![](media/image1.png){width="6.563194444444444in" height="1.25in"}

**Statement of Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy, President**

**Johnson C. Smith University**

**Member, UNCF**

**Member, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher
Education**

**Before the**

**House Education and Labor Hearing**

**On**

***\"America's Black Colleges and Universities:***

***Models of Excellence and Challenges for the Future\"***

**Thursday, March 13, 2008**

**10:00 a.m.**

**Washington, D.C.**

Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon and Members of the Committee,
thank you for affording me the opportunity to appear before you today on
behalf of Johnson C. Smith University, located in North Carolina's
12^th^ Congressional District, where I have served as President for
fourteen years this month. Thank you for hosting this very important
hearing on *\"America's Black Colleges and Universities: Models of
Excellence and Challenges for the Future.\"* I thank the National
Associational for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) for
requesting this hearing and for all that the Association did to provide
information to Committee Members and staff as you shaped this hearing.

Johnson C. Smith University is a UNCF member institution along with
thirty-nine (39) other private Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs). Johnson C. Smith is also a member of the National
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), the
membership association of the presidents and chancellors of private and
public HBCUs and the newly recognized Predominantly Black Institutions
(PBIs), some one hundred twenty (120) institutions, representing roughly
400,000 students, more than 25,000 faculty and more than 4 million
alumni. NAFEO's more than 120 member institutions are located in
twenty-five states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

I appear before you today to thank you Mr. Chairman and to thank Ranking
Member McKeon, Congressman Ruben E. Hinojosa, Chairman of the
Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and
Competitiveness, and all of the Members of this Committee for passing
"The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007" reauthorizing
and strengthening the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended through
the years. I appear also to share with you a few of the many ways in
which provisions in the Higher Education Act have helped to make Johnson
C. Smith University a leader among private liberal arts colleges in the
nation. JCSU has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of
the best comprehensive colleges in the South since 2001, it is
recognized as the first and only HBCU laptop University where all
students are given laptops, it is ranked in 2007 by U.S. News and
Reports as one of the top 10 HBCU's in America, and it was ranked by
Yahoo in 2000 as one of the top 50 most wired small colleges. Today I
offer a few suggestions for strengthening the Act during reconciliation
of the House College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137) and
the Senate Higher Education Amendments (S. 1642).and Senate bills. Given
the time constraints this morning, I have prepared a written statement
that I will submit for the record. I will share just a few observations
with you this morning.

Before I share my observations, I want to recognize Congresswoman
Virginia Foxx, a member of this Committee and North Carolina's
congressional delegation, representing the 5^th^ Congressional District
that includes Clemmons and Boone. I want to extend my special
appreciation and that of the HBCU community to Congressman Bobby Scott,
the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus' Braintrust on Education,
who is a steadfast champion of education excellence, access, equity and
for the strengthening and enhancement of the phalanx of HBCUs. We
appreciate Congressman Scott's leadership and that of Subcommittee Chair
Hinojosa that resulted in many of the provisions for strengthening HBCUs
contained in "The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007."
The leadership of Congressman Scott, Chairman Hinojosa and others on the
Subcommittee also resulted in the inclusion in the Budget Reconciliation
Act of new dollars for HBCUs, HACU institutions and other MSIs, for
which we are also grateful.

For more than 100 years, the Nation's Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) have struggled to overcome their institutional
legacy of segregation and differential treatment at the hands of the
states and the Federal Government that was exacerbated by the lack of
primary and secondary education provided to the slaves, and later
complicated by segregated K-12 schools. HBCUs exist in 21^st^ Century
America in a virtual higher education vacuum -- viewed by some,
including some African Americans, as a relic of America's segregated
past and having no real place or role in America's presumably diverse
higher education community. The HBCUs are questioned by others who
questioned their effectiveness at overcoming the educational deficits of
many students enroll at these institutions, and challenged by others
because they benefit from special funding like Title IIIB of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as amended.

Historically black colleges and universities, which represent a unique
source of hope and advancement, have consistently performed the
important function of helping African Americans hone their talents in
order to contribute to American society. Much of the diversity among
institutions in the higher education community was birthed in an earlier
time when so-called "special purpose" institutions were created due to
the exclusion of women, Catholics and Jews, the disabled, and others
from "traditionally white institutions." Just as institutions serving
these segments of the American population have not become obsolete,
institutions founded to meet the educational needs of African Americans
have not become obsolete. While it remains commonplace to question the
function and presence of the HBCUs -- most recently by U.S. Civil Rights
Commissioner Abigail Thernstrom in a November 30, 2007 Wall Street
Journal column -- Charles V. Willie answered the "Why Black Colleges?"
question in a 1979 Change Magazine article:

> *A self-centered attempt to save Black institutions for Blacks would
> be as damaging as an other-directed effort to remake them in the image
> of whites. Both actions ultimately would end in defeat. Black colleges
> and universities must be prepared for their value to society as a
> whole. A higher education system with a Harvard but not a Hampton is
> incomplete. Black colleges and universities have a future in our
> society because of their function.*

The most powerful reason for encouraging and supporting the 103
historically black colleges and universities is economic. Educational
preparation resulting in higher income levels strengthens American
society by creating productive citizens and the financial and human
costs associated with uneducated, unproductive and non-participating
citizens in the American enterprise. It is estimated, over a lifetime,
that the average U.S. citizen with a baccalaureate degree will earn
\$2.1 million, while a person with a high school diploma will earn only
\$1.2 million. This 'earnings gap' is much wider for African Americans.
The average African American with a bachelor's degree will earn \$1.7
million, while the average African American with a high school diploma
will earn about \$1 million.

The HBCUs play a crucial role in filling the higher education gap, and
hence they also plug the economic "gap" that was first identified by the
1968 Kerner Commission Report, whose twentieth anniversary was just
celebrated. Title IIIB of the Higher Education Act defines "a part B
institution" as "...any historically black college or university that
was established prior to 1964, whose principal purpose was, and is, the
education of Black Americans. Yet, it is important to note that many of
our public and private HBCUs have diverse student bodies including many
white students, Latinos, and international students from all around the
globe.

HBCU's today represent only 4% of all higher education institutions, but
they graduate approximately 30% of all African-American students, 40% of
African American students receiving a four-year degree in STEM, and 50%
of African American teachers. These successes are attributable in part
to resources made available through the Higher Education Act. The
successes were achieved despite the fact that in recent year's federal
support for HBCUs has only increased in very modest amounts; and in
spite of the fact that HBCUs continue to receive significantly less
funding for research, facilities, and programs than their historically
white counterparts. According to data from the National Science
Foundation, for example, 6 of the top 20 predominantly white
universities received more federal funds for research than 79 HBCUs
combined.[^1] The NSF report shows that despite a quantifiable record of
success at educating African American scientists and engineers, HBCUs
continue receiving disproportionately fewer federal dollars. This
pattern if left unabated will pose a barrier to black colleges remaining
comparable and competitive with historically white institutions. The
pattern must be reserved. With the amendments you made to the Higher
Education Act, with my proposed actions by the conference committee, and
suggestions advanced by others on this panel with me this morning, the
pattern will be reversed. Continued investment in HBCUs is good for the
HBCU community, good for the nation and good for the world.

To provide a clear understanding of the extent to which support under
Titles IIIB, IV, of the Higher Education Act has assisted Johnson C.
Smith to evolve into the world class liberal arts university that it is
today, I will briefly share with you something about the history and
growth of Johnson C. Smith in recent years.

Johnson C. Smith was founded in 1867 under the auspices of the Committee
on Freedmen of the Presbyterian Church; U.S.A. Johnson C. Smith is an
independent, private, coeducational institution of higher learning. JCSU
has received over \$17.5 million dollars since 1997 in federal support
under the federal formula. These institutional dollars have enabled
Johnson C Smith to institutionalize strategic practices and improvements

The following target areas of the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP)
describe recurrent institutional challenges and strategic purposes that
have persisted over the past few years and reflect both national as well
as local themes we must continue to address:

-   Maintain an effective and developmental **technology
    infrastructure** (hardware, software, people, training) to support
    the administrative and academic mission of the university

-   Aging **facilities** require on-going **maintenance**, **upgrades**,
    and **renovations** to support new development in curriculum and
    instruction.

-   Academic innovations require additional **personnel resources** as
    well a recurrent training to improve quality.

-   **Data management infrastructure** to support **institutional
    planning,** **effectiveness**, and **assessment** to support
    effective decision-making

-   The institutional enrollment profile and mission requires us to
    provide special programs to insure **student success** and
    **persistence to graduation**.

-   Increasing cost in utilizing technology and shrinking institutional
    budgets requires us to develop our institutional capacity to
    generate **alternative sources** of funding.

What we have come to realize is that these CDP target areas reoccur in
some shape or form whenever we begin to engage issues of planning,
development and resource allocation. They are, and will continue to be
for some time, a strategic challenge for the institution as it evolves
its future. Title III supports the development of project activities to
reduce the effect of these recurrent themes on the programs of the
University. Title III has supported us in capacity-building to solve our
recurring strategic challenges.

Institutionalization of Title III activities will continue to occur as
we integrate Title III activities. This is evidenced historically by the
fact that the following offices were developed by Title III funding and
continue to play a role in Title III program development:

-   Information Center

-   Office of Mobile Computing

-   Institutional Planning, Assessment, Effectiveness and Research

-   Sponsored Programs and Research

-   Academic Retention and Support Services

-   Faculty Development

-   Facilities Management

-   Tutorial Services

-   Discipline Based Computer Technology

A portion of the work of these well established offices still coordinate
in the development of new and critical Title III activities. We have
achieved a kind of transparency with Title III and institutional
development. This integration of Title III and these critical areas of
concern have been progressively interwoven into the fabric of the
institution as new administrative and academic services primarily
supported by institutional funds. New activities of these offices will
extend the evolution and work on these recurring and persistent problem
areas and our Title III partnership will result in new institutionalized
capacity in the form of new offices, programs, and personnel.

The **"Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities**"
program has been, and continues to be, not only the principle source of
institutional assistance for Johnson C. Smith, but for the vast majority
of HBCUs. Since its inception, the Title IIIB program has been very
successful in supporting strategic planning initiatives, academic
program enhancements, administrative and fiscal management, student
services, physical plant improvements, and general institutional
development.

The Title IIIB dollars are transforming HBCUs to meet the challenges of
a new century with cutting cutting-edge projects in agriculture,
science, technology, and international education. Title IIIB dollars are
also enabling HBCUs to provide vital education, health care, human
needs, economic and community development, and recreation services for
the communities in which they are located.

Finally, the **Title IV Student Assistance** programs have enabled
Johnson C. Smith University to maintain its student enrollment with 83%
of its students receiving financial aid.

**RECOMMENDATIONS**

PELL GRANT PROGRAM - I strongly support improvements in the Pell Grant
program; especially the proposed increases in the Pell Grant maximum
award to more clearly reflect the cost of tuition and fees at four-year
public colleges and universities. Of course, the cost of tuition and
fees as private institutions, like Johnson C. Smith University, is
generally higher than that of public institutions, but at this point in
our nation's history in which a college education is vitally important,
we should make a national commitment, at a minimum, to afford funding
for those of least advantage who are desirous and prepared for college
to be able to afford the cost of a public 4-year institution. Congress
should retain the current \$4000 minimum and establish a maximum award
linked to the tuition and fees of the cost of a public 4-year college
according to the annual College Board Cost of College report. Students
at Johnson C. Smith University commonly work two and three jobs to make
ends meet.

I appreciate and applaud the inclusion in both the House and Senate
Higher Education Act reauthorization bills, on a bipartisan basis, of
provisions that establish student eligibility for a Year-Round or "third
semester" Pell Grant. During reconciliation, I urge and encourage the
House to cede to the Senate language in S. 1642 because the use of the
language "shall" in S. 1642 makes the program mandatory. I also
encourage adoption of the Senate language that requires that an eligible
student must be enrolled on at least a "half-time" basis, i.e. six
semester hours.

The above adjustments to the Pell Grant program would greatly enhance
the program and adapt it to more realistically meet the needs of
low-income students and families and the realities of today's higher
education programs.

TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT - There is a great deal more to do. **The
Title II** T**eacher Quality Enhancement** programs contained in both
the House and Senate reauthorization bill will strengthen our teacher
education programs in a significant way. The changes incorporated in
Title II of both the House and Senate bills targeting funds on
partnerships composed of institutions of higher education, local
education agencies (LEAs), especially "high need" LEAs, non-profit
organizations, and others, and the removal of states as partner grantees
will focus limited resources on entities located closest to those
involved directly in preparing teachers and in providing professional
development for existing teachers. The HBCU community is especially
pleased with the language in he House bill, H.R. 4137, that provides for
Development Leadership Programs for partnerships that would focus on the
preparation of superintendents, principals and other school
administrators, and gives priority in the award of partnership grants to
teacher preparation programs that have a rigorous selection process,
i.e. NCATE accredited institutions with PRAXIS-related graduation
requirements. Johnson C. Smith is such an institution, and we will
encourage your Senate counterparts, especially those in the North
Carolina delegation to accept this House-passed, important provision.

I strongly support the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence
provisions in H.R. 4137 that are designed to provide funds for HBCUs and
MSIs, or consortia of such institutions, to strengthen their teacher
preparation programs. The Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence in
Teacher Education would enable ten HBCUs, like Johnson C. Smith, with
exceptional Departments of Education, to establish or enhance
collaborative centers of excellence in which to prepare highly qualified
teachers to close the achievement gap that plagues minority students,
who in turn, will disproportionately opt to teach in the most
underserved communities. The funding to create state of the art teacher
training facilities contained in the legislation for the institutions
that house these centers, to create s, will be immeasurably helpful to
those of us who are meeting not only the needs of our states for
exceptional, diverse teachers, but for the nation, with sparse
resources.

**OTHER ISSUES AND CHALLENGES**

The historically black colleges and universities are not without their
challenges as they continue to mature as institutions and compete in the
larger arena for private and Federal funding support, as they seek out
African American and other students in a highly competitive admissions
climate, and as they strive to keep their infrastructure and
instrumentation competitive with their peers in the higher education
community. Let me mention several issues that are at the core or my
concerns as I leave the presidency of Johnson C. Smith University at the
end of the academic year.

ENDOWMENT BUILDING AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT -- Fewer than five
HBCUs have endowments that exceed \$500,000 and only one that exceeds
\$1 million. Institutional endowments represent necessary shelter
against the winds of change in higher education, especially for small,
private colleges like Johnson C. Smith. Most of the HBCU institutions
have low or no endowment to speak of, and too many struggle just simply
to pay their bills on time, provide scholarship funds for needy, highly
qualified students, and to pay faculty and staff a quality salary.
Competition for private sector and foundation support and for Federal
grant and contract dollars, including congressional "earmarks" has
intensified -- as public and private colleges compete for declining
resources and donors insist upon a *quid pro quo* or recognition for
large gifts or grants.

INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION -- At least three two-year and five
four-year HBCUs have had their accreditation withdrawn by the Commission
on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
or Commission on Higher Learning of the North Central Association of
Colleges and Schools during the past two decades. Many other public and
private HBCUs have been sanctioned by SACS and other regional
accrediting agencies, and continue to operate in a fiscally "at-risk"
posture that threatens their continued existence and viability.

[Two-Year Colleges]{.underline} [Four-Year Colleges]{.underline}

Morristown College Barber Scotia College

Clinton Jr. College Edward Waters College

Shorter College Knoxville College

Mary Holmes College Morris Brown College

Texas College

Clinton Jr. College regained its accreditation with another accrediting
association. Texas College successfully restored its accreditation with
SACS within two years. Edward Waters successfully pursued litigation
against SACS and secured a settlement that provided a path for the
restoration of its accreditation. Knoxville College and Morris Brown
College remain open without regional accreditation.

SUSTAINING INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP - One of the most pressing
challenges facing the HBCU community is the identification and
preparation of quality institutional leadership for the presidency and
the first-tier of institutional leadership, especially Vice Presidents
for Fiscal Affairs/Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), Chief Information
Officers (CIOs), Provost/Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs, Vice
President for Institutional Development, and Graduate Deans (where
appropriate), etc. Our needs in these areas are strained by limitations
in the available pool of applicants, salary limitations, etc. Rapid
turnover in the presidency or chancellors, in the public sector, also
impacts the tenure of the first-tier administrative staff and
executives. A related and challenging question has to do with the skills
and abilities of HBCU trustees or boards of directors. Training and
skill development -- including developing an understanding of the roles
and duties of trustees is critical, especially as it relates to search
and selection of the president or chancellor. This issue is complicated
among the private colleges by self-perpetuating boards and in the public
sector by the gubernatorial power of appointment or election of public
institutional trustees.

The above are just a few of my observations regarding the many
improvements to the Higher Education Act contained in "The College
Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007." I again express my deep
appreciation for the determination of this Committee to move this bill
forward, but not at the expense of denying the public, and especially
the broad and diverse stakeholders, an opportunity to participate in the
deliberative process.

**CONCLUSION**

The Higher Education Act is one of the most important pieces of
legislation to the institutions that are among the constellation of
colleges and universities we call HBCUs. These institutions were founded
before 1964 to educate black Americans who were, at the time of their
founding, denied access to most historically white colleges and
universities (HWCUs). HBCUs were defined in the 1986 Amendments to the
Higher Education Act by their mission and purpose, not by the racial or
ethnic make-up of their student enrollment.  Many HBCUs have
increasingly diverse student bodies, including my own institution,
Johnson C. Smith, which has as its mission providing outstanding
education for a diverse group of talented and highly motivated students
from various ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds. We
enroll 1470 students from many backgrounds, although the majority of my
students are African American. Many have few financial means. They
overwhelmingly share a thirst for knowledge and the belief that the
familial atmosphere at Johnson C. Smith is aligned with their
preparation and their aspirations.  

Title IIIB of the Higher education Act, the provision on **Strengthening
the Historically Black Colleges and Universities,** has been especially
important in assisting Johnson C. Smith University to become a model of
excellence, and in enhancing the 96 other HBCUS that are receiving
funding under this provision. Title III, Part D of the Act, the **HBCU
Capital Financing Program** has enabled many of the HBCUs to build and
maintain facilities and an infrastructure to attract to and retain
competitive students at our institutions. Title IV, **Student
Assistance** has exponentially expanded access to higher education for
low-income, first generation and traditionally underserved
students---those who are the majority of students attending Johnson C.
Smith.

I thank you for affording me the opportunity to share these observations
with you this morning.

[^1]: Richard J. Bennof, "FY 2005 Federal S&E Obligations Reach Over
    2,400 Academic and Nonprofit Institutions; Data Presented on
    Minority-Serving Institutions" *Info Brief* National Science
    Foundation NSF 07-326 (revised), Directorate for Social, Behavioral,
    and Economic Sciences, October 2007