HBCUs in NC allowed to raise cap on out-of-state students / HBCU Caucus formed

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These 3 historically Black UNC System schools can now admit more out-of-state students

Three historically Black public universities can now admit more out-of-state students thanks to the UNC System Board of Governors raising the enrollment cap Thursday.

The board raised the cap from 25% to 35% at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and North Carolina Central University and from 25% to 50% at Elizabeth City State University.

N.C. A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU, has seen a large influx of out-of-state applications — up 31% from this time last year.


The rise is due to A&T’s growing national reputation, exposure through athletics, alumni engagement and a new spotlight on HBCUs in politics and the media, according to Dawn Nail. She is the interim associate vice provost for enrollment management and head of undergraduate admissions.

In previous years, A&T has had to turn away a lot of quality students because of the enrollment cap, Nail said.



Raising this cap will increase enrollment, diversify the student body and provide financial gains, because out-of-state students pay more for tuition, she said. The school is looking to hit 14,000 students within the next year or so, which Nail said won’t be a problem because applications are not slowing down.

“This is a good opportunity to showcase A&T a little bit more across the country,” Nail said.

N.C. A&T State University campus, Greensboro NC A&T State University

Most UNC System schools are penalized if they admit more than 18% of freshmen undergraduate students from other states, because the system focuses on educating North Carolina students.

But the board raised the cap to 25% for all HBCUs last year so that those schools can grow the size and caliber of their student bodies. The state’s other two public HBCUS — Fayetteville State University and Winston‐Salem State University — will keep that cap.



Critical for Elizabeth City State
For Elizabeth City State, a small HBCU in the northeastern corner of the state near the Virginia border, raising the cap is critical for enrollment growth and attracting higher-caliber students.

ECSU will be allowed to accept up to 50% of first-time freshman — or about 100 students — from out-of-state. That’s still a small number compared to other NC Promise schools, but it’s necessary for the university to grow.

The NC Promise program sets tuition at $1,000 a year for in-state undergraduates and $5,000 a year for out-of-state students.

Charity Bond, an Elizabeth City State University student, studies at the Walter N. and Henrietta B. Ridley Student Complex Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com


After years of rapid high school graduate growth in North Carolina, the number of high school graduates is leveling off dramatically, ECSU Provost Farrah Ward said in an emailed statement.

“With fewer students entering college — and all of the higher education institutions competing for the same students — lifting the out-of-state enrollment cap is important for ECSU’s continued growth,” Ward said.

This change doesn’t mean there will be less spots for eligible North Carolina students. The university has the capacity and eagerness to accept more students on its campus, she said.

The new enrollment caps will be effective with the fall 2022 semester

 

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@CarolinaBigAggie. @REdefinition

 

[AggiePride336.]

I was an out of state student for 2 years. Established residency back in NC my junior year. My pop paid my first year, and I’m thankful.

A&T is already the largest HBCU. This should help raise our numbers a bit. Will also increase the number of engineers we put out, accountants, and other major fields.

 

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I was an out of state student for 2 years. Established residency back in NC my junior year. My pop paid my first year, and I’m thankful.

A&T is already the largest HBCU. This should help raise our numbers a bit. Will also increase the number of engineers we put out, accountants, and other major fields.

Your Chancellor has really raised the profile of A&T. With a national profile, it's only right that they got the out of state cap raised. Attract more applicants from all over the country now.

 

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And the people downplaying the long term benefits of voting. The UNC Board of Governors are selected by the state legislators.

If there weren't Black people who are alumni, parents, or otherwise connected to those schools in those meetings advocating for the changes, do you think this happens otherwise?

This raised cap might be the difference between Elizabeth City State remaining open or not.

 

[DropTopDoc]

I think this is a good thing, i didn’t know they had a cap on how many can apply

 

[DropTopDoc]

And the people downplaying the long term benefits of voting. The UNC Board of Governors are selected by the state legislators.

If there weren't Black people who are alumni, parents, or otherwise connected to those schools in those meetings advocating for the changes, do you think this happens otherwise?

There isn’t enough of us to get enough people who are in favor of hbcu’s, this probably happened due to someone getting paid, or allowing them to get less government money due to population increase on campus

 

[Skooby]

Too many out-of-state students?

N.C. A&T Fined Nearly $2M For Exceeding Out-Of-State Freshman Enrollment Limits | HBCU Buzz

North Carolina A&T is being penalized and fined for its rising enrollment of out-of-state freshmen.

hbcubuzz.com

 

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North Carolina lawmakers launch HBCU Caucus to bring awareness to those 10 schools​

January 31, 2023 ​

RALEIGH As North Carolina’s legislative session gets underway, a new caucus is being formed this year for historically Black colleges and universities. Two House representatives — a Black Democrat and a white Republican — whose districts include North Carolina’s flagship HBCUs, are forming the HBCU Caucus and want to gather a bipartisan group.

Rep. Zack Hawkins is a Democrat from Durham, which is home to N.C. Central University. Rep. Jon Hardister, a Republican, represents Guilford County, which includes N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. They will chair the House side of the caucus, and in the Senate, Democratic Sen. Gladys Robinson of Guilford County will chair along with another senator yet to be named. Hawkins said that Robinson has been a champion of creating a caucus for a long time. There is interest from several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in being part of the caucus, Hawkins and Hardister told The News & Observer. Lawmakers don’t have to be alumni of HBCUs to join, Hawkins said.

The idea started from former statehouse representative and current U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, who formed the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus in Congress in 2015.

Zack Hawkins



There are five public HBCUs in North Carolina, all part of the UNC System: NCCU, N.C. A&T, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University and Winston-Salem State University. Hawkins is a graduate of both ECSU, and NCCU with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

There are also five private HBCUs: Shaw University and St. Augustine’s University, both in Raleigh; and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, Bennett College in Greensboro and Livingstone College in Salisbury.

Hardister said that the 10 HBCUs “collectively have an economic impact somewhere around $2 billion annually.” “The idea is to find out, how can we support HBCUs and their mission, to educate and provide quality education, and highlight the historical impact that they’ve had on the state,” Hardister said. Hardister is the House majority whip and chair of the House Education-Universities Committee and the House Appropriations-Education Committee, so he has some influence over bills’ movement, votes and content. Republicans hold a veto-proof supermajority in the Senate and are one vote away from a supermajority in the House. Hardister said he wants past support for HBCUs, including their capital projects and programs, “to keep going.” “HBCUs have a phenomenal impact on the state,” he said, listing off academics, research and development, and especially graduates who become teachers.

Rep. Jon Hardister


Hawkins said the caucus will work to “maximize the potential” of the state’s HBCUs. The Hunt Institute, an education nonprofit, will help facilitate the caucus, he said. The Hunt Institute and the Center for Racial Equity in Education (CREED) “laid ground work for this new legislative effort,” Hawkins said. How often its members will meet and what exactly they’ll do is still in the works, but Hawkins would like the caucus to visit North Carolina’s HBCU campuses, for which the Hunt Institute and CREED received funding from the John M. Belk Endowment. He’d like representatives from each HBCU to visit the legislature, too, and said that NCCU will be visiting this year after its football team won the Celebration Bowl. There hasn’t been an HBCU Day at the General Assembly, he said. There has been an annual day for members of the Divine 9, nine prominent Black sororities and fraternities, to visit the legislature, but those aren’t limited to HBCUs.

North Carolina Central gather for a group photo after the Celebration Bowl NCAA college football game against Jackson State, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, in Atlanta.


“HBCUs should not be at the whim of who’s in charge,” Hawkins said. “So we want to make sure no matter who’s in charge — Democrats or Republicans — [the HBCU Caucus] will always be thinking what can we do, to prioritize and think about a long-term plan to maximize these HBCUs.” He said HBCUs have been underfunded over time, but that can change. “We want to make sure everybody is bringing the amazingness of these institutions to the table,” Hawkins said. He said North Carolina’s General Assembly is the first in the country to do it this way.

 

[AggiePride336.]

This is good. I saw where @Optimus Prime posted a tweet where we got in some trouble for admitting too many out of state students at A&T.

I like that both sides worked together on this.

 

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General Assembly's HBCU caucus hears from leaders of NC10 institutions

Leaders from each institution talked to legislators about their funding priorities.

www.ednc.org

General Assembly’s HBCU caucus hears from leaders of the NC10​

April 19, 2023

Members of North Carolina’s 10 accredited historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) met with state senators and representatives on Tuesday, as the 10 accredited HBCUs in the state, or the NC10, celebrated a legislative day and addressed the legislature’s bipartisan, bicameral HBCU caucus.


More than a dozen legislators attended to hear representatives from the NC10 talk about legislative needs, which focused on funding. As the state with the most four-year HBCUs in the nation, legislators spoke about the importance of leveraging these institutions for a brighter future.


“The mission of our HBCU caucus, of course, is to inform and educate people about all of our HBCUs and then to encourage collaboration,” said Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford, a co-chair of the HBCU caucus. “And that is what today is about.”


As a collective, the 10 institutions coalesce around legislative asks to modernize infrastructure, support key academic programs, and invest in student success. But each institution has unique legislative priorities

 

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*press play

April 12, 2024

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