In this lesson plan, students will learn about the importance of HBCUs, how to search for HBCUs on RaiseMe, and factors to consider in researching and selecting HBCUs.

1. An Introduction to HBCUs

2. What is an HBCU?
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❖ HBCU stands for “Historically Black Colleges & Universities,”
institutions of higher learning founded before 1964.
❖ Their primary mission was originally to provide a safe space
where African Americans could receive an education following
the Civil War, though students of any race or ethnicity may attend
an HBCU.
❖ There are currently 101 HBCUs in America—half public, half
private institutions.

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❖ Before the mid-1900s, it was extremely difficult for black
students to receive an education. The law prohibited the
education of African Americans in many areas across the
United States. Only a handful of institutions allowed African
Americans to enroll into college.
❖ Oftentimes, black churches were responsible for the
elementary and secondary education of African Americans
to prepare them for greater advancement in society.
❖ During this time, black Americans like Frederick Douglass
had to rely on self-education and informal educational
settings in order to receive any sort of schooling. Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist and orator who escaped
slavery after teaching himself how to read and write. Douglass
became an integral national leader in the campaign towards ending
slavery.
“Some know the value of education by having it. I know it's
value by not having it.”
Before HBCUs
The History of HBCUs

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The First HBCUs
The History of HBCUs
❖ The first HBCUs were actually created before the
Civil War, and most were founded in the late 1800s.
❖ Between 1861 and 1910, the American Missionary
Association (AMA) and the Freedmen’s Bureau
were primarily responsible for creating colleges and
universities for African Americans.
❖ HBCUs were created as a place where African
Americans could pursue higher education and gain
professional skills. Most were founded in the South,
but some were also created in the Midwest and
Northeast, where there was still limited access to
quality higher education for black students.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1837 as the
first institution of higher learning for African Americans, originally
called the African Institute.

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HBCUs Today
The History of HBCUs
❖ Today, 9% of all African American college
students attend historically black colleges and
universities.
❖ The number of students enrolled in HBCUs has
increased by 35% since 1976!
❖ These days, HBCUs are also open to any
students that want to attend. Today, 22% of all
students enrolled at HBCUs are of other races.
Look at the student diversity index for Fayetteville State
University — a RaiseMe Partner college!

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Tell Them We Are Rising
PBS Documentary Trailer

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Why attend an HBCU?
❖ HBCUs typically have small student-to-faculty ratios. Students
attending HBCUs report feeling socially and academically supported
by their institution and their peers.
❖ African American students at HBCUs report feeling culturally
connected and that attending an HBCU gave them the opportunity to
learn more about their history.
❖ HBCU generate a significant number of all bachelor’s degrees
earned by African Americans in STEM (science, technology,
engineering, & mathematics) fields. They also graduate the most
African Americans seeking doctoral and engineering degrees in the
nation.
❖ The average cost of attendance at an HBCU is 26% lower than the
average total cost at all four-year non-profit institutions.
❖ The alumni association is very active and engaged, providing great
opportunities for networking that can help you develop your future
career.
Source: Students Speak!: Understanding the Value of HBCUs From Student Perspectives

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The HBCU College Search Challenge
❖ Using the RaiseMe College Search, you have the ability
to learn in-depth about a college or university.
❖ For today’s activity, the logo of a new HBCU will appear
on the screen. In groups of 4, use the RaiseMe College
Search to answer the questions on your worksheet.
You will have 60 seconds to answer!
❖ Once you’ve answered all the questions, raise your
hands and present to your class when called upon.
Your teacher will then click on the next slide after those
60 seconds to verify if you’re correct.
❖ If you have all the answers correct, your team earns a
point. If not, then no team earns points that round and
your teacher will move onto the next slide. The team
with the most points wins!
❖ Every round will also include a slide about a famous
HBCU alumni. Take notes on anyone that interests you!
❖ Already have a RaiseMe account? Skip to slide 9.

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Create a RaiseMe Account
1. Navigate to www.raise.me
2. Select “I’m a Student”
3. If applicable, sign up with your school email
address
4. Input your high school name and basic
information about yourself
5. Click on the “Colleges” tab
6. Follow colleges or universities to learn more
about HBCUs using the college search!

10. The HBCU College Search Challenge

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Alcorn State University
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ The first black land-grant college in the US.
➢ Location: Alcorn, MS
➢ Tuition: $6,546 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $8,038
➢ Public or Private: Public
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Biology & Liberal Arts
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 400 - 510
● Mathematics: 410 - 510
■ ACT: 16 - 21
➢ Undergrad Pop: 3,304

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Medgar Evers
Alcorn State University Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● American civil rights activist who worked to end segregation at
the University of Mississippi and in MS public facilities
● Expanded opportunities for African Americans as the first field
secretary of the NAACP
● Survived numerous attempts at assassination, only to be
murdered at his home by a member of the Ku Klux Klan (only
hours after President Kennedy’s landmark speech on civil rights)
Fun Facts
● Majored in business administration
● Competed on the debate, track & field, and football teams
● Sang in the choir and was the junior class president
“You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.”

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Spelman College
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ The oldest private HBCU for women, currently ranked
the #1 HBCU in the nation by the U.S. News & World
Report.
➢ Location: Atlanta, GA
➢ Tuition: $27,314 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $13,921
➢ Public or Private: Private
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Psychology & Biology
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 500 - 590
● Mathematics: 480 - 580
■ ACT: 22 - 26
➢ Undergrad Pop: 2,180

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Alice Walker
Spelman College Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● Famous for The Color Purple, which won the National Book
Award and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
● Has written numerous award-winning anthologies of poetry and
short stories, including Womanism
● Taught African American women’s studies at a number of
prestigious universities and is a vocal advocate for international
women’s rights
Fun Facts
● High school valedictorian and senior class prom queen
● Attended Spelman College on full scholarship
● Inspired to Civil Rights activism at Spelman by former professor
Howard Zinn and after meeting with MLK Jr
“The most common way that people give up their power is by thinking
they don’t have any.”

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Fayetteville State University
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ One of the oldest HBCUs and the second oldest state-
supported school in NC.
➢ Location: Fayetteville, NC
➢ Tuition: $5,085 (In-state) $16,693 (out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $6,278
➢ Public or Private: Public
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Nursing & Criminal Justice
➢ Average GPA: 3.5
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 390 - 480
● Mathematics: 400 - 470
● Writing: 360 - 430
■ ACT: 17 - 21

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Michele S. Jones
Fayetteville State University Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● The first African American woman to reach the rank of command
sergeant major in the US Army Reserve—the highest enlisted position
in the army
● Served 25 years in the army and was involved in every major
contingency operation involving the US Armed Forces
● Currently serves as a motivational speaker and has given speeches to
over 45,000 middle school and high school students
Fun Facts
● Majored in business administration
● First female selected class president of the United States Army
Sergeants Major Academy
● Former NFL cheerleader for the Colts
“My wish for you, number one: continue to follow your passion. But in your
pursuit of your passion...continue to fight—because it’s just getting
started.”

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Morehouse College
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ The largest men’s college in the USA. One of two
HBCUs to produce Rhodes Scholars—one of the
world’s most prestigious scholarships.
➢ Location: Atlanta, GA
➢ Tuition: $27,314 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $13,921
➢ Public or Private: Private
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Psychology & Biology
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 500 - 590
● Mathematics: 480 - 580
■ ACT: 22 - 26
➢ Undergrad Pop: 2,180

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Martin Luther King Jr.
Morehouse College Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● American civil rights activist and Baptist minister who fought against
racial inequality in America through civil disobedience
● Founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and organized
nonviolent protests against segregation
● Began to fight against economic injustice before being assassinated in
1968
● Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
Fun Facts
● Entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and majored in sociology
● Was a member of the debate team, student council, glee club, the
minister’s union, and the local chapter of the NAACP
● Played on a basketball team at the YMCA
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think
critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”

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Howard University
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ Ranked the #2 HBCU in the nation and the most
competitive HBCU in the nation.
➢ Location: Washington, DC
➢ Tuition: $24,908 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $17,396
➢ Public or Private: Private
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Physical Education
& Biology
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 520 - 620
● Mathematics: 520 - 620
■ ACT: 22 - 28
➢ Undergrad Pop: 7,203

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Taraji P. Henson
Howard University Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● Academy award-nominated actress, author, recipient of a
golden-globe award, and one of TIME magazine’s 100 most
influential people in the world in 2016
● The first African-American actress to ever win a Critics’ Choice
Award for best actress in a drama series
Fun Facts
● Initially studied electrical engineering in college and changed her
major to theater
● Worked at both the Pentagon and as a singing-waitress on a
dinner cruise in college
“I’m always interested in challenging and pushing, and seeing how far I
can go.”

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University of the District of Columbia
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ The only public university in DC and one of the few
urban land-grant universities in the country.
➢ Location: Washington, DC
➢ Tuition: $5,612 (In-state) $11,756 (out-of-
state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $5,776
➢ Public or Private: Public
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Business
Administration & Nursing
➢ Average GPA: 2.5
➢ Undergrad Pop: 4,485

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Lennox Yearwood
University of the District of Columbia Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● An activist and the president over the Hip Hop Caucus: a nonprofit
that empowers youth to participate in politics and community service
● Worked as the National Director of the Gulf Coast Renewal
Campaign advocating for the rights of Hurricane Katrina survivors
● Organized campaigns mobilizing young people to vote alongside
rappers P. Diddy, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, and T.I.
Fun Facts
● Received his Master of Divinity degree from Howard University
● Served as student body president at UDC
● Organized student protests and sit-ins while at UDC, once shutting
down the university for ten days as a response to budget cutbacks
“While there are those with their power, if you can equip power in your
own community, then you can also be seen as valuable in the process.”

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Tuskegee University
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ Founded by Booker T. Washington and home to
the Tuskegee Airmen.
➢ Location: Tuskegee, AL
➢ Tuition: $20,015 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $6,097
➢ Public or Private: Private
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Biology &
Psychology
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 440 - 560
● Mathematics: 450 - 550
■ ACT: 21 - 22
➢ Undergrad Pop: 2,601

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Ralph Ellison
Tuskegee University Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● Author of the novel Invisible Man, which won the US National Book
Award for Fiction in 1953
● Admitted to the American Academy of Arts & Letters and the first
African-American admitted to the Century Association
● Recipient of two President’s Medals and a State Medal from France
Fun Facts
● Studied music at Tuskegee University on scholarship
● Was his high school’s bandleader, playing both trumpet and
saxophone
● Worked in his university’s library, which inspired him to become a
novelist
● Named after transcendentalist essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson
“There is no shortcut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation —
veneer isn't worth anything.”

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Lane College
HBCU Fast Facts:
❖ An HBCU that historically focused on educating newly-
freed slaves to become teachers and preachers.
➢ Location: Jackson, TN
➢ Tuition: $10,280 (In-state and out-of-state)
➢ Average Financial Aid: $8,287
➢ Public or Private: Private
➢ Most popular 2 majors: Business Administration
& Criminal Justice
➢ Average GPA: 2.6
➢ Average SAT/ACT:
■ SAT
● Critical Reading: 323 - 378
● Mathematics: 323 - 398
■ ACT: 14 - 16

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Fatima Massaquoi
Lane College Famous Alumni:
Major Accomplishments
● Co-founder of the University of Liberia. Served as the director
and dean of the Liberal Arts College and the founding director of
the Institute of African Studies
● Continually contributed to the cultural and social life of the
country, including co-founding the Society of Liberian Authors
and standardizing the script of her native Vai language
Fun Facts
● Majored in sociology at Lane College and earned master’s
degrees in sociology and anthropology at Fisk University
● Taught German, French, violin, African folk dancing, and
European folk dancing at Fisk
“The strong should protect the rights of the weak and respect their
cultures and beliefs.”

35. Tally your points… which team won?

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Reflection Activity
3
Write about three new ideas you learned from this presentation.
2
Write two questions that were prompted from this information.
1
Write one action you intend to commit to from this presentation.