By Tavon Thomasson
Special to the AFRO
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, chairman of Morgan State University’s Board of Regents, hinted at issues pressing HBCUs during an interview with the Spokesman on Aug. 20.
The interview, held during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, focused on the ongoing surge in Morgan’s enrollment, housing challenges and the decreasing rate of enrollment for Black male students.
The Maryland congressman — a Morgan alumnus — said the rapid rise in enrollment at the Baltimore university, which now has 10,400 enrollees — has pushed adequate housing concerns to the forefront.
“We’re trying to build housing as fast as we can and some of it is going up. You see it on campus; it’s never going to be enough at this rate until we’re able to find a way to wait for enrollment to stabilize,” Mfume said. “The Board of Regents continues to sign off on new projects that will allow the university to continue to build and take care of students coming in.”
Many of the nation’s 107 HBCUs have seen a marked increase in applications since 2020, according to a Forbes article published in July. The article shared figures from Howard University, which received 37,000 applications (a 12 percent increase for the incoming class of 2,500 freshmen), and Florida A&M University (FAMU), whose applications have nearly doubled over the last two years. As of November 2023, Morgan had achieved record enrollment numbers for three consecutive years, according to a university press release.
Mfume said university President David Wilson had done a “great job” in adeptly managing both the significant increase in university enrollment and the accompanying housing challenges. He also offered an optimistic perspective regarding Black male enrollment at the university which has declined at Morgan State and other HBCUs.
“Well, it’s relative,” Mfume said. “I think what you see now more than anything else is people starting to turn to HBCUs and say, ‘What’s so magic about that, that I’ve missed in my life?’”
Mfume spoke on the impact of prominent HBCU graduates like Vice President Kamala Harris and several members of Congress. According to him, their success has driven a shift among young people who now see HBCUs as a strong and viable college option.
Sharing the “rich” history and legacy HBCUs have in producing leaders in various disciplines is crucial to addressing the decline in Black male students as well as highlighting the importance and value of attending these institutions, said Mfume.
“If there is a decrease, I expect there’s going to be an increase. I really do,” Mfume said. “We’ve got to bring students in, do the right kind of orientation and recruit effectively.”
Tavon Thomasson is a writer with the Spokesman, the Morgan State University student-run newspaper.
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