If I Were an HBCU President: Visioning in the Age of Coronavirus

A recent Boston Globe article described the ways that coronavirus might "bust up and reshape higher education." While it did not specifically mention Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), some of the ideas and innovations mentioned would make a huge difference in terms of cost and access for these institutions and their unique mission. The most notable is the concept of a fully hybrid (online/in-person) model: an on-campus college experience where each course is a blend of online and face-to-face instruction, potentially ultimately reducing the cost of course delivery while preserving important academic and social elements of the on-campus experience. Under this proposed academic model, alongside other infrastructure and operational changes (such as moving some staff/department functions online and cutting some amenities), Southern New Hampshire University plans to chop on-campus student tuition from $31,000 to $10,000 per year in the 2021-2022 school year.

Such moves would not be easy for any academic institution but would pose a particular challenge for HBCUs. A lack of technological infrastructure would be the most glaring problem. A recent CNN article interviewing several HBCU presidents highlights how lack of infrastructure, combined with low endowments and lack of other financial resources, have posed a significant challenge for HBCUs during coronavirus' campus shutdowns and a pivot to virtual education. Additional challenges - for a new model and for now - include student populations in which a higher percentage are Pell Grant-eligible/low income and may not have the resources for personal computers and other tools; faculty often without the luxury of Teaching & Learning Centers well-staffed with instructional designers and instructional technologists to assist with course design and virtual strategies; and a unique and rich campus experience that is difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in virtual settings. The fact that such challenges exist, however, does not make them insurmountable or make the endeavor of developing affordable and accessible education models less of a worthy goal.

If I were an HBCU president looking toward a post-coronavirus world, I would be considering a fully hybrid (online/in-person) model for the future of my campus. These are the initiatives I would consider in endeavoring to create a more affordable and accessible college model while also retaining the uniqueness of the HBCU campus experience.

1. Investment in tech infrastructure and partnerships (LMSs, communication tools, laptops, tablets, etc): Equipping a campus with the infrastructure needed for effective on-campus hybrid learning would be a herculean and costly endeavor. Students without financial resources to purchase their own laptops/tools is as much of a potential consideration as offices without the requisite equipment, systems, or wifi bandwidth. Faculty and staff would need to be fully outfitted, as well. The only viable path would be through collaborations with tech companies and corporate sponsors willing to make the technology and monetary donations that would be necessary. By no means am I suggesting that this would be easy. I'm simply stating that this type of intentional ask (equipment and money) for a specific goal (outfitting an underserved campus for a fully hybrid model) for a particular purpose (decreasing cost and increasing access) for a unique population (underserved students) - accompanied with a clearly articulated strategy for implementation and assessment - would be an endeavor worth undertaking.
2. Development of faculty teaching & learning resources and partnerships: One of the hallmarks of financially well-resourced colleges and universities is a Teaching & Learning Center (or some similarly-named or designated department) that provides full-time staff to support faculty in the development, teaching and innovation of their courses. Absent the financial reserves to establish or bolster TLCs on each HBCU campus, other options could be considered. One option might be a TLC shared and funded by a consortium of HBCUs to centralize resources and diffuse costs, supporting high-quality instruction and culturally relevant pedagogy. Another option might be the establishment of a volunteer instructional design and instructional technology corp where experienced professionals across the country volunteer time to support HBCU courses and projects. A third option might include partnerships with established and well-resourced TLCs of other institutions to facilitate semester-long residences. In these residences, staff, faculty and administrators from institutions experienced in hybrid models would spend several months at an HBCU assisting with innovations while developing their own expertise in diversity, inclusion and culturally relevant pedagogy. Similarly, participating HBCU staff, faculty and administrators would spend several months on other campuses to adopt additional practices. To be clear, much of this is not feasible in the immediate storm of the pandemic, while all institutions are being battered, but not all institutions will emerge with the same levels of damage or resources.
3. Outsourcing or virtual operation of departments not essential to student experience: While almost all existing departments are essential to college operations, not all are germane to the student experience. Departments like Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and perhaps even HR are not ones on which students look back fondly and say, "I remember that afternoon I waited in line to talk to Student Accounts." In fact, rather than in line, the question is whether these functions could be fully done online. Transitioning some departments to be permanently virtual (all schools are operating that way currently anyway), or exploring outsourcing options, may reduce a variety of space and staffing costs and might even increase efficiency.
4. Assessment of campus amenities and programs: Some campus amenities and programs are essential, while others are convenient nice-to-haves. Still others, while we may not like to admit it, are somewhat frivolous. Determining the categories into which programs and amenities fall is a process specific to each institution. On some campuses, there are programs that have been grandfathered in (notice that grandmothers are rarely in the equation), existing less because they are pivotal to the campus experience than because they were inherited. These are good times for assessing what those might be. That may mean tough decisions, and some may be tougher than others. Several years ago, Dr. Michael Sorrell, president of Paul Quinn College, a small HBCU in Dallas, TX, garnered national attention when he eliminated the school's football team in favor of converting the football field into an organic farm. Operated entirely by student-employees, it became the nation's first urban work college, producing thousands of pounds of organic produce that offsets students' costs, contributes to charitable organizations, and generates revenue through sales to restaurants and enterprises like the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. Not all solutions should be the same. For some institutions, the football program contributes significant financial and social value, so the analyses may be different. However, they should all be as audacious in their scope and creativity.
5. Preservation of essential academic and social experiences: The HBCU campus experience is unlike any other. From Homecoming celebrations to black Greek life to experiencing (contrary to media visuals) other educated black people lead, teach, inspire and co-labor with you in the achievement of your education goals, almost any HBCU alum will testify that the HBCU experience is a truly unique one. These elements of HBCU life are not easily or effectively replicated online - and neither are a plethora of academic and co-curricular engagements that support student learning. That is why the fully hybrid (online/in-person) model would be just that: hybrid, meaning that important in-person elements of the college experience would be retained. While, for example, a large portion of course content could be delivered asynchronously through a good learning management system (LMS) and effective course design, supplementing the online content with engaging in-person discussion, group projects, case studies, presentations and other learning activities would reinforce learning in targeted ways that optimize class time and faculty expertise. By thinking critically about and defining the essentials of an HBCU experience - both academic and social - we can reinforce and resource the things that are essential, while stripping away the things that are not.
6. Requirement of co-op and internship experiences across academic majors: This isn't a throw-away or an add-on to other initiatives. It is an important and increasingly essential strategic investment whose time has come. Almost every Black child has been told by a mother, father, family member, friend or teacher that, "In order to succeed, you have to be twice as good as everyone else." A few years ago, a Black professional in a prestigious organization described it a different way: "Look around you and you won't see a Black person here who's a screw-up. You may see people of other races and wonder how they got their jobs but, in order to be here, every Black person has had to be excellent at what they do." These paradigms are unlikely to shift anytime soon because...well, America. HBCUs must prepare their students to face professional realities and that preparation starts in college. Voluntary and occasional internships are not enough. Internships (several hours per week in a position that allows for general exploration of an industry or job function) must be coupled with co-ops (semester- or year-long positions of 35-40 hours per week, interspersed in the 4- or 5-year academic curriculum in order to gain deep professional experience). We must institutionalize these professional experiences so that students and alumni have the professional tools to weather inevitable storms.

The coronavirus crisis has had, and will continue to have, a disrupting and perhaps even devastating effect on American higher education. Its impact cannot be understated. Relatively strong institutions have begun to struggle, and some that were already struggling - regardless of institutional type, mission, student population or location - may not make it to the other side. For all those that do, there will be no "return to normal." Changes in finances, staffing and student expectations likely mean that permanent changes are ahead. Yet, in the midst of these challenges lies opportunity. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, HBCUs, in particular, have an opportunity to assess and perhaps redefine an HBCU education, preserving and strengthening the foundations of the past while exploring and embracing the pillars of possibility of the future. In the midst of it all, we must ensure that still we rise.

Donna Hay-Jones, JD, MA, is an experienced college administrator, career and professional development consultant, and HBCU alumna (Oakwood College). A graduate of Georgetown Law and of Teachers College, Columbia University also, her graduate research and portions of her work have centered on HBCUs. In 2019, she completed the MSI Aspiring Leaders Program, a two-year University of Pennsylvania mentorship and leadership development program aimed at cultivating future college and university presidents for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).