A new research brief sponsored by the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) at the University of Pennsylvania aims to spark further research on how predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) evolve to accommodate the underrepresented groups they serve.
Since PBIs were first recognized in Congress in 2007, many have taken advantage of the Department of Education’s Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions Program to increase their capacity to serve and support more low- and middle-income Black college students, according to the brief, “Predominantly Black Institutions: Pathways to Black Student Educational Attainment.”
The brief explores five PBIs’ efforts to provide educational opportunities to Black, first-generation and other marginalized students, in addition to the student support initiatives they have established with their federal funding. Featured PBIs include Chicago State University, Trinity Washington University, Community College of Philadelphia, Georgia State Perimeter College and Baton Rouge Community College.
“Predominantly Black Institutions account for 3 percent of all postsecondary institutions, yet enroll 9 percent of all Black college students,” said Brandy Jones, the brief’s author and assistant director of communications for CMSI. “Much of the [existing] literature does not delve into how these institutions are supporting their students, how they are continuing to strive despite limited resources and the value these institutions add to the overall higher education landscape.”
A significant portion of the nation’s 104 PBIs are public, two-year community and technical colleges, the brief said. PBIs differ from historically Black colleges and universities in that PBIs do not have an explicit mission to serve Black American students.
“However, similar to HBCUs, these institutions are providing access to higher education for many low-income and first generation Black students who may not have access to higher education otherwise,” the brief said. “Many PBIs are making an effort to better engage their Black student population and the funding from the PBI program has in many ways provided support to that end.”
Trinity Washington University president Patricia McGuire shared in the brief’s opening that her institution first began experiencing a demographic shift towards becoming a PBI in the 1990s. The Catholic women’s college now serves 1,592 full-time undergraduate students, with 64.6 percent identifying as Black or African-American and 69 percent receiving Pell Grant awards.
