The hurdle that HBCUs have to overcome when deciding to offer online courses leading to degree completion is the reduced ability to communicate the culture of the campus to the students, said Nathan Saunders, general vice president of the Washington Teachers' Union. This can be overcome by requiring “seat hours” to obtain the degree as well as planning events during the traditional spring break period and other opportunities to meet in a social environment, he said.

In addition to pursuing options to connect online in order to maintain competitiveness, minority-serving institutions also may have to wrestle their historical missions and perhaps broaden their outlook on their target population as well as who will seek enrollment at their schools, said Dr. William Pollard, president of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A member of the City University of New York system, Medgar Evers has served the Caribbean and African-American communities since 1970. The predominantly Black institution’s student population demographics are changing, Pollard said.

Additionally, CUNY has asked that the college give priority admission status to high school graduates, community college students and transfer students from private schools in good standing — all while being required to limit its growth. 

HBCUs also must begin to consider the options students have for obtaining their education. In addition to traditional four-year institutions, online schools and state schools offering online degree programs, HBCUs and predominantly Black institutions now must compete with community colleges.

“We have to get over the snobbery around two-year campuses: It’s the way of the future,” said Dr. Kassie Freeman, interim president of Southern University System, which offers two-year degree programs with a niche in the health sciences.