What explains the increase? HBCUs are increasingly losing African-American students to mainstream universities. And outside the top tier of black higher education—places like Howard University and Spelman College—many HBCUs find themselves in dire financial straits. To survive, some are reaching out beyond their traditional base. “Schools that once had as their mission a need to educate the newly free [are] now expanding their mission into the 21st century,” says Robert Dixon, Grambling’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Already, the school, whose enrollment is 4,700, has sought to broaden its appeal to white students by expanding its nursing and mass-communications departments. Now, with an eye on the fast-growing Hispanic population, it’s considering Latino studies.
Some HBCU alumni worry that such changes dilute the heritage of black colleges. “They believe the school should look the same as when they were students,” says Dixon. But “the way one begins doesn’t have to determine the future.” At Grambling, where the number of Hispanic applicants has increased from 33 in 2006 to 53 and counting this year, the Latino students seem to be blending in fine. “I had some butterflies” at first, says sophomore Brian Bustos. But he says he gets along well with his black suitemates; he exposes them to Colombian cumbia tunes, while they turn him on to the latest tracks in underground hip-hop. David Myers Jr., a black freshman, welcomes the new influx. “I believe it will make Grambling stronger,” he says. For some historically black schools, it could make them survivors.
