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Literature Review On Hbcus

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LITERATURE REVIEW Background on HBCUs According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), there are 101 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 defines HBCUs 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” (US Department of Education, 2017). It is important to note that unlike other Minority Serving Institutions, HBCUs, are only one of two types of institutions (Tribal Colleges & Universities or TCUs are the other) federally designated by law and therefore, cannot increase in number with an act of Congress (Li, 2007). In other words, every time an HBCU closes its doors, we get one step closer to the elimination of the historical and consequential institutions. To understand the significance of these institutions one must understand the context in which these institutions were established. In the most basic sense, HBCUs were established because of racism (Evans, Evans, & Evans, 2002). Prior to the Civil War, few universities espoused the mission and goal of training and education Black people (Albritton, 2012).

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