Open Letter To The President in Response to Recent Remarks Concerning HBCUs

February 20, 2015

President Barack H. Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Subject:            Status of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Reference:        Remarks during the February 10^th meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

Dear President Obama:

First, on behalf of the National Historically Black Colleges & Universities Alumni Associations, LLC (NHBCUAA) and the thousands of HBCU Alumni that we represent, let me express our sincere thanks for all the hard work you have done on behalf of our great nation.  Because of your leadership, many social and political issues have been provided a national forum.  We are better off as a nation and are certainly moving in the appropriate direction on many of the most critical national issues. 

Unfortunately, we must address the recent statements made by you at the referenced meeting with the CBC regarding our HBCUs.  This letter is transmitted to you to express our disappointment and utter frustration regarding your recent statement regarding the status of HBCUs while meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). 

Our hope regarding the long overdue exchange between you and the CBC would be a spirited collaboration on addressing the financial and social ills that hamper the success of our HBCUs.  Instead, what was received resembles a gut punch from you in expressing your “simplification” of the current HBCU story by only one set of metrics, “graduation rates and loan policies”. 

To only reference “graduation rates and loan policies” as the foundation of our comments about HBCUs ignores much.  It does bring into question your understanding of the HBCU community and the tremendous historical value that they have provided for this great nation.  We have many in our community, like yourself, who have matriculated at other institutions who believe that they know us better than we know ourselves. 

Thus, it would have been more appropriate for you to engage us in a dialogue about the topic and determine root causes and viable solutions to perceived and actual problems.

It is easy for anyone to state what you stated.  We expect more from you than just lumping us in a negative category and making a “flippant remark” such as you made to our CBC and HBCU Leadership.  We desire better engagement from you and shall press all concerned parties to rally on this topic and make it a national topic of discussion.  For too long, we have been told that our issues are not of sufficient magnitude and importance to others.  I am truly reminded of that fact as I reflect on the movie Selma and hearing President Johnson utter those same sentiments. 

What if Dr.

Instead, you seem to have chosen the typical majority path of speaking to one set of metrics and ignoring the huge body of data that represents who and what the HBCU community is.  Please be mindful that thousands of our graduates were the strongest supporters of your campaign in 2008 and again in 2012.  What you have expressed in this statement confirms for all too many that you have been less of a friend and champion to a community that has supported you and your initiatives.  We welcomed the opportunity to engage with you and like-minded persons in a serious discussion of how to improve the current state of affairs for our beloved HBCUs. 

Once again, our hopes are dashed, but not destroyed.  We will survive your statements and your administration and press onward to ensure that our HBCUs survive and prosper.  Please let us know if you wish to be a part of that history versus being recorded as the President who stated that HBCUs need to close if they cannot get it together.

Respectfully submitted,

Ty Couey

Ty Couey, President

cc:        Congressman GK Butterfield, Chair Congressional Black Caucus 2015-2017

Dr. William Harvey, President, Hampton University and Chair, President Obama’s Board of Advisors on HBCUs

Dr. George Cooper, White House Initiatives on HBCUs

Congressman GK Butterfield

2305 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Hampton University

100 E. Queen Street

HAMPTON, VA 23668

Attn:  Dr. William Harvey, President

White House Initiatives on HBCUs

400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 4C128

Washington, DC 20202

Attn:  Dr. George Cooper