Officials at Kentucky State University this week announced a unique designation for the university and HBCU culture at large; the Bluegrass state’s flagship public HBCU is among the most diverse in the nation in student and faculty composition, with representation from African Americans and Caucasians split evenly among both groups.
Data show Kentucky State University is one of the most diverse Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation
Kentucky State University President M. Christopher Brown II recently announced during spring Encampment that Kentucky State is one of the most diverse institutions among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the nation. President Brown said Kentucky State has nearly 50 percent African American students and 50 percent non-black students.
KSU President M. Christopher Brown II said Kentucky State has nearly 50 percent African American students and 50 percent non-black students. Additionally, Kentucky State also has nearly 50 percent African American employees and 50 percent non-black employees.
“It is rare for an institution to be at the midpoint — 50 percent mark on all matrices. There are schools that spend millions of dollars trying to get to that middle point,” President Brown said. “They spend a lot of money on enrollment management, diversity planning and strategic recruitment trying to achieve this level of diversity that indicates maximal engagement.”
Other HBCUs such as West Virginia’s Bluefield State College and West Virginia State University, and Lincoln University of Missouri are historically black in mission but predominantly white in student enrollment and faculty composition.
Should the definition of a black college change if the student’s are mostly white?
historically black colleges and universities increasingly have white and hispanic students
But KSU’s evenly constructed campus body is an anomaly for black colleges, even those which have worked to diversify in order to receive funds attached to diversity goals established by litigation or public policy. In 2015, Jackson State University received $24 million dollars as a part of a landmark Supreme Court desegregation decision which attached non-black enrollment goals to the state awarding its three HBCU campuses additional funding.
Non-Black Student Enrollment Gains Net Jackson State $24 Million
A landmark desegregation lawsuit filed more than 40 years ago will again reap benefits for Mississippi’s flagship historically black college, as Jackson State University will receive a $24 million boost to its endowment for meeting court-mandated racial enrollment standards .
The announcement comes months after the university announced the creation of the Atwood Institute for Race, Education, and the Democratic Ideal, a center designed to explore intersections of the three important cultural issues with a focus on racially diverse experiences within each area as defined by the region.
