Enrolling in a historically black university has been a transformative experience for Stephanie Kwader, a freshman hailing from a predominantly white town. She is well aware that she stands out as one of the few white students at Bowie State University, a historically black institution with 5,500 students. Stephanie has encountered people who have questioned why she is there, but in the six months since she started her education there, she has made many friends. Being in a new environment has broadened her horizons and enhanced her education, particularly in her chosen field of forensic psychology. Additionally, Stephanie is grateful for the full scholarship she received from the university.
Stephanie is part of a growing group of minority students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). These institutions offer competitive academics at affordable tuition rates, making them appealing to students of all races. Arnold Kee, the director of programs at the Institute of Higher Education Policy, describes HBCUs as hidden treasures, with their strong faculty, nurturing environments, and the ability of two-year colleges to prepare students for further education in prominent programs.
Statistics from the US Department of Education show that enrollment of white and Hispanic undergraduate students at HBCUs has increased slightly since the 1970s. HBCUs were established in the mid-19th century to serve marginalized students, often the descendants of slaves, who were excluded from traditional educational institutions. While these colleges now attract students from diverse backgrounds, they continue to hold onto their mission while adapting to the changing landscape. Louis W. Sullivan, the chairman of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, emphasizes the importance of balancing diversity with preserving the unique character and heritage of these institutions. Sullivan believes that diversity enhances the educational experience by promoting cultural exchange and effective communication amongst students.
Historically black colleges, both public and private, have a combined enrollment of nearly 290,000 students, based on the latest available statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics. The proportion of white undergraduate students at HBCUs has increased from 8.2% in 1976 to 11.1% in 2001. Bowie State University, a member of the University of Maryland system, stands out for its accomplishments in graduating African-Americans with master’s degrees in computer science, information sciences, and psychology. With a campus located in Bowie, Maryland, just a short drive from Washington, D.C., Bowie State boasts a diverse student body, with around 14% of non-black students. White students comprise approximately 10%, while the remaining 4% is made up of Hispanic, Asian, and other students.
Although Diane Krichmar, a white alumna of Bowie State and former special assistant to the president of the university, acknowledges challenges faced by white students on campus, she believes in the value of her education and the transformative experiences that HBCUs offer.
She was an excellent candidate for the university, having graduated at the top of her class in 2005 from Elk Lake Junior-Senior High School in Dimock, Pennsylvania. Her combined SAT score of 1210 exceeded the minimum requirement of 900 set by Bowie State.
Unbeknownst to her when she applied, Bowie State is a historically black university, which her mother discovered while researching the institution online after her daughter’s acceptance. Despite some apprehension, her mother encouraged her to enroll, emphasizing the opportunity to explore new experiences and the added benefit of a free education.
During her first day of freshman orientation in September, as she was interviewed by Education Week, Ms. Kwader appeared unsure as she navigated the campus with another freshman, also white, whom she connected with instantly. However, she expressed uncertainty about how she would fit in at Bowie State.
Dimock, a small town in Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna County, has a population of approximately 1,400 and is situated near the Appalachian mountains. It is an hour’s drive from Scranton. In this tight-knit community, residents are familiar with one another. Stephanie’s father, Frank Kwader, owns a construction business in this predominantly agricultural town. He moved away to California before returning to Dimock in 1980. Most young people in Dimock tend to stay in the area, even after attending college. Stephanie’s mother, Patricia, is one such example, running an accounting business in Dimock and having lived there her whole life.
During her initial months at Bowie State, Stephanie frequently made the five-hour journey back home in her black ’98 Saab to spend time with her parents, younger sister, and younger brother. The separation from her mother was particularly challenging, and she struggled to feel comfortable at college, finding it difficult to make friends.
Stephanie admits that she would have been more at ease approaching people on a different campus, but at Bowie State, she prefers waiting for others to approach her. Her parents claim to have raised her to be colorblind, but Mr. Kwader admits feeling somewhat nervous when they first dropped off their daughter at college.
"Over the past semester, she has undergone a transformation," her mother remarks. "She has become more independent and confident." Now well into her second semester, Ms. Kwader acknowledges that she still faces challenges in finding acceptance at Bowie State University. However, she now has a solid group of friends and a bustling schedule filled with social activities, a full course load, and an evening job at a nearby mall. With all of this on her plate, she rarely has time to worry. She also has aspirations for the future, hoping to one day work analyzing crimes for the FBI.
To an outsider, Ms. Kwader appears much more at ease now compared to her anxious self on orientation day in the fall. Gone are her dark-rimmed glasses, replaced by contact lenses that accentuate her large, brown eyes. Sitting casually on a bench at the Student Center, she frequently gets up to warmly greet and embrace her friends as they pass by, most of whom are black. "When I first saw Stephanie, I thought, ‘Wow, she’s an attractive white girl!’" jokes her friend Marcus Brooks, as Ms. Kwader playfully playfully nudges him in response. Both Stephanie and Marcus, along with their other friends, engage in lively debates on various topics, ranging from the Iraq war to effective child discipline.
On a more serious note, Marcus states, "She’s funny, she’s silly—and I appreciate her because she’s not afraid to express her opinion." Like Ms. Kwader, Marcus is also on a full scholarship and he reveals that most of his friends on campus are African-American. However, he wishes that the university had more diversity, hoping for a less "segregated experience" that better reflects the outside world.
Marcus recalls a time when he and some friends cracked "white jokes" in Ms. Kwader’s presence, unknowingly upsetting her. However, he has since learned to be more considerate of her feelings.
When it comes to classroom learning, Ms. Kwader expresses that her experience at Bowie State has been different than it might have been at another university. She recounts an incident where her English professor asked the class to define black womanhood, a perspective that she admits she couldn’t fully grasp. "If I don’t feel comfortable, I can’t fully engage in the class," she explains. Around seventy-five percent of the faculty at Bowie State is black. The admissions director, Mr. Kiah, mentions that the university offers numerous courses focused on African-American history and culture, which attract a significant number of non-black students as well. While Ms. Kwader is not currently enrolled in any of these classes, she appreciates that many of her teachers incorporate an African-American perspective into other subjects. She finds it intellectually stimulating but occasionally overwhelming.
Although she considers the possibility of transferring to a college closer to her hometown in the future, Ms. Kwader has no regrets about choosing Bowie State. "I would say that I am content," she shares in mid-March. She is grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to a culture different from her own, an experience she would not have had at a predominantly white campus. "Initially, I had some regrets about coming here, but now I don’t," she admits. Being a minority has given her insight into the struggles that many black Americans face and has taught her the importance of expressing herself and speaking her mind without hesitation. "Being here has allowed me to learn more about myself and my beliefs," she concludes.
