Rate this HBCU Day 90: Shaw University

[DrBanneker]

We last covered Jarvis Christian University which received an average score of 6.

See the updated leaderboard here

Today we start the countdown to the final five HBCUs that will be covered in the series. We go to one of the most impactful, yet least chronicled, small HBCUs, Shaw University of Raleigh, North Carolina. Shaw has had an outsized effect on HBCU history and Civil Rights history despite its small size. It was arguably the first HBCU in the South, started just at the end of the Civil War in 1865 by a Union soldier from Massachusetts, Henry Martin Tupper with help from the American Baptist Home Mission Society. It was then known as the Raleigh Theological Institute and only taught theology. It became the Shaw Collegiate Institute in 1870 and admitted women and expanded its course offering. It would continue to build though under threat; Tupper and his wife once hid in a corn field to escape a KKK lynch mob.

Many HBCU founders and presidents would attend Shaw (see alumni list in next post). During its heyday in the early 20th century it had both a law school (that closed in 1916) and a medical school (that closed in 1920). The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was also founded from a meeting on the Shaw University campus in April 1960. It has a good location in downtown Raleigh though it has struggled with possible expansion aims by the city. It also has one of the highest alumni giving rates in excess of 30% from data back in 2013.

SNCC founding meeting at Shaw

Founded: 1865

City, State: Raleigh, NC

Type: 4-year, Private not-for-profit (Baptist affiliated)

Nickname: Bears

Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 1,141 (998 undergraduate), 93% Black

Part-time student percentage: 11%

First Generation Student Percentage: 40%

Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 64% / 3%

Out of State Percentage: 37%, (Top States: Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Georgia, South Carolina)

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 15:1

Admissions Acceptance Rate: 61%

4-Yr / 6-Yr Graduation rates: 8% / 19% (note that College Scorecard states a 35% 8 yr graduation rate)

Transfer out rate: N/A

Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 43% male/ 57% female (1.3:1 ratio)

Tuition: $17k

Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $32k

Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $20k

Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $34k

Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Business Administration: $41k, Social Work: $38k, Recreation Management: $30k, Communications: $29k

Top Majors by Degrees:
Business Administration, Exercise Science, Recreation Management, Criminal Justice, Social Work

Endowment: ~$12M

Alumni Engagement: 32% of alumni give back (2013 numbers)

Athletic Conference: CIAA (NCAA Div II)

Mascot: Bears

Main Campus:

Athletics

C.C. Spaulding Gym

Platinum Sound Marching Band

Chi-Chis Cheerleaders

Diamond Sensation Dancers




Miss Shaw University

@the kid @Cereal_Bowl_Assassin @KyokushinKarateMan @murksiderock
@invalid @MostReal @Originalman @#1 pick @Ziggiy @SupaVillain @Tug life @Idaeo @get these nets @MostReal @Bryan Danielson @Rollie Forbes @Sonic Boom of the South @staticshock @Charlie Hustle @BigAggieLean. @Optimus Prime @How Sway? @DropTopDoc @Anerdyblackguy @EndDomination

 

[DrBanneker]

Notable Alumni:
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. - iconic and long-serving NYC congressman (got his Doctor of Divinity at Shaw)

Gladys Knight - iconic singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer

Willie E. Gary - famous lawyer and co-founder Black Family Channel

Angie Brooks - Liberian Supreme Court jurist and first African woman as president of the UN General Assembly

Lords of the Underground - met at Shaw though did not graduate

HBCU Founders and Presidents:
John O. Crosby - founder and first president of North Carolina A&T State University

James B. Dudley - professor and president of North Carolina A&T State University

Peter Weddikk Moore - founder and first president of Elizabeth City Normal College, (now Elizabeth City State University) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Peter_Weddikk_Moore.png/161px-Peter_Weddikk_Moore.png
James E. Shepard - founder and first president of North Carolina Central University.

James E. Cheek - president of Shaw University, president emeritus of Howard University, 1983 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Ezekiel Ezra Smith - president of Fayetteville State University and U.S. Ambassador to Liberia

Charles L. Purce - president of Selma University (closed) and Simmons College of Kentucky

 

[murksiderock]

Don't know much about Shaw but its wildly respected here locally, has a real presence in the community. So does St Aug's, did you ever do them? Other than knowing some people who've gone to both, I don't know much...

Raleigh having two HBCUs though, has had a profound imprint on how this city has grown and developed!

 

[Rollie Forbes]

That notable alumni list
Even today, Shaw is not only one of the CIAA's best schools, it is also one of the premiere HBCUs. What a great school!

 

[get these nets]

The alumni list!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needed a separate list for just the college presidents!!!!!!!

Great reading the backstories of the schools.
Their campus development issue was resolved a few weeks ago.

Raleigh, NC approves rezoning of Shaw U. owned property , alumni divided/* passed by city council

Shaw University alumni divided over plans to update campus, build high-rise towers Feb 28, 2023 RALEIGH, N.C. — Shaw University, founded in downtown Raleigh in 1865, is known as the first historically Black university in the South. On Tuesday, the school cleared the first hurdle toward...

www.thecoli.com

HBCUs are under resourced and under funded, so as much people didn't want to see it happen......it's the practical decision for the survival of the school.

Great profile. Great alumni engagement and support. Terrible completion numbers.
Lot of NJ students reverse migrate and attend Shaw. At least in the era when LOTUG were there.

 

[Scientific Playa]

My son and nephew graduated from Shaw. I was just looking at copies of their graduation degrees yesterday while looking for a fam photo.
Son earned a Ford Foundation scholarship in his junior or sophomore year and it made my pockets very happy.
He met and married a Raleigh lady and they are still together.

Thanks for teaching me about the founder from New England. And MLK's input in the university. Ditto the famous alumni.

Henry Martin Tupper - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Op, I tried to rep you but the system said nada.

"Oops! We ran into some problems.
You must change the reputation of 25 users before you can influence the reputation of the username DrBanneker again."

 

[DrBanneker]

My son and nephew graduated from Shaw. I was just looking at copies of their graduation degrees yesterday while looking for a fam photo.
Son earned a Ford Foundation scholarship in his junior or sophomore year and it made my pockets very happy.
He met and married a Raleigh lady and they are still together.

Thanks for teaching me about the founder from New England. And MLK's input in the university. Ditto the famous alumni.

Henry Martin Tupper - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Op, I tried to rep you but the system said nada.

"Oops! We ran into some problems.
You must change the reputation of 25 users before you can influence the reputation of the username DrBanneker again."

Thanks man, they have that limited rep thing going on but I appreciate the support!

 

[DrBanneker]

Terrible completion numbers

That shocked me too so I checked the Department of Ed IPEDS data again and it seems right. But the Department of Ed College Scorecard gives a 35% 8 year graduation rate so I'm not sure which source to trust. I'll make a note above.

 

[young3000]

I pass by this university almost everyday. I know some of the local alumni were upset about the passed proposal of rezoning to allow 30 story high rises on campus.

 

[DrBanneker]

I know this is a random fact but looking at the data again, Shaw is interesting as it has the highest percentage of all HBCUs of Black students identifying as mixed (Black plus another race). Almost 12% for Shaw compared to an average of 4% at other NC HBCUs and 2% nationally for HBCUs. No idea why.

 

[get these nets]

I know this is a random fact but looking at the data again, Shaw is interesting as it has the highest percentage of all HBCUs of Black students identifying as mixed (Black plus another race). Almost 12% for Shaw compared to an average of 4% at other NC HBCUs and 2% nationally for HBCUs. No idea why.

Interesting wrinkle. First thing I did was look at where the out of state students were from. Surprisingly, they are from neighboring/regional states.
I thought that they would have a high number of students from the West and Southwest, where there are pockets of high intermarriage. I've read about efforts to add mixed race as category for years, and they are often based in those regions.

 

[get these nets]

​

RALEIGH, N.C. [September 19, 2023] – Beginning in October 2023, Shaw University will expand its campus and Triangle presence to Research Triangle Park; the result of a new collaboration between ShawU and the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina. This strategic move will provide Shaw University with a tangible presence in the heart of RTP, opening up new avenues for growth and development.

The collaboration will secure Shaw University a dedicated office space within Frontier RTP innovation campus, located in the heart of the Hub RTP development, RTP’s new vibrant downtown area. The space within the Frontier RTP 800 Building will include private offices and an administrative area dedicated to ShawU, as well as classroom space shared within the premises. Additionally, Shaw University will have access to the common areas of the associated buildings, which include state-of-the-art conference rooms, a collaborative co-working space, and additional event spaces to advance several initiatives:

• Institutional Advancement – The RTP facility offers a dedicated space to meet with donors and forge new corporate partnerships;
• Student Affairs – Career Services will leverage the space to engage potential corporate partners for internships, job fairs, and job opportunities, thereby enhancing students’ career prospects;
• Academics – The classroom areas within Frontier 800 offer versatile spaces for conducting certificate and adult education classes on a regular or as-needed basis, further enhancing Shaw University’s academic capacity.

Dr. Paulette Dillard, President of Shaw University, said: “The partnership with RTP provides Shaw with proximity; proximity to cutting-edge companies; proximity to business leaders; and proximity to success. With Shaw now having a dedicated space in RTP, the university can host educational seminars for Park tenants and job fairs for our students. Shaw will be at the front door for opportunities with RTP companies looking for students for internships and jobs, thus building another pipeline for diverse talent in the region.”