African Americans Copyright 1998, The Chronicle of Higher Education . This article may not be posted, published, or distributed without permission from The Chronicle. In 1994, when the historically black university's Ph.D. program began, a total of only two dozen black Americans received doctorates in mechanical or electrical engineering. The university's officials herald their success in producing black Ph.D.'s after years in which other institutions have had dismal returns. For decades, the number of black Ph.D.'s in engineering has been so minuscule that African Americans have represented barely 1 per cent of all graduates in the field.
Some students say the path to a Ph.D. here is bumpier than it ought to be.
They say the university does not offer enough courses, is slow to purchase research equipment, and handles paperwork inefficiently. She left in December 1996, after less than a year on the job. Any new program is bound to have problems, university officials respond, adding that it is remarkable that the university has attracted as many black students as it has. He said a Ph.D. program in engineering is a natural one for the university. True, engineering programs are already in place at three other institutions in the state.