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ATLANTA, Sept. 16, 2004 – BLACK
ENTERPRISE today announced its 2004 list of the
50 Best Colleges & Universities for African
Americans. The BE Top Colleges report, which debuted
in January 1999, was developed in collaboration
with Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D., author of the DayStar
Guide to Colleges for African Americans and professor
of health policy, management, and sociology at Johns
Hopkins University. Of the 10 highest ranking schools
for 2004, historically black colleges and universities
(HBCUs) hold five of the top 10 positions; seven
of the top 10 are located in the South; and nine
of the top 10 are private institutions.
Attaining
the No. 1 rank is Morehouse College in Atlanta,
Ga. Morehouse is the nation’s largest private
liberal arts institution for African American
men. The college previously achieved the top spot
in 2003 and 2001. “We could not be more
proud of this honor, nor more committed to continuing
our historic mission,” said Dr. Walter E.
Massey, president of Morehouse College. “For
more than 137 years, Morehouse has enjoyed a reputation
for academic excellence, which has produced some
of the nation’s most outstanding leaders.
We are proud to aim even higher as we move into
the 21st century.” Closely following Morehouse
is No. 2 ranked Spelman College in Atlanta. Both
Spelman and Morehouse are part of the Atlanta
University Center, which shares students, faculty,
and resources. Spelman’s urban setting and
high academic reputation were instrumental in
accomplishing its rank as a top college. "We
are proud of the work that we are doing at Spelman
College and appreciate the recognition that this
ranking represents," says President Beverly
Daniel Tatum. "It is empowering for young
black women to come to our campus, an institution
where they can say, 'This place was built for
me, and it is nothing less than the best.’”
The historically black college for women previously
ranked No. 1 in 1999.
Rounding
out the top 10 are: No. 3, Hampton University,
Hampton, Va.; No. 4, Howard University, Washington,
D.C.; No. 5, Xavier University, New Orleans, La.;
No. 6, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee,
Fla.; No. 7, Stanford University, Stanford, Ca.;
No. 8, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.; No.
9, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and No.
10, Duke University, Durham N.C.
The
goal of the 50 Best Colleges for African Americans
survey was to be as inclusive as possible while
targeting schools that would be of interest to
black students. Four hundred and eighty-two colleges
were selected based on the following criteria:
accredited four-year colleges in which black enrollment
was at least 3%, or colleges that are large or
well known. BE surveyed a group of 1,855 black
higher education professionals with titles such
as president, chancellor, and provost. Each was
asked to rate schools based on whether they felt
the institutions provided a good social and educational
environment for African Americans. Schools were
categorized according to the college classification
protocol developed by U.S. News and World Report,
which is a modified version of the protocol developed
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching. Survey respondents were asked to
rate only schools that they were knowledgeable
about. The results were then narrowed to the published
Top 50.
The
complete list of the 50 Best Colleges for African
Americans appears in the October BLACK ENTERPRISE,
which hits newsstands on Sept. 21.
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