Lawmaker suggests merging historically black colleges

Well I was almost concerned especially since some of the well-known HBCU's are located in Atlanta, GA. Still I'm torn on this one, I could see this as either a knock against HBCU's or perhaps an important step in looking forward.

Plus it is understood that these HBCUs are state schools and the state have to find ways to allocate their resources according. If that means that these publicly supported HBCUs have to be merged with predominantly white public universities then so be it.

From AJC.com:

The chairman of a key state Senate committee wants the University System to consider merging historically black public colleges with nearby white-majority schools to save money.

In making the suggestion Monday, Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Seth Harp (R-Midland) immediately ran into opposition from supporters of the black schools who say they serve an important role as independent campuses.

“I think it’s a bad idea,” said Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta), who has taught political science at two historically black private colleges, Morehouse and Morris Brown.

But Harp said the University System, which has 35 public schools and a $2.3 billion state budget this year, will have to make some hard choices to come up with budget cuts that could top $200 million.

And he said in two cities, Savannah and Albany, white- and black-majority schools are part of the legacy of segregation.

“The white schools were begun as segregation schools. It’s time Georgia closed that ugly chapter,” Harp said during a hearing on the University System’s budget Monday.

Harp suggested the system consider merging two Savannah schools — historically black Savannah State University and historically white-majority Armstrong Atlantic State University. And he said the system should look into merging another historically black college, Albany State, and white-majority two-year Darton College in Albany.

I was in class one day and I ran across a series of quotes that Morehouse should strive to attract students of different ethnic backgrounds. Should Morehouse be a school that only caters to black males?

My answer would certainly be yes it should, but it's shouldn't be hamstrung by that goal. Morehouse should attact the best male students possible and it doesn't matter if these students are black, white, hispanic, Asian, or whatever. Plus the all-male college is a dying breed these days, while there are plenty of all-females schools out there.

In fact for one Morehouse, there are two HBCUs that are all female. Those schools are Spelman College located not too far from Morehouse and Bennett College located in North Carolina. In fact my understanding is Bennett is officialy Morehouse's sister school.