SInce the U.S. Supreme Court released its bombshell decision barring the practice of Affirmative Action, I have been mulling over Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion, which stated:
“Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” Roberts wrote. “A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination. Or a benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student’s unique ability to contribute to the university. In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race.”
– Chief Justice John Roberts
In this quote, Chief Justice Roberts gave us a “road map” that is wholly inequitable for our students and future students. Since the recent Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, higher education leaders are considering the possibility of an enrollment increase at Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs have long served students of color to the greatest extent and cultivated spaces for Black learners to excel. Black learners enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities are up to 33% more likely to graduate than Black learners enrolled at non-HBCUs1. With more intentional student support and outcomes for students of color, what can non-MSIs learn from minority-serving institutions?
A common successful theme among MSIs is their ability to create safe and nurturing environments for students of color. HBCUs are known to uniquely foster supportive communities that emphasize adequate representation on campus from administrators to faculty. Additionally, HBCUs create tailored curricula and first-year programming that make a tremendous difference in the success of Black learners1. Beyond graduation, HBCUs offer a robust alumni network that reaches back and supports the best interest of Black learners.
We have a responsibility to continue to push for adequate funding for MSIs, as they not only serve underrepresented communities but also model best practices for students of color. We have to address student financial aid to ensure it covers the total cost of education for students of color. We need to break silos among higher education institutions to support students, and for community colleges, this intentional collaboration must support student transfer. For example, at Compton College, we partner with California State University, Dominguez Hills, which includes streaming the transfer process for our students, allowing our students to take cross-enrollment courses so they are exposed to classes at their institution. We also partner with them on pre-collegiate programs to help create a college-going culture with Compton Unified School District.
Although it is challenging to fully replicate the experience of MSIs, how can predominantly White institutions be more intentional and ground their work in similar strategies and initiatives that HBCUs and other MSIs have excelled in? Regardless of institution type, colleges and universities should all note how MSIs serve and educate Black learners and students of color.
If you are a higher education practitioner at a non-MSI, I encourage you to reach out to an MSI in your network and see how you can collaborate with them on strategies to better serve students of color. This is not only the right thing to do but is a sound enrollment strategy that will elevate overall recruitment and retention rates at your institution. Now is the time to step up for our students of color and be unapologetic in our support.
To learn more about how we can support Black learners as they navigate higher education, visit: https://www.community4blacklearnerexcellence.com/publications
References
- Gordon, Ethan K., Zackary B. Hawley, Ryan Carrasco Kobler, and Jonathan C. Rork (2021). The Paradox of HBCU Graduation Rates. Research in Higher Education 62 (3), 332 – 358.