Maryland’s four public historically black colleges and universities won a major federal court battle last week, with a ruling that the state’s management of higher education was preventing the HBCUs from diversifying.
A federal judge concluded that the state was unnecessarily duplicating HBCU degree programs at traditionally white schools, making it hard for the HBCUs to attract a more diverse student body — a decision that could have implications for North Carolina’s five public HBCUs.
The plaintiffs, including alumni of Maryland’s HBCUs, sued on the grounds that the state had underfunded and duplicated unique programs at HBCUs.
John Brittain, a member of the chief legal council for the plaintiffs, said the schools’ mission to provide access to higher education for poor and minority students places a higher financial burden on HBCUs than traditionally white institutions.
But the court did not award monetary damages to the HBCUs, and instead ordered that they work to reach a settlement with the state of Maryland as to which programs will be unique to HBCUs and to resolve any funding discrepancies.
Johnny Taylor, president of the Thurgood Marshall Fund, a national advocate for public HBCUs, said diversification of HBCUs is critical to their future prosperity.
“Graduates are going on to internationally diverse workplaces, and not being part of a diverse campus potentially places an alum at a disadvantage,” he said.
Brittain said the case would influence state university systems to offer more unique programs at HBCUs, making them more attractive to non-minority students.
“This remedy will provide HBCUs with more opportunities to create degrees that will attract a diverse population,” he said.