Two years ago, the only historically black medical school west of the Mississippi faced a grim prognosis after county officials pulled the plug on its relationship with a troubled hospital. Today the medical school that has reportedly trained about a third of Los Angeles County's black and Hispanic physicians is back on its feet and planning an…

The Supreme Court's 1992 decision on desegregation in state higher education systems is criticized for lacking force and creating confusion. The ruling encourages states to support historically black colleges by adding academic programs. Some feel the ruling will not help most black students, who are enrolled in predominantly white institutions.…

In the wake of a black-white student fight on campus, Columbia University administrators are investigating reports of racial bias and black students have filed charges of aggravated racial harrassment and demanded establishment of an Afro-American studies program, more black faculty, and a larger black student population. (MSE)

The article describes Temple University's doctoral program in African-American studies, notes the awarding of the first Ph.D. in the program, and discusses controversy surrounding the Afrocentric emphasis of the program. (DB)

While Internet content relating to black culture is burgeoning, and scholars want to make more available, the cost of selecting and organizing materials is hindering their efforts. Some innovative approaches are being used, including an online course on media, technology, and diversity and a compact-disk collection of research on slave trading.…

The Kresge Foundation has undertaken an $18-million project to assist four-year, historically black colleges build successful fund-raising operations. The grants pay for consultants to analyze advancement offices and map improvements for them. The program will also match black-college advancement officers with mentors who are successful fund…

While American higher education institutions are trying to provide increased educational opportunities for Black South Africans, Black South African leaders are concerned that some educational and financial aid programs are being hastily planned and ill-conceived. (MSE)

Leaders at Voorhees College (South Carolina), a small historically black institution with limited finances, have used ingenuity and hard work to develop a campus computer system. Despite lack of faculty and staff sophistication in computer use, the college is gradually improving computer resources and faculty computing skills, and enterprising…

At Dillard University (Louisiana), federal financial support enables the university to make fledgling programs solid. The programs are supported by the Education Department's program for "developing institutions," known as Title III after the part of the Higher Education Act that authorizes them. (MLW)

A successful California engineering program helps minority students graduate from college by providing a strong student network, extensive tutoring and counseling, and direct faculty involvement. (MSE)

Many historically black colleges and universities want to take advantage of a strong economy and generous donors. Typically, even relatively wealthy institutions do not have the financial capabilities and access to wealthy benefactors that predominantly white institutions have accumulated and can use more money, either as a cushion against hard…

Sudden growth in the number of doctoral programs in black studies is helping to legitimize the discipline in academe, and diversity of curricula is providing students with many more choices of emphasis. Programs have a wide range of focus, from the broadest, the black American experience, to the African diaspora and comparative black studies.…

A federal district judge ruled that state officials failed to demonstrate the need to close Mississippi Valley State University and merge Mississippi University for Women with Mississippi State University to meet desegregation requirements. He ordered Mississippi to provide additional funds to two other black colleges, and approved a state plan…

The Management Education Alliance, a group of 15 business schools, including 11 predominantly minority schools, and 11 corporations was formed in 1994 to help minority schools identify and develop a specialty. It offers participation in faculty-development seminars, helps forge ties with the business community, and offers opportunities for…

Excerpts from the ruling of federal district court Judge Harold L. Murphy outline steps that Alabama should take to desegregate its public colleges, and include comments on why many white students do not attend black colleges, the transfer of programs from white to historically black institutions, and use of scholarships to attract white students…