The Gift That Keeps Giving: Historically Black College and University-Educated Scholars and Their Mentoring at Predominately White Institutions‪.‬

Introduction Recent studies suggest that the learning environments at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are more conducive to the academic success and satisfaction of African-American students attending these institutions, compared to their peers at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) (Allen, 1992; Allen & Haniff, 1991; Cokley, 2003; Gallien, 2005). We can also look to incremental increases in the participation of African Americans in higher education over the years (Allen, 1992; U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). In real numbers, enrollments at HBCUs have increased since 1976--from less than 230,000 to 290,000 (Provasnik & Shafer, 2004). While these findings speak volumes about the value of an HBCU education, a closer analysis of the data reveals other trends. Despite a 40% increase in African-American college enrollment, HBCU attendance has lagged behind this rate (LeBlanc, 2001). Furthermore, in 2001, the Department of Education reported that HBCUs enrolled 13% of African-American students' a five percentage-point decrease from the percentage reported in 1976 (Hoffman, Snyder, & Sonnenberg, 1996; Provasnik & Shafer, 2004). With over 85% of African-American students attending PWIs, the vast majority of African-American students will not have the historically Black collegiate experience. One must wonder, then: has the impact and relevance of HBCUs diminished over the past thirty years?