Jarvis Christian Out of
Default Trouble

Dear Editor:

The Aug. 5th issue of Black Issues In Higher Education features a story on the Sallie Mae default management project for historically Black colleges and universities. The story includes a list of the 14 HBCUs that participated in our default prevention initiative. However, we would like to make it clear that one of these institutions, Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas, is no longer required to submit a default management plan to the U.S. Department of Education.
The Sallie Mae default management team visited Jarvis on Dec. 3, 1998. At that time, Jarvis was included on the list of HBCUs with cohort default rates of 25 percent or more during the past three fiscal years. Since that time, and prior to the publication of our report, Jarvis successfully appealed to have its fiscal year 1996 cohort default rate lowered to below 25 percent and is no longer subject to the new law.
During our visit to Jarvis, we were very impressed with the substantial progress the college has made in reducing student loan defaults. Because of this hard work, Jarvis will continue to make great strides toward educating African American students in the years ahead.

Kenneth E. Redd
Senior Research Associate
Education and Student Loan Service

Service of Distinction

Dear Editor:

I am writing to first, congratulate you on your 15th anniversary edition of Black Issues In Higher Education. I can remember so vividly the work of Frank L. Matthews and William E. Cox in starting Black Issues, and the trials and tribulations they went through in making it a success.
Second, as a former college administrator involved in higher education for 21 years, I feel it imperative to inform you that your researchers missed a golden opportunity to give credit to one of the true contributors to diversity in higher education in the past 15 years. The person I speak of is Dr. Frederick S. Humphries, president of Florida A&M University.
Dr. Humphries is truly one our greatest contributors in the past 15 years because he not only fought the battle at Tennessee State University that resulted in the survival of that institution, but diversified it by absorbing the University of Tennessee at Nashville.
Dr. Humphries also has been able to do the same at Florida A&M University for the past 20-plus years that has resulted in that institution being named as the "1998 College of the Year," by Time magazine.
Furthermore, Humphries was on the front line in the battle against Proposition 48 — a fight from which many of our educators backed away even when they knew the National Collegiate Athletic Association was wrong, as was proven this year. He knew Prop. 48 would result in the denial of educational opportunities for so many young men and women.
Finally, thanks for naming Dr. Johnnetta Cole and Dr. Norman Francis as people who made quality contributions to higher education in the past 15 years.