While Smaller Colleges Weather Recession, Private HBCUs Face Unique Challenges: Small- and middle-sized independent colleges have fared the economic recession well during the past six months, but historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in that category face special problems, according to Dr. Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges.
“When the crisis hit last fall, many of our members focused on students coming back in January and helped with financial aid. As a result many did,” Ekman told Diverse in an interview.
Also helping were the facts that the council's 587 members are not big public colleges affected by state budget cuts or private schools with large endowments that have taken huge hits in the past year because of stock market drops, he said.
