What's New

• 2008 National HBCU Week Conference, September 7-10, 2008 -- http://hbcuweek.ed.gov/
• Memo from the Executive Director about the 2008 National HBCU Week Conference
• Fulfilling the Covenant--The Way Forward - 2004-05 Annual Report to the President on the Results of Participation of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Federal Programs
  PDF (323K) | MS Word (680K)

Mission

To strengthen the capacity of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to provide excellence in education.

A Brief History

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Executive Order 12232, which established a federal program "... to overcome the effects of discriminatory treatment and to strengthen and expand the capacity of historically black colleges and universities to provide quality education."

In 1981, President Reagan, under Executive Order 12320, established the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which expanded the previous program and set into motion a government-wide effort to strengthen our nation’s HBCUs.

In 1989, President George Bush signed Executive Order 12677. This Executive Order established a Presidential Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to advise the President and the Secretary of Education on methods, programs, and strategies to strengthen these valued institutions.

In 1993, President William Jefferson Clinton signed Executive Order 12876. This Executive Order required that a senior level executive in each agency have oversight in implementing the Order; and that the Office of Management and Budget be involved in monitoring implementation of the Order.

On February 12, 2002, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13256. This Executive Order transferred the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the Office of the Secretary within the U.S. Department of Education.

HBCUs: A National Resource

HBCUs are a source of accomplishment and great pride for the African American community as well as the entire nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines an HBCU as: "...any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation." HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors.

HBCUs enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education, although they constitute only three percent of America's 4,084 institutions of higher education. In 1999, these institutions matriculated 24 percent of all African American students enrolled in four-year colleges, awarded masters degrees and first-professional degrees to about one in six African American men and women, and awarded 24 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide.