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ABSTRACT
The Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) has defined its legacy. The HBCU developed campuses to prepare African-Americans for a variety of careers. They are considered to be specialized educational system within higher education. This system provided a way for many African-Americans to showcase their intellectual abilities. The HBCU's historical context and missions primarily focus on African-Americans (Roebuck & Komanduri, 1993). As education for African-Americans changed, access to college became more inclusive. More HBCU's face adversity and diversity, with challenges brought on by a more diverse student population. This article describes how the HBCUs must look at ethnic diversity on campuses. Then begin the challenge of modifying traditional missions based on serving one type of ethnic student population.
Keywords: Diversity, multiculturalism, institutional transformation, chief diversity officer
INTRODUCTION
The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines designated HBCU as a historically black college or university established before 1964 with the primary mission to educate "black" Americans (Department of Education, 2008). Wars and legal cases provided the historical background for the development of the HBCU. HBCU schools prepared African-American students by offering leadership roles in areas of agriculture, mechanics, law, medicine and politics. A historical resilience confirmed how a specialized higher education system evolved over time, especially during times of scarce economic resources, accessibility and capacity to serve African- American students ^sup (Thelin 2004)^. History described a time when African- Americans struggled through society. These struggles were due to inequality, racism and restrictions to advancement. Education was the historical platform used to remove restrictions and provide equality of life. During slavery, African-Americans established an educational system. Hall ^sup (1973)^ stated that "slaves were granted apprenticeships to learn specific skills from white skilled workers" ^sup (p.2)^.
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois were influential in the establishment of HBCUs. Washington ^sup (1903)^ wrote, "slaves learned skills on plantations as the first structured educational system" ^sup (p.5)^. Along with farming, some skills described by Washington included brick masonry, sewing, housekeeping, and blacksmith. These basic skills were essential to survival, and allowed the plantation to serve as the first infrastructure of an educational system. In addition, further advancement of African-Americans led to the need for additional educational training in math, science and religion for pursuing careers as teachers,...