Lessons Learned: Delivering a Professional Master's Degree at an HBCU

Introduction

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) contribute to social equity by providing opportunity to those traditionally excluded from higher education. They provide access for under-represented groups and a welcoming and nurturing environment that fosters civic engagement (Patterson, 2011). HBCUs have long had to make the most of meager public allocations while battling negative, or sometimes ambivalent, public perceptions (Crewe, 2017). Despite these challenges, HBCUs hold an important place in the landscape of higher education. Far from taking this status for granted, however, they have had to adapt and innovate to remain competitive (Patterson, 2011). While preserving the imperative to open doors for undergraduates of color, graduate degree programs at HBCUs offer yet another opportunity for social and economic mobility. This work examines a graduate degree program at one state’s only HBCU. This university is home to several professional master’s degrees including the focus of this work, a Master of Public Administration (MPA). This professional master’s degree is intended for individuals looking to move into leadership positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. This MPA program is relatively new but has undergone massive growth since 2018.

Access is one of the primary concerns of this university and of this program. Access accounts for both cost of attendance, but also for serving students who may not meet admissions criteria at other institutions. This means we will serve a vast diversity of students. This program serves students from a broad range of races and ethnicities, ages, Socio-Economic Status (SES), educational backgrounds, undergraduate subject matters, and professional experience. As a Public Administration program, this one deliberately holds public service, civic empowerment, and community engagement as central themes. Philosophically, this program exists to give any individual who wants to serve the public the tools they need to do so effectively. The task is to meet students where they while also holding them to high standards for graduation.

This raises the central question of this chapter. How does one meet this aim while providing high-quality curriculum, facilitating the learning of a broad array of individuals, and assessing in meaningful ways? The authors have found some answers – not the answers – to these questions through experience as challenges have arisen. These challenges and lessons learned will be presented in this chapter.

Background

Historically Black colleges and universities were originally established to provide an education for freed slaves in the 1830s (LeMelle, 2002). Throughout the past 160 years, their purpose and role has been questioned. Some HBCUs have not survived financial and other pressures, but many have remained strong in fulfilling their mission of educating African Americans and disadvantaged populations who have made great contributions to our society. Among the most notable alumni is the current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, who is a product of Howard University. Since HBCUs have existed, there has been a debate on the type of education these schools should provide. Rufus Clement argued that it was important to prepare Blacks to be productive citizens as well as educate them, “…to tackle their peculiar racial problems with intelligence and courage” (as cited in LeMelle, 2002, p. 192).