Serving Students and the Public Good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings UNCF Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Institute for Capacity Building ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was a collaboration between UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, Drs. Janet Awokoya and David Richards, and UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building, Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris. We are also very grateful to Drs. Karl Reid and Brian Bridges for their editorial comments and advice. Suggested Citation: Awokoya, J., Richards, D., & Myrick-Harris, C. (2012). Serving students and the public good: HBCUs and the Washington Monthly’s College Rankings. Fairfax, VA: Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF. Executive Summary Many HBCUs have graduation rates that match and exceed those of many non-HBCUs. Other HBCUs have lower rates, sometimes substantially lower. Such For many, the US News & World Report college comparisons can be misleading, however, because rankings are the gold standard for identifying the they do not take into account the socio-economic country’s best institutions of higher learning. But a backgrounds of the students that colleges serve. Since close analysis of the less well-publicized but highly their founding well over a century ago, HBCUs have respected college rankings compiled by the Washington been dedicated to serving students from low-income Monthly indicates that those rankings may be a better families and those whose pre-college education guide to identifying colleges and universities that has put them at a disadvantage in doing college address one of the nation’s most urgent education coursework. and economic priorities: helping students from low- income, minority families who are often the first in Forty-six percent of HBCU students, for example, their family to attend college—in other words, students come from families with incomes lower than $36,000. who often experience the most difficulty staying on the Fifty percent qualify for Pell Grants, the federal college graduation track—to get the college education government’s largest student-aid program. Forty- they need and that the nation needs them to have. three percent come from families in which they are the first to attend college. Thirty-six percent must An analysis of the 2011 college rankings published take at least one developmental education course in by the Washington Monthly reveals that historically college, learning what they should have been taught in black colleges and universities (HBCUs) outperform high school. HBCUs educate students from the entire many non-HBCUs, including some of the country’s socio-economic spectrum but have become especially best known and most prestigious institutions. Thus, skilled at educating bright students from low-income among liberal arts colleges, Morehouse and Spelman families and students whose K-12 education failed to colleges, both HBCUs, are ranked second and fourth, prepare them to succeed in college. ahead of Swarthmore and Amherst colleges. HBCU Fisk University is ranked ahead of Oberlin College. Of This report discusses the Washington Monthly’s the 12 HBCUs that appear in the Monthly’s ranking of overall rankings, the social mobility rankings, and the liberal arts colleges, 10 are in the top half and four in graduation rates of both public and private HBCUs. the top 10 percent. Two major conclusions are drawn from this analysis: The Washington Monthly rankings are based on higher • Most HBCUs outperform non-HBCUs in the overall education institutions’ contribution to economic and social mobility rankings. mobility—their ability to improve the economic status of low-income students—and the priority they place on • HBCUs often exceed projections in their ability to encouraging service by their students and graduates. graduate disadvantaged students, one of the areas The rankings reflect predicted and actual graduation included within the social mobility category. When rates—the percentage of a college’s students who, institutions are rated on the basis of actual versus based on their economic and academic backgrounds, predicted graduation rates, HBCUs as a group tend would be expected to graduate, and what percentage to perform as well as or better than other colleges actually graduate—a rough gauge of the value the and universities and significantly better than when college delivers to economically and academically they are evaluated strictly on the basis of actual disadvantaged students and to the country, which graduation rates. needs more college graduates. SERVING STUDENTS AND THE PUBLIC GOOD: HBCUS AND THE WASHINGTON MONTHLY’S COLLEGE RANKINGS 03 This institutional capacity of HBCUs is absolutely critical to increasing the number of college graduates entering the economy. Students from higher-income backgrounds and students whose pre-college education prepares them for college success are, to a large extent, already on the path that leads to college graduation. Increasing the number of college graduates will require colleges and universities to attract, retain and graduate students who, because of financial obstacles or inadequate pre-college education, are not now on that track. A close analysis of the Washington Monthly rankings and the data on which they are based suggests that many HBCUs have exactly that ability. Students who, because of disadvantage, face long odds Rather than ask the usual in seeking a college education are exactly the students who most need the advantages that come with college, question “What can a college and they are the students the economy most needs to do for you?” the Washington add to the college-educated workforce. They are the Monthly rankings ask: “What very students whose education is the core mission of HBCUs. are colleges doing for the country?” To compete in tomorrow’s global economy, the United States needs a more college-educated workforce. Institutions of higher education are being held accountable for producing skilled graduates who are able to significantly contribute to helping the U.S. maintain its competitive edge. This report confirms that HBCUs contribute to the social, educational and economic viability of the United States by enrolling and graduating students who are most needed by the economy and who often need the most support. This report finds that HBCUs continue to serve not only the students who attend them, but also the broader economy and society whose continued vitality depends on a diverse, reliable and college-educated workforce. 04 SERVING STUDENTS AND THE PUBLIC GOOD: HBCUS AND THE WASHINGTON MONTHLY’S COLLEGE RANKINGS Introduction historically black, and both lower tier according to U.S. News—make our top twenty. 1 The current economic crisis has directed more —Washington Monthly, Liberal Arts Colleges attention to higher education’s responsibility in producing skilled graduates to contribute to the In this ranking system, Morehouse and Spelman social and economic viability of the United States, outrank such institutions as Swarthmore, Amherst and both domestically and internationally. With that Wellesley. Fisk University scores higher than Oberlin responsibility in mind, since 2005 the Washington and Smith colleges. Monthly has published an annual college guide that challenges more conventional guides. Rather than ask the usual question “What can a college do for Purpose of UNCF Report you?” the Washington Monthly rankings ask: “What are colleges doing for the country?” Higher education, after all, isn’t just important for undergraduates. We all benefit when colleges To answer this question, the magazine created college produce groundbreaking research that drives rankings that focus on how institutions serve the economic growth, when they offer students from greater good through three major criteria—social low-income families the path to a better life, and mobility, research and service. The first criterion, when they shape the character of future leaders. social mobility, examines institutions’ ability to serve And we all pay for it, through hundreds of billions of as an “engine of social mobility” by graduating low- dollars in public subsidies. Everyone has a stake in income, Pell-eligible students. The next criterion, how that money is spent. research, concerns the amount of dollars spent on —“Introduction: A Different Kind of College Ranking,” research and the number of recipients of bachelor’s Washington Monthly 2011 College Guide degrees who pursue Ph.D.s. For the final criterion, service, the Washington Monthly weighed institutions’ This report, created jointly by UNCF’s Frederick D. public service commitment, as determined by the Patterson Research Institute and the UNCF Institute percentage of students who serve in ROTC or the for Capacity Building, presents a focused analysis Peace Corps and the percentage of funds earmarked of data featured in the Washington Monthly’s 2011 for community service. College Guide. The focus is particularly on the overall and social mobility rankings. First, we provide an How do HBCUs stack up against other higher overview of HBCUs’ tradition of offering a stellar education institutions in this ranking system? college education to underserved students. Then, we briefly discuss the purpose of college rankings, They do very well. In fact, some UNCF member provide a glimpse of the growing debates about the colleges and universities lead the pack. usefulness of college rankings, and recount the controversy surrounding the veracity of self-reported In the introduction to its