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CHAPTER 4 Cover Story Successful HBCU Forum Gathering focuses the world’s attention on America’s definition of democ- Includes Night at the Museum racy. An equally important dialogue, not receiving the atten- tion it deserves, is taking place in America’s higher-education By Archon James A. Welch, arena and is focused on historically black colleges and univer- Grapter, Southeast Region sities (HBCUs). The Trump Administration recently was forced to postpone its conference on HBCUs because HBCU leadership is dismayed by the delay in appointing the prom- ised direct-report person to focus on HBCU issues. Such de- lays and unfulfilled promises are familiar themes with this as well as previous administrations. One may recall that shortly after the passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act these same HBCUs were labeled “developing institutions.” This labeling was coined during the Nixon Ad- ministration and coincided with creation of the ethnic catch- all descriptor “minority.” The “developing” and “minority” la- bels were, by all appearances, an attempt to place a “scarlet let- ter” name stamp to differentiate white Americans and their The current national dialogue surrounding the signifi- academic institutions from nonwhite Americans and their in- cance of confederate monuments in America and their symbol- stitutions. Today the world is focused on the violence erupting ism to African Americans, while long overdue will likely con- in America as it once again struggles to portray its version of tinue for the foreseeable future. Not surprising to most of us is democracy. The intent of this article is to provide some con- the timing. History teaches us that we should not expect a text for why America still needs HBCUs and to give a recount quick positive result. One may easily be persuaded that the of the events of this summer’s historic Boulé HBCU Forum. guilty conscience of white Americans demonstrated by a leg- The HBCUs were created for the purpose of providing an acy of systemic racism surfaces each time violence erupts and educational opportunity for African Americans who, by rule of law, were excluded from attending and receiving an education 10 in publicly supported institutions attended by white Ameri- Negro child one step, the white child must be advanced cans. Since their establishment dating back to the 1860’s, two steps. HBCUs time and again have been frequently called upon to Desegregation, won through court decision, congressional justify their existence. Below I provide an excerpt from the legislation, and demonstrations, has not changed this ba- commencement address of Archon Benjamin E. Mays, the for- sic philosophy of inequality. So, to use a good Methodist mer president of Morehouse College, to the one-hundredth phrase, Negro colleges have been by design kept on short graduating class in 1967. Even though the address focused on grass! For the health of Morehouse and other colleges Morehouse, his description of the issues facing Morehouse similarly circumstanced the philosophy must be accepted then is relevant to the plight of HBCUs today: by philanthropic America and governments that a good Without a doubt, the years ahead will be tough years, but college, whether it is predominantly Negro or predomi- perhaps no tougher than the first hundred years. All of nantly white, deserves equal consideration in bidding for our years have been precarious years, but like England we the tax and philanthropic dollar. If this philosophy cannot have muddled through. The first hundred years were be developed, there will exist under the guise of desegrega- years of rigid segregation supported by law and religion. tion and liberalism a form of discrimination as rancid and During the first one hundred years Morehouse competed foul as anything that existed under legal and de facto seg- mainly with Negro colleges, similarly segregated. No one regation. questioned their survival for, after all, Negroes had to Discrimination in the future will not be administered by have schools. The power structure in politics, economics, poor whites and the people who believe in segregation but and education, whether the school was private or public, by the “liberals” who believe in a desegregated society but never intended to make schools for Negroes first-rate. The not an integrated society. If this battle can be won, More- racial attitude in America, whether in slavery or in segrega- house will have an equal chance to develop like any other tion, has consistently been that what is meant for Negroes good college in America. If discrimination against Ne- has to be inferior to that which is designed for whites. It groes is directed now against the predominantly Negro in- was expected and deliberately planned that segregated stitutions rather than against the individual, the future schools for Negroes would be inferior. For almost a hun- will be difficult indeed. dred years no one even questioned this philosophy. A great leader in the Commission on Interracial Coopera- Archon Mays’s words of fifty years ago remain prophetic. tion once said in my hearing that in order to advance the The HBCUs are valuable partners in Sigma Pi Phi’s programs 11 and structure. A review of our early history chronicles that tant committee that organized this event further emphasizes nine Grand Boulés were convened on HBCU campuses. The Grand Sire Archon Coleman’s commitment to elevating our first held at an HBCU was in 1935 – our fourteenth. It was on HBCUs. A continuation of the forum format is intended to be the campus of LeMoyne College in Memphis and hosted by a prominent part of the regional conferences. Each region will Delta Boulé. The last, our twenty-eighth, was hosted by Chi accommodate a mini version of the forum to further empha- Boulé in 1966 on the campus of Fisk University in Nashville. size the exchange of ideas for HBCU growth and expansion. Many of the scholarships provided by our member boulés and The HBCU Committee developed an interactive forum through The Boulé Foundation are awarded to young people for the purpose of providing a blueprint for the roles of boards attending HBCUs. Given this background as its backdrop, The and presidents, budgetary issues, campus leadership, brand Boulé HBCU Forum and Night at the Museum was conceived. development, alumni relations, and marketing and fundrais- The Forum was held in conjunction with a night at the ing best practices. The specific topics included: National Museum of African American History and Culture in • Effective strategies for enhancing fundraising and alumni Washington, D.C., during the weekend of May 19–20, 2017. participation. The attendance exceeded 630 Archons, Archousai and guests from across the United States. The opening activities included • The impending impact of the 2018 federal budget fiscal year on three panel discussions and a luncheon held at the historic student aid programs at HBCUs. Mayflower Hotel downtown. The culminating event on Satur- • Elevating HBCU status among higher-education institutions by day was a private opening at the museum for members of increasing enrollment. Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity only, affording full access to its exhibi- tions and a lavish reception offering live music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Archons, family and friends were treated to an The Three Panels evening of information, inspiration and congenial camarade- The initial panel, moderated by Southeast Regional Grap- rie. ter James A. Welch, featured two accomplished HBCU presi- We applaud Grand Sire Archon Wesley Coleman’s vision dents and an institutional advancement consultant: Archons in calling to the Fraternity’s attention the HBCUs, which have William Harvey, president of Hampton University; Norman been consistent in their contributions to America’s educa- Francis, former president of Xavier University of Louisiana; tional landscape. His appointment of Archon Dwayne Murray, and Richard Ammons, senior consultant with Martz & Lundy. an outstanding jurist and educator, to chair the very impor- Each offered insights into what makes for successful fundrais- 12 developing a culture of giving by those most affected by the in- stitution. The resultant impact is an increase in donations, which contributes to the expansion of scholarships, improved curriculum development and, by extension, educational oppor- tunities leading to successful graduate careers. Like Archon Harvey, Archon Francis reiterated the importance of board of trustee involvement in donor cultivation. Archon Ammons supported both presidents’ approaches to institutional advancement by emphasizing these main points: • Early donor engagement of students and parents. • Thinking outside the box in developing nontraditional ing in the higher-education environment. Their collective in- fundraising strategies. sights drew from seventy-plus years of institutional leader- ship. Archon Harvey’s entrepreneurial approach focused on • Deliberate board of trustee involvement in developing strategies and methodologies for enhancing gifts for current fund use and his institution’s successes in initiating and participating in growing the endowment. business ventures, both as co-owners and often as the primary lender. Through the years this approach has produced signifi- We should be reminded that both these Archons repre- cant investment returns to the university’s endowment. He sent private academic institutions whose origins are relig- emphasized the importance of board of trustee engagement iously based. Hampton was founded in 1868 by the American

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