They Not Like Us: A Conversation on the Economic Vitality of HBCUs

• In Event: Cultivating Diversity: From HBCUs to HSIs and Beyond

Abstract

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are institutions whose primary mission is to educate and prepare Black students for professional and personal success. In addition to serving students, these institutions greatly impact their local and regional economies. This proposed symposium is constructed around the United Negro College Fund’s latest Economic Impact Report (Humphreys, 2023). Using 2021 economic data, this report finds that HBCUs contributed $16.5 billion to their local and regional economies; employed over 136,000 people across all campuses; and significantly improved their graduates’ lifetime earnings. Thus, the proposed conversation will center the economic vitality of HBCUs, their contributions to improving social mobility for students enrolled, and the pivotal role that continued investment can play in magnifying their impact.

Authors

• Natasha K. McClendon, Spelman College

• Joseph-Emery L. Kouaho, Kindred Futures