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DURHAM -- Historically black colleges and universities -- created for the most part during an era of harsh segregation of the races -- are undergoing significant change.
The 105 HBCUs nationwide -- once the only higher education option for African-Americans -- now have competition, and black students have other options. Today, nearly 90 percent of the African-Americans in higher education are not enrolled in HBCUs, said John Wilson Jr., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
And HBCUs themselves are becoming less black. According to the most recent statistics, from 2006, African-Americans make up 84 percent of the student population in the 47 public HBCUs.
Still, according to Charlie Nelms, the chancellor of N.C. Central University, the HBCUs continue to play a major role for African-Americans.
While they represent about 3 percent of the higher education institutions in the U.S., they still enroll 12 percent of all African American students.
In addition, they confer degrees to African Americans in disproportionate numbers -- they are the source for 30 percent of all baccalaureate degrees; 40 percent of all science, technology, engineering and math degrees; and 60 percent of all engineering degrees awarded to black students.
HBCUs also produce half of all black teachers and 40 percent of all African-American health professionals nationwide.
