For more than a century, hundreds of students have arrived at Huston-Tillotson University to begin their journey toward the goal and rewards of a college education. Many, but fewer than in earlier days, are first generation college students.  For more than 133 years, dedicated professors have challenges eager HT students to see in themselves the talent and potential for success.  Since 1875, the sons and daughters of HT have made a dramatic difference in the quality of life for the communities and people they touch.

First generation students are often faced with academic challenges.  These students are often easily intimidated and overwhelmed when faced with new academic demands.

Huston-Tillotson implemented the Pathways to Academic Success and Socialization (PASS) in August 2004.  PASS is an intervention system that helps students assimilate into the academic and social life of the University.  A cohort of 50 first generation students was included in the initial program.  The PASS program is supported by PASSAGES learning experience – designed as a continuation of the PASS program-offers students structured access to academic and social support throughout the year.  Under the guidance of faculty, peer mentors, and staff, PASSAGES students receive counseling, intellectual opportunities, and skill-building.

Huston-Tillotson provides diverse students a proven environment for academic success.  In the fall of 2007, the ethnicity of the student body was 73% African American, 13% Hispanic, 7% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% White, and 3% Other.  The University provides access to an affordable higher education.  Ninety-four percent of HT’s undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid.

True to its roots, Huston-Tillotson embraces the responsibility of intellectually challenging well-prepared students while offering the less prepared an opportunity to reach their full potential.  This sweeping commitment leads us to recruit across the spectrum of ability.  If that young person has the aptitude to succeed, we want to be a vehicle for their success.

Larry L. Earvin, Ph.D.

EARVIN OFFERS TESTIMONY DURING CONGRESSIONAL HEARING

Huston-Tillotson University President Larry L. Earvin, Ph.D. spoke in Austin, Texas, today during the fifth congressional higher education field hearing sponsored by Rubén Hinojosa, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness.  President Olivia Vanegas-Funcheon, Tohono O’odham Community College, Arizona; President Stephen B. Kinslow, Austin Community College District, and George Scott, General Accountability Office, also testified. Earvin, also speaking on behalf of Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities, does not want to see funding for Historically Black Graduate Institutions programs incorporated as a competitor in the congressional appropriations process each year.  He recommended a new funding stream in Title III, Part A for “predominately black institutions.” His full testimony is as follows:

Good Morning, Chairman Hinojosa (Rubén Hinojosa, 15th Congressional District of Texas)

and Representative Grijalva (Raúl M. Grijalva, 7th Congressional District of Arizona), and members of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness.  Let me welcome you to Austin, the Capital of the great state of Texas.  We are pleased Mr. Chairman to have this opportunity to express our views on several key issues as you, Congressman Grijalva and the other members of the Committee on Education draft a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. 

The oral testimony I present this morning will largely focus, as you requested, on the importance of Title IIIB of the Act to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and to the higher education aspirations of African American youth and their families.  I also want to highlight the recommendations for improving Part B—Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs—including Section 323 for all of the 97 eligible undergraduate HBCU as well as Section 326 Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGI) that currently provides funding for eighteen (18) HBCU institutions and doctoral programs.

Given the time limitations this morning, I have also prepared a comprehensive written statement which I will submit for the record.  It differs slightly from the written statement provided to your staff earlier.  Let me summarize my statement for the record and emphasize three critical points and recommendations that I want to make with regard to the reauthorization of the Title III, Institutional Aid program and the Part B, Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs.

Executive Order 13256 identifies 105 historically black colleges and universities, while 97 HBCU are currently eligible to participate in the Part B program, and meet the statutory definition in Section 322(2) of the Act, i.e. these institutions were founded prior to enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and whose principal mission was then and is now the education of black Americans.  While some private and public HBCU were founded as early as 1837, many public colleges and universities were founded in the south in the late 1800s and early 1900s to prevent newly freed slaves from being educated in white colleges and universities.  Some private institutions performed public institutional functions prior to the establishment of public institutions in Virginia (Hampton Institute), in Tennessee (Knoxville College), and in South Carolina (Claflin College).  HBCU were defined in the 1986 Amendments to the Higher Education Act by their mission and purpose, not by the racial make-up of their student enrollment.  In fact, four HBCU have majority white student enrollments, e.g. Bluefield State College, W.VA.; Kentucky State University; Lincoln University, MO; and West Virginia State College.  Moreover, other HBCU have increasingly diverse student bodies, including my own institution, Huston-Tillotson University, and Paul Quinn College here in Texas that enroll a growing Latino student population.    

Congress’ enactment of “The Black College and University Act” as part of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1986 not only established a unique funding mechanism for allocating resources among a class of eligible institutions, but outlined a series of authorized activities – focused on institutional capacity-building intended to strengthen the capacity of the HBCU to increase the number of students earning degrees.

The universe of HBCU enrolls more than thirteen percent of all African American students in higher education (almost 300,000), yet comprises only three percent of the nation’s 4,197 institutions of higher education.  America’s 105 HBCU have a long and distinguished history of producing high quality graduates – many of whom have achieved extraordinary success in medicine, law, education, the arts and the sciences, and athletics.  Currently, the HBCU produce 25% of all African American baccalaureate degree recipients, 25% of all master’s degrees and 26% of all first professional degrees earned by African Americans annually.  This is being accomplished while enrolling a disproportionate number of students from low-income families and thousands of “first-generation” college students, who are educationally disadvantaged due to attendance in poorly-resourced elementary and secondary schools in urban and rural school districts.

With that background, let me highlight three points and recommendations for the Subcommittee.  First, the Title III, Part B Strengthening HBCU program is critical to the future of these institutions, and should be reauthorized and improved by incorporating several technical amendments supported by the entire HBCU community, including: (1) amend Section 323(a) and 326(c) to allow for the acquisition of certain property in connection with the construction, maintenance, renovation or improvement of existing campus facilities; (2) revise Section 322(4) of the Act to clarify the authority of the Secretary of Education to determine those academic disciplines, technical and professional areas in which black Americans are “underrepresented,”  in consultation with the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); (3) revise Section 327(b) of the Act to clarify the intent of Congress, and the Department of Education General Counsel’s interpretation, that Title IIIB grantees have up to five additional years to expend grant funds that were obligated during the five-year grant cycle; (4) revise Section 324(d) of the Act to limit the award of Title IIB funds to an HBCU that meets the requirements of Section 322(2) and satisfies every element of the formula in Section 326(f)(3); and increase the authorization of appropriation in fiscal year 2008 to $260 million for Section 323, and to $75 million in fiscal year 2008 for Section 326.

Second, the Section 326 HBGI program has always limited institutional and programmatic participation to those first-professional degree programs (law, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, etc.) and to doctoral programs in the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, etc.  I strongly support the inclusion of language in Section 326(e)(2) that further clarifies this focus for the HBGI program and limits the funding of master’s degree programs to terminal master’s degrees only.  The inclusion of master’s degrees, without this restriction, would dramatically expand institutional participation in the program. The recent appropriations history for Section 326 by Congress does not support such expansion.  Including a large number of new master degree programs would threaten funding for the current eighteen (18) institutional participants (including Texas Southern University), and funding for the Section 323 programs that benefits most of the HBCU.  Smaller institutions, like Hutson-Tillotson University, Jarvis Christian College, Wiley College, and Texas College here in Texas do not want to see funding for the HBGI program become a competitor in the congressional appropriations process each year. 

Third, the HBCU community strongly supports the creation of a new funding stream for the “predominantly black institutions” in Title III, Part A.  We have worked closely with Congressman Danny K. Davis (7th Congressional District of Illinois) and with Senator Barack Obama of Illinois to design a carefully-crafted and constitutionally permissible means of funding these institutions that also provides access and educational opportunities for African American students.  An authorization of $25 million is requested for this program.

Thank you again for inviting me to testify and I welcome any questions that you, Mr. Chairman, or Mr. Grijalva might have.  I will provide a revised version of my prepared statement for the record. 

A copy of the Huston-Tillotson University's report that was submitted to the Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church is below.  The facts and figures listed about the University may also be useful to you.

Listed is the 2001-2010 Strategic Plan: "An Agenda for Excellence."  The document is an overview of the institution's goals and objectives.