulders so that there is a greater representation of African-American students in these classes.”

Walters sponsors the African-American CAS Executive Committee aimed at aiding students in the CAS program. On April 26, the organization held its annual symposium, where there was an increase in student participants because of the recent expansion of the CAS program.

“A study was done of talented people and they realized that some of the most talented people are under achievers,” said Malcolm Thomas, founder of ONE Nation Education and Leadership Training, the event’s keynote speaker. “Talent is not enough. The greatest gift you have is your will. The thing that’s going to make you successful is, are you willing to do the work.”
CAS courses move quickly, have higher level textbooks and students must often work independently. Despite the fact students participating have been identified as gifted or talented, there are still disparities between Black and White students.

“One of the biggest issues this year is eliminating the disparities, and we’re talking about gifted White students vs. gifted Black students,” said Mercedes Howze, an activities coordinator, project assistant and certified tutor with PPS who volunteers for AACAS. “We just try to give the kids the tools to succeed academically and socially. They’re often not exposed to the same resources as their White counterparts.”

One of the ways AACAS aids Black students in excelling is to provide them with inspiration, exposure, support and advocacy. They also provide students with a well-rounded education that includes studies in African-American culture.

“It’s led me to have a more broad outlook on African-American culture and the reasons we are the way we are, but also what we can do to surpass that,” said Sadik Roberts, president of the AACAS executive committee which is run by students. “In our books everything is based on White culture and we sometimes can’t relate to it.”
(For more information on the CAS program visit http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/.)

SHARING KNOWLEDGE—Thomas Johnson teaching a 10th grade class. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

PITTSBURGH--Faculty at The Neighborhood Academy is committed to educating inner-city students and putting them on the path to college and a successful career by breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Located on the border of East Liberty and Stanton Heights on North Aiken Avenue, the school reaches that goal by providing college preparatory courses to their 89 students. The school's capacity is 100 to 110 students. The school began in 1993 as an innovative summer program for at-risk youth. Drawing upon her work with the Larimer Avenue Youth Club, a youth ministry that met urban youth in their own neighborhoods, Jodie Moore and Rev. Thomas Johnson designed the Neighborhood Academy Summer School and intensive, five-week skill building program for seventh through eleventh graders.

In response to the success of that program, the Neighborhood Academy opened as a full year school in September of 2001. It is fully accredited by the PA Association of Independent Schools and is a member of the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools.

 "There was a need for college prep education for inner-city youth," said Sheila L. Rawlings, senior development officer at the Neighborhood Academy.

"There was a lack of support services that students uniquely needed to put them on the path to excel," she said.

The Neighborhood Academy provides students in grades 8-12 with small, intimate classes, three meals a day and an extended school day—which begins with worship services and includes season-based extra-curricular activities like dance, drumming, basketball, track and field, flag football—and concludes with evening study and dinner.

"Our students continue school in the summer so that they don't lose any ground academically and fall behind. Instead they are one step ahead," Rawlings said. "They spend about four weeks learning on college campuses. They spend three to four weeks on Duquesne University campus and one week at Bethany College and then during the final week they go on a college run, seeing about 9-10 colleges. By the time they graduate they have visited 60 colleges."
 In addition, the school provides transportation and counseling services as well as support once the student enters college. Tuition for the school is income based.

The path to excellence for students at Neighborhood Academy was almost thwarted when residents of the community balked at the idea of putting a school there. Kids from about 15 Pittsburgh areas—including Penn Hills, South Side and Woodland Hills—make up Neighborhood Academy's student body, which is about 97 percent African-American.

"The community did know about the school ahead of time and all of the paper work had been done properly," Rawlings said. "There was a concern about the school bringing in students who could cause violence in the community, but there hasn't been any violence or problems. We have a wonderful relationship with the community. People in the community use our facility to take walks because it is very picturesque. We have eight acres of land and a state of-the-art school. We also lease our building for community activities. We are anchored in the community."
The Neighborhood Academy's girls basketball team won the Tri-county Christian League Championships in 2008, 2009 and 2011, while the boys basketball team earned the honor in 2009.

One hundred percent of the school's graduates go to college and 98 percent of the students have graduated from college and are working in their field. The other two percent is still attending college. The administration is working on collaborating with corporations to create paid internships for its students who are still enrolled at the Neighborhood Academy.
"When students graduate from college and have support services in college, our students can find jobs. That's the goal," Rawlings said. "We want to ensure a stable work history for our students and they need resources to be able to do that."

(Real Times News Service)--The Bronner Sisters, identical twins Kirstie and Kristie Bronner, have been named co-valedictorians for the Spelman College Class of 2013. With a 4.0 GPA, the Bronners are the first twins to receive the designation in the history of Spelman.